| IN-HOME CARE An in-home caregiver is someone who cares for your children in your own home. This type of care may be a solution if you have more than 2 children, a child who has special needs or if you work irregular or non-traditional hours. An in-home care provider tends to be more flexible than other options. In-home care may not be suitable if you only need occasional care, have less than 3 children or if the cost of care is an issue. Also, the cost for in-home care does tend to be the most expensive type of care available. |
FAMILY CHILD CARE Family child care is provided in the home of the caregiver. You may find a relative, friend, neighbor or someone you do not already know. Usually, just a few children are cared for at any one time. Family child care can be a good arrangement if you are a single parent raising a child alone, if you live in a rural area where family child care is likely to be easiest to find, if you have only one or two children needing care, a school-age child or an infant. Keep in mind that a family child care provider may go out of business or stop caring for children at any time. Many of these homes are not inspected or licensed by local or state agencies so it will be up to you to make sure that adequate health and safety standards are met. |
CENTER-BASED CARE Center-based care is most frequently available in a town or city. Many child care centers have an organized program of activities to help children learn. Some centers follow more formal plans. Others use a more informal program based on their day-to-day experience working with children. You may be interested in center-based care if you want to keep your child in the same child care setting for an extended period, your child needs special care because of a physical or mental handicap or an emotional problem, if you want certain educational or religious activities for your child, or if, in addition to care, your child will need medical or dental checkups or psychological or social services. Keep in mind, center-based care may not provide the 'home' atmosphere some children like. Your child may not be comfortable in a large group. In considering a particular child care center - check out the facilities available, the qualifications of the staff and the number of children cared for by each caregiver (the 'staff/child ratio'). Talk to the Director to make sure the center's program has the approach you like and includes the kinds of activities you want for your child. |