Mokena Il Child Care | Free Guide - Mokena Day Care Centers
Mokena, IL Child Care - Guide to Choosing The Right Day Care For Your Family
The Top 3 Child Care Options
Day Care Options
A large number of women go back to work after their babies are born, but many struggle with finding the ideal time to return to the work force. Of course, the right time for one woman will probably not be the right time for another. As you make this very personal choice, you'll also be exploring day care available for your child.
Day Care Considerations - Unless they have a spouse, relative, or friend who is willing and able to look after the infant, women who return to work or school following the birth of their baby must find a day care service. If you are in this situation, it is important to ask around for information on the various day care services available in your area. First, consider your child's needs. Some centers may expect your child to play quietly all day; others may provide a preschool atmosphere with structured activities. Consider how many children will be together during the day; large groups may not work well for a shy, easily lost child. The point here is the ideal day care situation is
different for each child. One 1 year old may be ready for a structured preschool-type day care center, while another may be much happier staying with a neighbor. If you must leave a baby who is only a few weeks old, you may have trouble finding a sitter or day care center that accepts responsibility for such a young baby, and charges will probably be higher than those for an older baby. Consider your needs. What hours will you need care, and what location would be most convenient? And, of course, you must consider how much you can afford.
Out of Home Day Care
At some point during their childhood, most children will be taken care of by someone other than their parents. As we discussed earlier, there are several options available to families seeking day care providers. One of the more cost-effective options is out of-home day care, which includes day care centers and day care in a private home -- or "family day care." On this page, we will provide tips on selecting the right out-ofhome
day care for your family.
Child Care Centers
Child care centers offer good hours and shift workers, so they can remain open from very early in the morning until evening. Because of their convenience for working
parents, they often have long waiting lists, so if you are considering this option, you should begin exploring child care centers early in your pregnancy. Your child will have playmates, and you will likely meet other working parents, making the child care center the hub of a sort of extended family. If this community aspect appeals to you, you'll want to find out whether the center does anything to encourage communication between parents.
If you're considering a child care center, ask about the training of workers and, if possible, if they are adequately compensated. A poorly trained, dissatisfied worker may not have the skills or the patience to deal well with both the demands of the children and his or her own frustrations; abuse or neglect could result. Questions you should ask include: How much employee turnover is there? Do the workers seem happy? Do they seem to respect each other? Do they interact well with the children? Child care centers may be privately owned or operated by nonprofit groups such as parents' cooperatives (which allow parents' active involvement), educational institutions (sometimes to provide training for students), or municipalities. A licensed center is governed by regulations concerning such aspects as the ratio of caregivers to children. You can receive a copy of the exact regulations in your state from the human
services agency that monitors the licensing. When you have a choice, choose a licensed center or care provider. In some states, in-home caregivers must also be
licensed. You also might consider selecting a center that has obtained additional certification from an organization such as the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
Family Child Care
Child care in a private home, or family child care, provides a home atmosphere and personalized attention. Typically, a mother of a child takes several others into her home during the day. This option is usually less expensive than having a sitter in your
home, and if the caregiver is really able to be with several children and still be sensitive to each child's needs, the situation is a good one. Your child will develop skills in the company of other children in a homey atmosphere, but she won't be exposed to different workers as she would be in a child care center.
If you're considering family child care, meet the person in the setting where your child would be cared for. Gear your questions to find out about the caregiver's priorities, interests, strengths, and experience with children. Give him or her pertinent information about your child's needs (medical history, diet, interests, and
idiosyncrasies) and your expectations. Obtain references -- the names of other families whose children stay with him or her-and check them out.
General Considerations
Gather information about each placement you are considering so you can compare hours of operation, vacancies, fees, adult-to-child ratios, and general philosophies about child care. If the center is handling very small babies, the adult-to-child ratio should ideally be one to three, but no more than one to four. If the children are between two and five years old, there should be one adult to five children. Arrange to visit the options you find most attractive. Bring your child and go at a busy time. This way, you can check your child's response to the care-giver and watch the caregiver's style of interaction. Think about the following:
Is the caregiver sensitive to the needs of children of different ages?
How does the caregiver respond to a crisis?
If you're there early in the day, how does the care-giver respond to an upset child being left by his parents?
Does the caregiver take the time to allow the parents to express concerns?
Is the child given enough attention to ease the pain of separation?
Are children sensitively helped to make the transition from one activity to the next?
When you talk to the caregiver, do you feel as though you would be a member of the "team," or do you feel defensive?
It's essential for you to feel the caregiver respects your relationship with your child and your feelings.
Look at the overall cleanliness of the center or home -- let your instincts give you a reading. Does the physical environment seem safe, or are detergents or medicines
within easy reach, or are there such dangers as uncovered light sockets? What kinds of toys are provided? Are they safe? Do they allow for creative play and skill-building?
