Quality child care promotes trust, independence and positive social, emotional, intellectual and physical development.

Choosing to use child care for your child is a difficult decision to make in and of itself. Yet once that decision has been made, the next step is, “what child care program do I choose?” There are some basic questions to ask and some essential components to look for when researching quality child care programs. These basics include:

• Health and Safety (Is the environment clean and safe?)
• Professionalism (Does staff have training in early childhood education or child development?)
• Parent Relationships (How dos the provider interact with parents? Does she/he make the effort to work with parents to get to know their child?)
• Atmosphere (Is the program child-friendly, well equipped and well organized?)
• Relationships Between Provider and Child (Is the provider nurturing? How does she/he interact with the children?)
• Group Size (How many children will be in your child’s group? How many adults will be present?)
• Philosophy (Does the philosophy of the program meet your needs and the needs of your child? Does your child’s temperament match the program’s structure?)

These are only some of the things to address when looking for a child care program. But once you think you have found the ‘right’ program for you and your child, it is important to stay involved and to regularly communicate with the provider. Visit the program regularly if possible. If work prohibits visiting, you can check-in with the provider on a regular basis at an agreed upon time, maybe by phone or in a daily journal. (It can be difficult at times for a provider to answer parent questions when there are other children present needing attention, such as drop-off or pick-up times.) Volunteer in your child’s program, attend your child’s birthday celebration and/or join in on special events, like field trips.