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Of course we all want to be there to share every moment of our children’s lives. But when necessity or sanity requires that we entrust our children into someone else’s care, the choice can be difficult. We diligently ask questions, check references and grill any potential caregivers to make sure they are worthy of our trust. We watch our children for signs they are content with the arrangement. But once that child care relationship is established, it can be easy to fall into a routine. The school is familiar; the caregiver has become almost a family member. We stop asking questions.
“I took my daughter to daycare one day when she was about 18 months old,” recalls Sharon, a mother of three. “She was crying, so I stayed to watch in the two-way mirror. The teacher completely ignored her and just let her cry. She was busy writing something, and even shooed away the other kids who tried to gather around her.” That teacher was let go, partially from Sharon’s complaint. But her replacements were a succession of young, inexperienced teachers who seemed completely overwhelmed at the responsibility. So Sharon found a new daycare for her children.
In retrospect, she realizes that there were signs the first teacher was a problem. “She just didn’t seem to have any patience for the kids,” says Sharon.
“Child care selection is an ongoing process – not a one time decision parents make and never think about again,” says April Powlas-Giaffis, a child care consultant with the South Carolina agency Child Care By Choice. “Periodically reassessing your family’s child care situation is very important.”
So what types of questions do you ask, and what else can you do to ensure your child is in good hands? There isn’t always an easy answer. Unfortunately, making sure your child care provider is up to par is largely a matter of good detective work and due diligence. But there are strategies to help determine whether or not your child’s needs are being met.
Understand the Licensing and Inspection Process
Many parents assume that because a center is licensed, that means someone is keeping close tabs on the school to ensure it provides quality care. Not necessarily true, says Phillips. “Child care programs only have to meet basic requirements to be licensed, so licensing doesn’t ensure quality.”
“I always tell parents not to assume anything when it comes to their children’s care,” agrees Powlas-Giaffis.
It is up to each state to regulate and license early childhood care. Georgia requires that only day care centers and group day care homes are licensed. This occurs through the Office of Regulatory Services Child Care Licensing Section - the regulatory arm of the Georgia Department of Human Resources. The agency conducts an inspection before the center or home opens its doors, then returns at least once a year for an unannounced inspection. Inspections examine things like staff training, staff to child ratios, activities, nutrition, health, safety and transportation.
Any school that provides Georgia lottery-funded Pre-K is regulated by a different agency, The Office of School Readiness (OSR). These centers are inspected in a similar fashion; the agency just differs.
Family day care homes in Georgia do not have to be licensed. Instead, the homes are required to meet specific prerequisites and must register with the state. Family care homes are inspected at the time of registration. The state then follows up with random inspections of 20 percent of registered homes each year.
It is worth noting that church-affiliated and private programs not receiving any federal or state funding must be registered with the state but do not need licensing. Therefore, these programs are not under the same scrutiny, are not inspected, and do not have mandated guidelines to follow.
The licensing requirements in South Carolina vary slightly. As in Georgia, all group homes, private and public child care centers are licensed. Programs undergo unannounced inspections, and are re-licensed every two years. Likewise, most family day care homes are licensed in South Carolina and all are required to meet certain stipulations before they can be registered with the state. However, before- or after-school programs (providing care for less than four hours) that are overseen by private or civic organizations or by a local school do not have to be licensed.
All South Carolina child care providers must be registered and most are licensed by the Department of Social Services. Providers must fill out paperwork and fulfill certain requirements before serving children. Parents can access a list of providers in their area by visiting the DSS Web site at www.state.sc.us/dss/, which includes a listing of registered child care providers by county.
Check for Citations
In addition to asking to see licensing, Powlas-Giaffis encourages parents to do their homework and check their children’s childcare center for any citations. “Parents definitely should ask the state agency that awards operating licenses if there are any complaints or citations on record with their child care provider,” she says.
In Georgia, gathering detailed background information including last inspection date, copies of inspection reports and a citation history for programs regulated by the ORS Child Licensing Section is just a mouse click away. The agency offers a Web site, www.ors.dhr.state.ga.us, that links parents to all of the child care providers it regulates. If you’re not Internet savvy, you can call the Department of Human Resources at (404) 657-5562, but be prepared to stay on hold; it will probably take a few transfers before you get to the right person. Also, should you ever need it, the number to file complaints against a center they regulate is (404) 657-5568.
The Georgia Office of School Readiness, which regulates all schools who operate a lottery-funded Pre-K program, isn’t quite as easy to access. Although the agency is working to build a similar Web site, it’s not there quite yet. However, parents can call 1-888-442-7735 to request information on citations. Just ask for a child care consultant. You can also make an open records request to have inspection reports sent to you. Currently, the OSR Web site (www.osr.state.ga.us) does include licensing requirements as well as a listing of Centers of Distinction, centers that provide an enhanced level of care for younger children, distinguishing them from other Pre-K programs.
South Carolina parents can contact the Department of Social Services at (803) 898-7345 or toll-free at (877) 886-2384. Parents may also email
daycare@dss.state.sc.us. Be prepared to provide the name of your child care program. “The Department cannot provide specific details, but it can give the nature of a complaint and the approximate date it was filed,” Powlas-Giaffis says.
