Your Family Situation and Your Child's Needs
To narrow down your choices of child care settings, think carefully about your child's needs and how they would best be satisfied in various environments. If your child has special needs your search for child care may be a little more involved, and you'll have several options to consider. Keep all these factors in mind as you look at a variety of child care situations:
- Does she do best in a small group, or in a larger group with a lot of activity and contact with other children?
- Does your child have special scheduling needs, is she toilet trained, does she need lots of room to run around?
- Does your child bond with others easily, or handle separations well?
- Would your child benefit from having one provider vs. a group of teachers in her daily life?
Your choice of child care will depend not only upon the age and developmental stage of your child, but also on your needs as a family. Think about your schedule, your financial constraints, and the location of your workplace. If you need early drop-off times or late pickups, make sure you ask about the program's hours and late fees. The more flexible your schedule, the more choices you will have.
Location of Care
Some towns have a greater supply of care than others. You can increase the pool of potential providers by including your commute route in your search. You might want your child close to your workplace so that you can get there quickly in an emergency, or be able to drop in and visit during lunchtime. Or perhaps you want your child's caregiver close to home so he doesn't have a long commute at the beginning and end of the day. This is especially important if you use public transportation to get to and from work.
