Finding and Selecting Good Child Care: A Guide for Parents Returning to Work

"Who will take care of my children?"

This guide provides information that can help parents and guardians find child care that meets their needs and is good for children's learning and growth. The early years of life are very important for children's future health and well-being. Finding good child care can help children to learn and grow and can also assist parents to have a clear mind at work because they know that their children are receiving safe and healthy care.

Licensing and types of child care

Why is licensing important?

Here are several types of child care programs that you may want to consider.

Family child care homes

A family child care home provides care in a home setting for 10 or fewer children. If more than four unrelated children are being cared for, the family child care must be licensed by the state and follow rules for safety and health, the number of children who are cared for by adults, and the training of caregivers. Family child care homes may have daytime and nighttime hours for when they take care of children.

Group child care homes

A group child care home provides care in a home setting, away from the provider's own living space. Group homes are licensed to care for 11 but no more than 20 children and must follow rules for safety and health, the number of children who are cared for by adults, the number of children in a group, and the training of caregivers. Group child care homes may have daytime and nighttime hours for when they take care of children.

Child care centers

A center provides care for children in a building other than a home. Unless run by a church or operating as a part-time nursery school, centers are licensed; they must follow rules for safety and health, the number of children who are cared for by adults, the number of children in a group and the training of caregivers. Centers have set schedules for when they take care of children.

Before- and after-school child care

Children who are in school during the day often need child care before and after school. Before- and after-school care can be found at schools, at child care centers and at group or family child care homes.

In your own home

Some parents have their children cared for at home by a friend, a family member or a neighbor. These arrangements are not licensed. On page 5 of this guide, ideas are listed about how to make sure your children get safe, healthy and good care when they are taken care of at home.

DFS-registered child care program

If your family needs financial assistance from the Division of Family Services to pay for child care, you will need to find a DFS-registered child care program. If you select a child care program that is not licensed, the child care provider will first need to contact the local Division of Family Services and apply for DFS registration before caring for your children. This must be done first, so that the child care provider can receive direct payments from DFS for caring for your children. As with having a child care provider in your own home, use the ideas listed in this guide to make sure your children get safe, healthy and good care when they are taken care of by an unlicensed, DFS-registered child care provider.

Whether you choose a licensed family child care home, a church-operated child care center or an unlicensed DFS-registered child care provider, you need to make sure that your children are receiving good child care.

What is good child care?

Number of caregivers and children in the group

Family child care homes

a. For one adult caregiver who is licensed to care for 10 children, a maximum of two children under 2 years of age.

b. For one adult caregiver who is licensed to care for six children, a maximum of three children under 2 years of age.

If the family child care home is not licensed, Missouri law says that no more than four unrelated children can be in the child care program.

If a DFS-registered family child care home is not licensed, Missouri law says that no more than four unrelated children can be in the child care program.

Child care centers and group child care homes

Children do best in small groups because it is easier to interact with each other and to get care and attention from caregivers. Missouri licensing rules regulate how many children can be with a caregiver and how big the group of children can be in a licensed child care program. The standards say:

a. For children birth through 2 years old: One adult with four children; groups no larger than two adults with eight children.

b. For children only 2 years old: One adult with eight children; groups no larger than two adults with 16 children.

c. For children 3 and 4 years old: One adult with 10 children.

d. For children 5 years and older: One adult with 16 children.

e. For groups of mixed-age children: For children 2 years and older, one adult with 10 children, and only four 2-year-olds present in the group. If there are more than four 2-year-olds, the group can have no more than eight children.

Caregiver education and behavior

When you see a good caregiver interacting with children, you will see her/him:

• Smile at children a lot
• Talk in ways that children understand
• Show children a positive attitude
• Show children they care about them
• Take care of crying children
• Help children understand how they feel
• Answer children's questions
• Encourage children to get along with each other
• Make the most of daily routines to help children learn
• Create moments for children to learn new things in a fun way
• Help children handle failure and learn ways to be successful
• The best caregivers know what children can do and understand what it is like to be a child.

Finding out about child care

When you talk with the Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, they will give you the name and phone number of at least three child care programs. Write down the names and phone numbers so that you have them when it is time to call.

Table 1. Worksheet for finding and selecting good child care

Your name
Your address
Your county
Your phone number(s)
Your children's names and ages
Do you need a DFS-registered child care program?	Yes No
Name and address of employer
Hours of the day and/or night that you will need child care:
Do you need child care in a certain part of town?	Yes No
If Yes, what part of town?
Which type(s) of child care interest you?	Family child care homes DFS-registered child care program Group child care homes Care in your own home Child care centers Before- and after-school care Interested in all types

Contacting and visiting child care providers

Child care in your own home and unlicensed child care programs may not be as dependable as other child care programs. To guarantee that you have child care when you need it, make backup arrangements for your children with friends and family members in case of an emergency.

