10 Tips for Finding the Right Daycare: A Guest Post

My friend Meghan is pregnant with her first baby and is in the process of searching for daycare. When she was talking to me about it last month, I couldn’t believe she already had to look! The baby is due in December and won’t be heading to daycare until about March. I had no idea you had to look so early. She had so much great information about finding a daycare and the whole process. I haven’t used daycare before, but really wanted to share this wealth of information with our readers, so I asked Meghan to write some tips to share. I’m so thankful that she put together such a comprehensive list and hope it helps readers in search of daycare.

10 Tips for Finding the Right Daycare

By: Meghan Wolf

1. Start looking early! After attending a Bump Club Chicago event on childcare, I realized that I should have started scheduling daycare tours at around 12-14 weeks. Many popular daycare centers have waitlists that require a deposit and there is no guarantee that you’ll get off the waitlist at your #1 pick.

2. Find local parenting resources and take advantage of them! As mentioned, I attended a Bump Club event and it was extremely helpful. I also joined a Neighborhood Parenting Network. I discovered a lot of forums on NPN about daycare options and questions to ask when going on a tour. A plain old Google search and Yelp are two other great places to find reviews.

3. Take advantage of your social network! I emailed and Facebook messaged friends, friends of friends and co-workers who have children in daycare.  I was pleasantly surprised with the responses that I received. Everyone was more than happy to provide feedback and send along links to helpful resources like lists of questions to ask on a daycare tour.

4. Consider location and how daycare can fit into your commute. Since I have a more consistent work schedule, I’ll be responsible for the daily pick-up and drop-off.  Ideally, I’d like to be able to walk to and from daycare when it’s nice out. In bad weather, I’d like to be close to public transportation or be able to drive 15 minutes or less. I actually did a trial run during rush hour to see how long it would take me to drive to the daycare that is farthest from our house. I know there will be days when it’s challenging to get out the door in the morning or finish up work in the evening, so I like to know how close I can really cut it if needed!

5. Schedule several tours, even if your heart is set on one place. I found it was really helpful to compare the pros and cons of several places and then determine if my initial #1 choice was still at the top of the list. Even though websites have a lot of useful information, a tour is the best way to find out what a place is really like.

6. Make a list of questions and ask the same questions on each tour. Here are a few things that I asked:

• What are the drop-off and pick-up times? Can I leave my stroller here during the day?
• What types of security measures do you have in place?
• How often are the children outside? Do you have a playground on-site or are they going to public parks?
• How do you communicate with parents? Do you send pictures or just daily/weekly reports?
• How often do you sanitize the rooms?
• Who determines my baby’s schedule – you or me?
• How do you approach discipline?
• What kind of curriculum do you follow? How do you incorporate this into toddler’s schedule?
• What do I need to provide? For example: diapers, food, wipes, change of clothes
• What’s your sick policy? How do you communicate with parents if something is going around the classroom?
• How does your waitlist policy work?
• Can I see your licensing paperwork? (Typically this is provided in a packet they give you on the tour)

7. Food matters! Even though this isn’t relevant for infants, I realized I would really appreciate a snack/lunch program once my child is older.  A lot of the programs I researched had organic meal programs and provide lunch and up to three snacks per day. They also cater to food allergies or personal preferences.

8. Ask for referrals. During each tour, I asked for the name of a family who could act as a referral and provide feedback on their experiences.  I specifically asked for a family who currently has a child in the infant room or has a child who started in the infant room and recently moved to a toddler room.

9. Consider the eventual transition to pre-school or kindergarten. Make sure the curriculum that the daycare provides will ensure your child is well prepared for school.

10. Last, but most important: go with your gut! I’ll admit that I’m somewhat of an internet junkie and I could probably spend an entire weekend researching every little decision related to childcare. I’ve also sought advice from a lot of people and really value their different perspectives. It’s been eye opening to hear what factors other parents have considered and it’s helped me shape my list of criteria for childcare.  All things considered, my favorite piece of advice thus far has been to go with your gut. I’m making a decision based on what I think is best for my family and I expect to learn from a few mistakes along the way!  But, when I walk into a daycare I get a feeling right away if I’m comfortable and if I’d be happy there.  The place that I have the most positive gut feeling about may not match my set of criteria perfectly and that’s okay.