A Guide to Choosing Child Care
If you have not previously had cause to find a child care provider it can be difficult to know where to begin. There are several considerations to make when choosing who will look after your precious little one while you work.
Returning to work can be an emotional and daunting time in any new parent’s life and the added complication of child care could make this worse. To help minimise this issue we have gathered our top tips to help make the situation more straightforward for you.
Type of Childcare
Choosing the type of childcare you want to use should be the first step on the journey to finding your perfect childcare provider. Would you prefer someone to come to your home, such as a nanny or au pair, or would you prefer to take your child to be around other children all day, such as at a daycare or family center?
There are benefits to both. Utilising a nanny or au pair in your home will mean your child is in familiar surroundings which could help with the transition of your returning to work. However, a daycare center with other children there will help with social skills and interaction with other children.
Location
After you have chosen the type of childcare you would like to use we recommend settling on the location of your childcare provider next. This should be somewhere that does not take you too far out of your way each day. We recommend that you choose somewhere that is close to home, close to work, or on the way to your workplace.
If you have a long commute you need to weigh up the challenges of this, is it better for you to incur additional costs for longer days in childcare rather than your little one needing to complete the commute each day with you to be closer to work? Or would you prefer the extra time with your child during that commute? You should also factor in consideration such as needing to see your child throughout your workday for feeds or medication needs.
The Search
After deciding on the type and location of your childcare provider you are now ready to begin looking at specific providers. If you have friends or neighbours who currently use childcare it is beneficial to ask them who they use and if they would recommend them.
We also recommend search facilities such as Care for Kids, an organisation like this can search through thousands of registered and trusted child care providers to give you options tailored to your requirements.
You can also then see average costs, reviews and standards for each of the providers. Using a site like this to make comparisons can help you to quickly narrow down your options. Reading reviews and official information can also be helpful in putting your mind at ease if you are unsure of leaving your child.
We recommend that you always arrange a visit to any of the providers you are interested in, this will allow you to see where your child will be spending their time.