I fell in love with Early Childhood Development when my first child was born. After our second child, and the purchase of our new home, I opted to go back to school for a degree in Education, pursue my passion for child development and start my own family childcare center. And while my center was being created, I went to Nanny for a time. After being a nanny, ten years in family childcare, and leaving family childcare to move on to commercial childcare, I can quite literally speak to the differences regarding a variety of childcare options from personal experiences on the inside. We'll start here with what to look for - especially when considering Family Childcare (and don't knock it until you hear me out!).
While there is a difference in any childcare setting you're going to choose, the biggest differences will be in the Family Childcare sphere. Why? Because you are going to someone's home. Typically, family childcare centers have homeowners that live there and thus they are somehow sharing the space with their center. Some have a dedicated room, some have a whole dedicated floor (as in my case), some have a dedicated basement, and yet others are sharing their living space and using their own furniture. This makes it harder to know what to expect and what to look for. What I can tell you from running a Family Childcare Center and knowing some AMAZING providers, is IF you find a great one, your child will have an amazing experience (YES, JUST LIKE at a commercial center!) and you'll likely cut your costs in half - so it's worth the time and effort to look.
Every state has different requirements so whether commercial or family center, you'll need to know what those requirements are. Figure out who licenses family childcare in your state and look them up. You might not want to read through all 80 pages but it's good to know you can access the information on what's most important to you. Here are some of the basics that you should look for:
A LICENSE! - there are some states that do not require a license OR have limited exemptions to obtaining one. I am not here to tell you there are not amazing unlicensed or unregistered providers, HOWEVER, unfortunately, those providers are typically less regulated which will make it hard for you to know what they are/aren't doing. I have been in forums where some decide to stay unlicensed because they believe the state is too complicated and they do "almost" everything the state requires "anyway". But if that's the case, why not register? Look, ultimately, I'm going to bust some Family Childcare Myths because I think there are amazing programs that provide children with everything they need for a strong foundation, but I'm still going to tell you that if you are searching for an all-day childcare program, I would suggest finding one that is licensed by whatever state you reside in.
CPR/First Aid Certification - For ALL/Any staff. Often times it's the owner/provider and at least one assistant.
Allergy Policy/Handling - This has become huge over the last decade as children have developed more and more allergies. How a provider responds to this question is important because even if your child doesn't have an allergy now, they could develop one. Where to they post the allergy list, do they go over it, how do they ensure the child does not eat anything with the allergen in it and most of all, is there an EPI-PEN on site in cases of emergency. What happens if they child develops an allergic reaction during the day? Keep in mind, children with allergies typically need a lot of paperwork filled out (especially in NY).
Health/Safety - What are the practices surrounding Health and Safety. This encompasses so many things that I may have to write a separate blog post for it! However, the basics are regulatory requirements in this area. Things like outlet covers, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, fire and shelter in place drills, emergency evacuation plans and emergency evacuation bag supplies. Child/staff ratios and allergy management. How often do they wash their hands and how often do they go outside? Is the outdoor area safe and fenced in? Are there appropriate toys that are in good repair? This is a group environment so having toy options for everyone is important, but how do they keep items that might be appropriate for a three-year-old, away from your 6mo. old, because it may be a choking hazard?
Children sized furniture/Environment - Certainly your child could be comfortable on a regular sized sofa or regular sized table because it's likely that's what you have at home, right? That said, if you're sending him/her to a childcare program, you want that program to use best practices and that includes furniture that is their size, comfortable places to sit, lots of children's books, toys that allow them to use their imagination (like blocks), items that are related to STEM, a stool so they can reach the bathroom sink and a comfortable, appropriate place for them to nap. A good program will have everything they need, the way that they need it (eye level so they can choose to play with things) even if it's in an environment where you also see their sofa and big screen TV (as long as they don't use it!). A GREAT program will have all of that and more, in what looks more like a classroom setting, whether it's just one room or an entire floor and there will be no screen time for anyone under the age of 2, ever.
Behavior Management - How are children disciplined? Is there a written policy and do all staff know what that is? Are there time-outs and is that a regulatory violation (it is in NY).
Curriculum - What sort of curriculum is used or how are lesson plans created? How are children taught basic skills, self-help skills, independence? MORE IMPORTANTLY (and I'll touch on this in another blog post), do they understand the order in which to build a child's skills. Remember, you can't teach a child to read before you teach how to sound out letters, before you teach the letter sounds, before you teach the letters...you get my point. That's academics - the same can be said for other things. Babies need to be spoken to (early literacy) so they start to understand that words have meaning. Babies need to eat on their own, with their fingers, and practice with a spoon. It's not only important for self-help skills later but also provides the practice and fine motor development they'll need for writing as well. Fun fact: did you know that climbing is important so that children build the limb strength that will help the fine motor skills they will need to write later in life? Lastly, what does their daily schedule/activities look like? And make sure they have a variety of toy options and that children can access those options.
Passion/Qualifications- This is a tough one for me because while I believe that formal education in Child Development or Early Childhood Education is important to understanding the needs of the children we serve, I don't necessarily believe you have to get that information in the traditional way. Long before I decided to go back to school, I had a passion and a genuine interest in Child Development. I read and learned, on my own. I do have a love for learning and wanted to go back for Education and teaching and the truth is it was very useful. However, it turns out I did know what I was doing, and it would not have changed anything about the way I was running my Family Childcare Center. So, I'll advise to look for the passion, and go with your gut!
NAEYC Accreditation - This is another tough one for me so here's the deal with accreditation. DO NOT count out a Family Childcare Center because of it! NAEYC accreditation is expensive and while I ran my program, I followed every NAEYC rule! However, I could not afford to apply for the accreditation and maintain it. That said, larger commercial centers (especially the corporate centers with hundreds (or thousands) of locations should absolutely be NAEYC accredited and if they're not, it's because they don't believe parents understand the value and why it's important. That said, they then don't maintain NAEYC standards. You can read more about NAEYC standards and use this as a guide, even if a center isn't accredited! standards_assessment_2019.pdf (naeyc.org)
App - Most childcare centers, even family centers, have an app that they can communicate a child's daily information through. Ask how they will tell you about your child's day.
Meals - Are meals included? If so, which and what are they serving. Are there options for vegetarians, vegans or will you be required to send something in? A menu should be posted, and they can probably give you a sample.