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Choosing Child Care
Download this list of questions here to take with you on a visit to a provider!
1. What questions to ask the provider:
Is the facility accredited, licensed, or registered?
Is the program Quality Rated in the state or pursuing a quality rating?
How many children can they care for at one time?
How many other staff do they employ? What is their education and training?
How do they handle "inclement weather days"--how frequently do they close?
What if your child becomes ill--what is the procedure/policy?
2. What materials to ask for:
Their license, registration, or accreditation certificate
A Parent Handbook
A copy of their daily schedule
A written lesson plan
3. What to look for when visiting a provider:
Do the children appear happy?
Are the child development staff actively engaged?
Is the facility clean, safe and attractive?
Do they have enough equipment including toys, books, art materials, climbing materials, etc?
Are the toys and equipment appropriate for the ages of the children cared for?
Do they have an outside play area? Is it fenced in?
Do they have a visible fire extinguisher?
Are emergency numbers posted?
4. What to look for in a child care provider:
What are the child care provider's qualifications?
Are they certified in first aid/CPR?
Are they nurturing, friendly and comforting to the children?
Did they make you feel comfortable?
Will you feel comfortable leaving your child with this provider?
Is it in a convenient location?
Is it affordable?
Does it provide care during the days and times care is needed for you?
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Know the Many Types of Care:
Understanding the many child care options can sometimes be daunting to first time parents/grandparents selecting care.
There is no set of national regulations that governs child care amongst the states. Each state establishes their own rules and regulations for Licensing of a center, home, school or other setting that may care for children birth through age 12. However, there is voluntary National Accreditation which is recognized nationwide. There is an important distinction between no license, license exempt, licensed, and accredited or quality rated.
Children may be cared for in informal settings that are considered "licensed exempt" in IL. Most commonly we think of licensed exempt homes which may care for up to three children.
Other settings that are not necessarily required to apply for an IL Department of Children and Family (DCFS) license which offers the basic "safety net" for children might be camp settings, some after school programs, community center programs, park district programs, organized clubs. Some programs that are not required to obtain a license, do so anyway. It's ok to ask to see the license if you are interested.
Public schools and churches often offer pre-school programs. You may wish to inquire about their license or governing regulations as they may be different, or they may well be licensed.
Licensed centers and homes in both IL and IA (IA Department of Human Services) apply for a license and must abide by a set of established state standards for health, safety, group size, teacher to child ratio, staff education and training, classroom space, playground equipment and space, etc. The license must be renewed. You may notice a difference in parent fee or tuition between those programs that are licensed and those that are not. Illinois' licensing regulations are amongst the toughest in the nation, which offers parents the comfort of knowing regulatory overisght is in place.
Additionally, child development programs may be all day, part day, hourly, year long or school year only. Many include a preschool component as part of the daily curriculum. Some may even include the PreSchool For All program, as Skip-a-Long does.
Child development programs may be non-profit (governed by a volunteer Board of Directors such as Skip-a-Long) or for profit. They may be locally established and managed (such as Skip-a-Long) or part of a regional or national chain.
Head Start and Montissori are national programs with similar yet different programming emphasis.
We encourage you to visit, observe, and learn about the many choices that you have! As a child development provider for 40 years, we believe there are many good programs in our community and for each family, the choice is personal.
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