Our best tips on what to ask or look for when finding child care for your child.

Your maternity leave has finished, and you know the time has come for your return to work. 

However, you need to find care for your little one. 

Looking for quality care for your child can often be a daunting experience, and there might even be a bit of parenting guilt. 

So what are your options and what should we you look for when  you want to find good quality care for your children?

In Victoria, we have the following child care options:

Family Day Care

Children from 0-5 years of age (sometimes even school age) can attend care in an educators own house.  The ratio from educator to child is 1 educator to 4 children, and is great for babies, toddlers or family groups.  Cost can vary depending on qualifications of the educator and whether they provides meals and/or nappies etc.  Hours can vary too and the advantage is that the educator for individual needs. such as those shift workers who finish outside the usual 6.30-6.30 times. Most local councils are provided for family day carers and there are a range of private companies as well.  Childcare subsidy is available for Family Day Care.

Long Day Care or Child Care Centres

Children can access long day care from around 6 weeks up to the age before they go to school. Centres usually divide the room up to babies, toddlers, pre-kindergarten and kindergarten.  Ratios vary from 1 educator to 4 babies to 1 educator to 11 children in the kindergarten room.  Price varies from centre to centre, and most centres provide meals and some even nappies.  Hours vary slightly but usually are open between 6.30-6.30.  Child Care Subsidy is also available. 

Nannying or AuPair

Nanny or AuPair is when the carer or educator comes to your home. They can be a live-in nanny or an off-site nanny.  Hours can be flexible.  Families accessing nannies do not usually get the Child Care Subsidy.

Occasional Care

Occasional care is flexible and casual type care.   Care can vary from 1 hour to 7.5 hours depending on centre.  Occasional care usually caters for all ages from 6 weeks to 5 years, and most staff to child ratio is 1:4.  Some occasional care centres offer the Child Care Subsidy but again this varies from centre to centre.   Please note, there are many variations with Occasional Care with staff ratios, child care subsidy, hours, availability etc and therefore it is best to discuss directly with the centre.

Family Member Care

Of course, if you have a family member such as grandma or grandpa, that is also an option if they are close and willing to assist with care. 

What to look for when “shopping” around for a centre for your little one?

I always suggest to families to follow your “gut instinct”, if it doesn’t feel right then it’s probably not the right fit for you and your child.

Currently with COVID restrictions in place it is really hard to visit centres directly and it may also be difficult to know what to say online or over the phone.  

The following questions to ask via email, over the phone or if you are lucky face to face may help with your decision making:

• Who plans the menu and what meals/snacks are available?  Do children have access to snacks if they are hungry throughout the day?
• What are the staff to child ratio?  How many children will be in the room at one time?  
• What are the age groups in the rooms?  
• How do you get the children to nap/sleep during the day?  If my child, doesn’t sleep what do you do with them instead? 
• How will you help my child with toilet training?  How can you support them?
• My child doesn’t seperate separate well.  How will you best support them with the transition into child care?  Transition to the next room when they move up?  Do they offer an orientation sessions?
• What staff are in the room?  How long have they been there?  And what is the current staff turn over?  When staff are constantly changing, it is a good indication that staff are not happy and therefore there can be a different morality in the room.  You may not get a direct answer with this one and so it is worth asking around. 
• What qualifications do the staff held? It is a requirement that 50% of educators have a Diploma or working towards a diploma.
• Do you run a kindergarten program? 
• How will you prepare my child for school?
• How will you communicate with me? Will you provide regular feedback?  Can I ring the centre during the day to check-in on my child?  This is important especially if you are unable to go into the child’s room under the current restrictions. 
• What is your policy on illnesses at child care? What is the procedures if my child becomes unwell at child care?
• How do you support children who may need additional support?

If you are fortunate to actually visit the centre prior to enrolling the following are some things to observe:

• Does the educator and/or director acknowledge the child?  I always look at the way they acknowledge the child – after all the child is the one that is attending and therefore needs to feel a sense of security from the educator.
• Are you made to feel welcomed?  Does the Director have time to talk to you or do they seem “too busy”?  If they are too busy, can you schedule a time to chat about the questions you have?
• Do the rooms feel cluttered or does the space feel welcomed?
• Are educators in the room welcoming, happy and engaging with the children?
• Do the children attending the centre look happy and engaged?

Need help with deciding the best care for your child, book a session with The Early Parenting Village and together we can develop a plan.