Finding the right childcare setting for your baby or young child can seem overwhelming. As a parent, you want to ensure that your child is safe and happy in a childcare environment that is fun, educational, and nurturing. Here are some tips on how to do that.

Consider your child and family

About 70 percent of parents place their young children in some type of daily care. Whether you choose in-home or center-based care, a preschool, or someone else’s home for your child’s daily care setting, you should follow some specific guidelines to ensure receiving quality, professional care.

Most important is to know your own child’s temperament, likes and dislikes, health, interests, and behavior. For a baby under one year old, give careful attention to your child’s need to be nurtured and held, any special health needs, and the type of person you want to care for your little one during the first year of life.

For an older child, developing play and learning styles, interaction with other kids, intellectual curiosity, and need for individualized attention should be considered.

Your family’s own values and emotional needs also come into play. Some parents are overly anxious about leaving a very young child with one person, while others prefer individual care. But by age three or four, it’s good for kids to have at least some exposure to other kids and be in a structured program like preschool or daycare.

Before choosing a care setting, find out which options are available and consider cost, location, and reputation.

What to look for

Make a list of qualities you’re looking for in a caregiver or care center, such as experience, religious background, discipline beliefs, and flexibility. The International Nanny Association (INA) recommends that you interview any prospective hire at least twice and that you conduct a criminal background check, which is usually done by most placement agencies.

Besides asking about training in early childhood development, ask a potential nanny or au pair:

  • Why are you interested in working with young children?
  • Why did you leave your last job? (You should always check references; ask that family why the relationship ended and whether they would recommend the caregiver.)
  • What is your discipline policy? (Offer “what if” scenarios. For example, if a child hits another child or throws a tantrum over a toy someone else is playing with, what should the consequences be?)
  • Are you trained in emergency first aid and CPR?
  • How will you provide new experiences to enhance my child’s mental and physical development? What opportunities can you offer to experience art, music, group and individual play, and indoor and outdoor play?
  • How would you handle toilet teaching?
  • How would you handle separation anxiety?

If you’re considering a childcare center or other group setting, spend some time observing the center and talking to parents with kids there. Add these questions to those above:

  • Do you have an open-door policy on parent visits?
  • What are alternative arrangements for care if the program closes? On what holidays is the center closed?
  • What is your policy on caring for sick children?
  • How do you monitor kids on the playground? How old is the equipment and has it recently been inspected?
  • How are kids grouped? By age?
  • Do you welcome children of varying ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds to the program? Do you include kids with special needs?
    What are the educational backgrounds of the teachers?
  • Do you provide meals or snacks? If so, what types of foods do you offer (i.e., part of a healthy, balanced diet)?
  • Do you have a current state license and any other accreditations?

In evaluating the responses to your questions, carefully consider how the philosophy of child-rearing, discipline, and nurturing meshes with your personal vision of how your child should be guided and cared for each day.

Finally, do you have a sense of trust in this person or program? Do you believe that your child will be happy and have the opportunity to learn and grow in this environment?

If none of the caregivers or childcare centers meet your expectations, don’t settle for best of the worst. Instead, review your expectations and needs, and begin your search again. Consider asking neighborhood parents or coworkers for recommendations.