Licensed day care facilities should be able to provide you with a written program description. If you still have questions after your visit, make a phone call or a followup visit.
Many parents are reluctant to expose a very young baby to the risk of infection outside the home or to take the chance of having an outsider bring disease into the
house. Such fears are understandable, but do not allow them to unrealistically limit your baby's contact with people and the outside world. Germs are inevitable -- you will bring them into your house yourself and into contact with your baby. Naturally, you will not knowingly expose your baby to someone who is suffering from
a terrible cold or other communicable ailment; you can and should watch for such situations in your baby's day care environment and elsewhere. This sort of reasonable
caution (which includes regular visits to the child's doctor and a regular program of immunizations and inoculations) should ensure that your baby enjoys normal health.
Once your child is placed in out-of-home day care, the only way to be sure he is safe is to make unannounced visits during the day. If there are rules against this, question the rules. Perhaps a day care center or family day care isn't available in your area, or maybe you feel that your child would be more comfortable in her home. Whether you need full-time day care or occasional babysitting, there are other options available.
In-Home Day Care
There are many wonderful day care facilities and family day cares available for families in need of child care. However, for some families, in-home day care may
make the most sense. Even for families looking for an "occasional" babysitter, the search for the right person can be exhausting and nerve-wracking.
In any case, choosing a provider that you find trustworthy will be essential to maintaining your comfort level when you're out. After all, you don't want to spend every minute away fretting about your little one's safety! Here are some guidelines to
finding your ideal in home care provider:
Nanny/Mother's Helper
This option essentially means you pay a sitter to stay in your home with your child. For a small baby, this may be the easiest option, since you don't have to worry about
an outside environment. This is also the most expensive option, and it doesn't always pan out as the best one. In-home caregivers often burn out and have been known to put the child in front of the television and carry on with their normal routine. Finding a person who has an emotional reason for wanting to take care of someone else's child may help; financial motivation alone does not guarantee superior care.
If you're hiring a nanny, you should have a sense that she respects your child and understands the child's needs -- and yours. Is he or she willing to structure a nap into the afternoon so your child is not cranky when you get home? Most important, what do your instincts tell you about this person? Do you think you can have a cooperative relationship? Check the references of every candidate you interview. Once you've hired a candidate, find some reason to go home unannounced during the day to get a sense of what's happening. Does your sitter run out the door as soon as you arrive home, or does he or she take the time to tell you what your child did that day, giving you the sense he or she is involved and concerned?
Finding a Babysitter
Finding that just-right, reliable person to whom you entrust the care of your precious baby for a few hours may be something of a challenge, so begin your search before the baby is born. Many mothers feel most comfortable leaving their new babies with grandmothers or other relatives, but family members are not always available. And while you know and trust them, they may be critical or make you feel as if you are imposing on them. Later, you will probably look into the availability of teenage sitters in your neighborhood (you'll find it's wonderful when you can find a family with two or more young people who like to babysit, so when one is not available, another may be).
Be sure to provide your babysitter with the following:
* Cell phone number
* Address and phone number of your location and of your home
* Doctor's name and phone number
* Emergency room phone number
* Police department phone number
* Poison control center phone number
* Fire department phone number
* Phone number of neighbor and/or relative
* Time you will return
* Locations of:
Phone(s)
Exits
Bathroom(s)
Fire extinguishers
First aid supplies
* Timing of feedings and any medication
* Bedtime
Until your baby is a little older, you will probably prefer someone more experienced -- perhaps a woman who has had a baby herself -- unless you can locate a mature teenager who has some experience. Other possibilities are a college home economics
department or a hospital school of nursing. A good idea when you have a young, new sitter is to arrange for a get-acquainted visit before you leave him or her alone with your baby. You might wish to have such a young person come in on a regular basis to help you with the baby. You may also find there's a capable neighborhood woman who wants to earn a little money. Agencies that supply trained and bonded adult sitters are listed in the Yellow Pages, but their fees are higher than those charged by individual sitters. You may not be ready yet to accept the responsibility of caring for others' babies as well as your own, so you may not want to consider making reciprocal baby care arrangements with a friend or neighbor or looking at babysitting co-ops. Your sitter has the heavy responsibility of caring for your child, but you have a responsibility to the sitter, also. Keep this advice in mind:
You should be as reliable as you expect him or her to be, returning home when you say you will and paying fairly and promptly.
Always leave a phone number where at least one of the parents can be reached in case of an emergency. It's a good idea to leave other emergency numbers as well, such as those of a nearby neighbor and of the police and fire department.
Don't make your sitter guess what's to be done; leave careful instructions about feeding and caring for the baby, and tell the sitter where to find diapers, bedding and other supplies. If you have pets, give instructions about them, too.
It's also a good idea to provide the sitter with basic information about your house, such as the locations of fuse boxes or circuit breakers, flashlights and fire
extinguishers, and how the smoke detector and burglar alarm work.
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