Childcare Checklist: Find the Best Option

By BabyZone Editors

Childcare Checklist: Find the Best Option

Wondering how to select the best daycare for your little one? BabyZone offers a checklist to get you started on your search for the perfect childcare facility.

In this article:
Making the Right Choice
Licenses
Accreditation
Intuition
Plainly Speaking

Making the Right Choice

Most parents want not just safe childcare, but high-quality care that will help their children reach their full developmental and intellectual potential. Childcare is an enormous industry. With so many alternatives, there is a wide variation in quality among the offerings. Choosing the best for your child can be a daunting task. So how do you get started? First, know your alternatives. Almost every community has several referral services that can give you lists of providers in your area (sometimes a fee is required). You can call Child Care Aware for a reference to local organizations that will help you find childcare providers (800-424-2246). Begin sorting through those centers that are close to your home on the basis of their characteristics. There are numerous quality indicators you can use.

Licenses

Licensure is usually a legal requirement for operating a childcare facility. State, county, or local governments license childcare providers that meet minimum governmental standards for health and safety. In some states, for example, the state licenses commercial childcare centers and the county licenses family (in-home) childcare providers. Licensure does not distinguish the good from the mediocre. The National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care offers the licensure requirements for any state in the United States.

Most childcare providers are licensed. Childcare providers who care for a small number of children do not require licensure. In most states, a person does not need a license to use their own home to care for one other family's children, even if there are multiple children involved. Using Minnesota as an example, here are regulations that state's family (in-home) childcare providers must follow:

Attend large group orientation and small group orientation
Receive an information packet
Provide references
Pass a criminal background check
Pass home and fire safety inspection
Satisfactorily complete an interview with a social worker.

The number of children permitted in a childcare home depends on the type of license the operator has. When interpreting the list below, be aware that the total number of children includes the provider's own children as well as those school-age children under age 11 years who attend part-time.

A License: Care for 10 children (good for one year only)
C1 License: Care for 10 children
C2 License: Care for 12 children
C3 license: Care for 14 children with another helper