Childcare Choices

Our youngest children are 4 and 5 years old. Since the 5 year old was born, we have tried several types of childcare and I have visited at least 30 different childcare facilities in Raleigh and Cary, North Carolina. I'm not an expert but I do have some knowledge of the types of facilities as well as the state rating system. When visiting the various childcare centers, I make a point to ask a lot of questions and to really understand what a day is like for a child. I also observe the children who are in the facility and I pay particular attention to the interactions between the teachers and children. I ask to visit all of the classrooms rather than just the classes my children would be in because I like to get a feel for the different environments. Each type of childcare situation has pros and cons and I believe it is up to parents to determine what works best for them and their children based on what is important to them.

Options for newborns and toddlers include: nannies, home childcare centers, small daycare centers, and large daycare centers. Most of the programs in the Raleigh area only offer full-time childcare for the younger children because of the lower teacher to child ratios and the demand for daycare for these ages. For part-time, a nanny or babysitter will generally work with families individually and in some situations, nanny-sharing is a good way to keep a good nanny employed for more hours while spending less money. The larger day care centers very rarely offer part-time care and because of their schedules, it usually works out better for the child to be in the facility full-time for the consistency. Again, a parent's choice should be based on the location of the facility, the hours they are open, the general feel of the administration and care-givers, the atmosphere, the condition of toys and playground equipment, the rules, the curriculum (if it is a school), the food (if they serve food), the size of the rooms, needs of the child, and the star rating that the state assigns. See this website for additional state information:

http://ncchildcare.dhhs.state.nc.us/general/home.asp

Once children are older toddlers to preschool aged, preschool is another option. Preschool can be part-time or full-time and there are many options including: churches, Montessori, public (if a child is "at-risk" or has special needs), bi-lingual, and various others. Preschools can be accredited by different educational organizations and they are required to have the same state licenses as childcare or daycare centers. Information can be found on state licensing of preschools at the website listed above.

There is no right or wrong answer to your childcare needs. We had some situations that worked out very well, while others didn't work at all. Some decisions were based on particular needs of our children while others were based on finding just the "right" people to care for our children. Although, we have had ups and downs with our childcare situations over the years, we don't regret the decisions that we made and both children are thriving at a very good preschool which they both enjoy attending.