Desperately Seeking Daycare

Yesterday my heart almost broke when a young woman hesitantly approached me at the park, apologetically asking “I am sorry to bother you, but we just moved to the area, and we are desperately seeking daycare, do you have any suggestions?” I remember those days all too well - when you put your first child into the hands of another and are wracked with the guilt and worry that can often accompany this. Our family was blessed to find two amazing women to help us with our own childcare struggles, but for months after our first child was born we honestly had no idea what to do or who to use (and we regretted how far away we lived from close friends and family).  Before I could even answer this woman, another piped in stating “Oh, this is why people use Craigslist - maybe you could check there.”  Although this might have been good advice, I sensed the young woman’s exasperation when she sighed back “Oh, I guess I didn’t think of that, thanks. Would I be able to find someone I could trust? My daughter has never even had a sitter before.”  I did offer three or four suggestions to the young mother, all based on the good experience my child, or a friends’ child, has had with different daycare centers. But regardless of these leads - I offered her some advice to finding the “right fit.” I told her to make an appointment with several schools, have both parents and the child visit, tour the school and talk to the teachers and staff. Then make sure to observe how your child is interacting with others and others with your child. Do you all feel comfortable? Does the facility seem safe? How many other children are being watched? What are the other childrens’ ages? How would the center contact you in an emergency? What are their safety practices? For more great questions to ask, see the Top 10 Questions to Ask a Prospective Child Care Provider. Otherwise, I think what this young mother was doing was the perfect, and gutsy, first step. Ask around, get opinions, find leads, and most of all make sure you feel that the solution you find (whether it is in house or not) makes you, your child, and the care provider all comfortable.