Stay Involved
One way to do this is by making surprise visits. To avoid disrupting the class or affecting your child’s typical behavior during day care, try to be inconspicuous as possible.
During your visit, look for the following:
• A clean, safe and healthy environment.
• Responsive and nurturing interactions between children and caregiver(s).
• Age-appropriate activities and toys (remember many skills come as a result of play).
• Children getting individual attention.
• Consistency in your child’s care across visits.
Don’t expect the provider to give you her undivided attention during your stay. “A good provider will be focused on the children, not on you,” says Julie Phillips, program manager for the child care resource and referral agency Lutheran Services of Georgia.
Besides surprise visits, developing and maintaining a good relationship with the caregiver is extremely valuable to your child’s care. Your parenting philosophy – how you handle discipline, whether you breastfeed or not, etc. – should match your provider’s, and you should be constantly communicating about ways to nurture your child. “It’s important for the teacher and parent to act as a team,” advises Phillips. “Work together, communicate and be sure to respect and value your child’s caregiver. It’s not an easy job to be an excellent child care provider.”
Finally, talk to other parents. “Fellow parents are great resources. Find out if they are satisfied with their child’s care,” Powlas-Giaffis says.
Keep An Eye Out For Red Flags.
Apart from the obvious red flags - signs of abuse, an unclean or unsafe environment, etc.—these are warning signs that might mean it’s time for a child care change:
• A high staff turnover rate. “If a directors can’t keep their employees happy, how are they going to keep kids happy?” Powlas-Giaffis asks. “Plus, constant staff changes break up routine and make it difficult for your child to adjust.”
• Lax security policies. If your neighbor – no matter how innocent she looks - picks up your child for the first time with no questions asked, there’s a serious safety issue that must be addressed.
• Tons of Tube Time. “TV time should be limited and not being used for care,” says Phillips.
• No open door policy. Any quality care provider will welcome visits at any time.
• A consistently unhappy child. Realize children will occasionally have bad days. “Just because your child cries in the morning doesn’t mean he’s not happy,” Phillips says. “It’s more important to pay attention to how he’s interacting with the other children and provider when you pick him up.” However, if your child never seems happy and doesn’t appear to be thriving after three weeks or more, it may be time to start looking for a new provider.
If you notice a problem that warrants an official complaint, you can call your local child resource and referral agency (the staff will pass along the complaint to the appropriate regulatory agency). Or you can file a complaint directly with the state (using the contact numbers listed above). If a complaint is made against a center, the state, by law, has to investigate.
Red flags aren’t the only reason your child might require a change of venue. “Your child and family’s needs will change,” says Powlas-Giaffis. “For example, a program that has an excellent infant program may not be what you’re looking for when your child gets older.”
She adds that even if you have been happy with the program, you should never stay with a provider out of loyalty, especially if you’ve seen room for improvement. “Your children are your number one priority. Make sure their needs are still being met.”
Tap into resources if you decide to make a change.
After changing child care providers more times than she’d like to remember, Suzanne, a mother of two, including a son with special needs, became an expert on the resources available to help parents find quality child care. “Choosing child care became a huge burden for me because my child was constantly in a situation where I had to worry about him,” she says. “I learned the hard way just how important it is to learn about the resources available to help you sift through the process.”
Luckily, parents have to look no further than their local child care resource and referral agencies (CCR&R). “Child care resource and referral agencies take the guesswork out of choosing quality child care,” says Powlas-Giaffis. The CCR&R organization for residents of Aiken County and surrounding communities is Child Care By Choice. The agency maintains a database of all registered and licensed child care providers. Parents can call and give certain search parameters such as proximity, level of cultural diversity and cost. Use of the database is completely free.
Lutheran Services of Georgia is the local CCR&R agency for residents of Richmond and Columbia County and offers similar resources, also at no cost. Other parents can find the closest CCR&R organization by contacting Child Care Aware – a national program that helps parents locate child care resources in their community. Visit www.childcareaware.org or call 1-800-424-2246.
CCR&R agencies make certain providers offer the highest quality of care available and help parents know how to find it. They can give you referrals to local child care providers, consumer education on how to choose quality care, information on state licensing requirements, availability of child care subsidies and other important information.
Trust your parenting instincts.
This is the easiest strategy of all. “Parents usually have a feeling about their provider,” Phillips says. “I usually encourage parents to go with their gut feeling.”
Evaluating your child care choice is at times a cumbersome process; yet, it is definitely time well-spent. Phillips recommends that all parents maintain diligence in regard to their children’s care. “Having your child in the right child care environment is critically important, especially since children grow rapidly and achieve major milestones during the first three years of life,” she says. “What goes on during those years can have a longstanding effect.”
“Working parents are made to feel guilty about putting their child in day care,” Phillips continues, “but the only time they should feel guilty is if they don’t take the time to research child care wisely.”
While there are many quality programs available, regularly raising questions and reevaluating your child care choice go a long way in keeping your child safe, happy and intellectually challenged.
Don’t look at it as a vote of no confidence in your child’s teacher— good childcare providers will appreciate your attentiveness. “A good child care provider will not flinch at your questions. They’ll be glad you cared enough to ask,” Phillips says.
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