Table 2. Checklist for contacting and visiting child care providers

When you visit the child care programs, ask many questions and look for the items listed below. You can write notes on this guide to help you remember the different child care programs that you visit.	Child care #1 Name: Phone:	Child care #2 Name: Phone:	Child care #3 Name: Phone:
1. Ask if the child care program is licensed. The license should be in plain view near the front door. If not, ask why.	Yes No	Yes No	Yes No
2. Ask about the caregivers' background, education, and training. Do they attend training sessions throughout the year?	Yes No	Yes No	Yes No
3. Ask for a copy of the child care policy handbook. This book will tell you what the program believes is important and how they do business.	Yes No	Yes No	Yes No
4. Look closely at the building. Do you see:
Enough toys and learning materials to keep the children happy and busy?	Yes	Yes	Yes
Covered electrical outlets?	Yes	Yes	Yes
Smoke detectors and fire extinguishers?	Yes	Yes	Yes
Safety gates protecting stairs and unsafe rooms?	Yes	Yes	Yes
Fire escape plans?	Yes	Yes	Yes
Emergency phone numbers near the telephone?	Yes	Yes	Yes
Cleaning supplies and harmful substances securely stored?	Yes	Yes	Yes
Clean and fenced outdoor play area?	Yes	Yes	Yes
Soap and paper towels at the children's sink?	Yes	Yes	Yes
Caregivers washing hands after diapering and toileting children?	Yes	Yes	Yes
Patient and cheerful caregivers?	Yes	Yes	Yes
Healthy and happy children busy at play?	Yes	Yes	Yes
Children eating nutritious snacks and meals?	Yes	Yes	Yes
5. Spend time watching the caregivers interact with the children. Do you see caregivers:
Smiling at children?	Yes	Yes	Yes
Talking in ways that children understand?	Yes	Yes	Yes
Showing children a positive attitude?	Yes	Yes	Yes
Showing children that they care about them?	Yes	Yes	Yes
Taking care of crying children?	Yes	Yes	Yes
Helping children understand how they feel?	Yes	Yes	Yes
Answering children's questions?	Yes	Yes	Yes
Encouraging the children to get along with each other?	Yes	Yes	Yes
Helping children learn from daily routines?	Yes	Yes	Yes
Creating moments for children to learn new things in a fun way?	Yes	Yes	Yes
Helping children handle failure and learn ways to be successful?	Yes	Yes	Yes

Table 3. Child care resource and referral agencies

SDA #1	YWCA — St. Joseph 304 North 8th Street St. Joseph, MO 64501 (816) 232-4481 1-800-404-9922 (restricted to NW Mo.) FAX: (816) 232-4481	Atchison, Nodaway, Holt, Andrew, Buchanan, Worth, Gentry, DeKalb, Clinton, Harrison, Daviess, Caldwell, Mercer, Grundy, Livingston, Carroll, Putnam, Sullivan, Linn, Chariton
SDA #2	Children's Link P.O. Box 103 Shelbina, MO 63468 (573) 588-2533 1-800-201-7745 FAX: (816) 327-5128	Schuyler, Adair, Macon, Randolph, Scotland, Knox, Shelby, Monroe, Audrain, Clark, Lewis, Marion, Ralls, Pike, Lincoln
SDA #3	Heart of America Family Services 3217 Broadway Kansas City, MO 64111 (816) 753-9981 1-800-755-0838 FAX: (913) 342-3632	Platte, Clay, Ray, Jackson, Lafayette, Saline, Cass, Bates
SDA #4	Central Workshop on Wheels Grinstead 201 Warrensburg, MO 64093 (816) 543-8321 1-800-666-1461 FAX: (816) 543-8393	Johnson, Henry, Pettis, Hickory, Benton, Howard, Cooper, Moniteau, Morgan, Miller, Camden, Dallas, Laclede
SDA #5	Childcare Connection P.O. Box 30674 Columbia, MO 65205 (573) 445-5627 1-800-243-9685 FAX: (573) 446-0342	Boone, Callaway, Montgomery, Cole, Osage, Gasconade, Maries
SDA #6	Child Day Care Association 2031 Olive Street St. Louis, MO 63103 (314) 241-3161 1-800-467-2322 FAX: (314) 241-8429	Warren, St. Charles, St. Louis, St. Louis City
SDA #7, #8	Council of Churches of the Ozarks 1461-A East Seminole Springfield, MO 65804 (417) 887-3545 1-800-743-8497 FAX: (417) 882-4792	Vernon, Barton, Jasper, Newton, McDonald, St. Clair, Cedar, Dade, Lawrence, Barry, Polk, Greene, Christian, Stone, Taney, Webster, Wright, Douglas, Ozark, Pulaski, Phelps, Texas, Dent, Howell, Shannon, Oregon, Crawford, Washington
SDA #9, #10	Southeast Missouri State University 1 University Plaza Cape Girardeau, MO 63701 (573) 651-5118 1-800-811-1127 FAX: (573) 986-6068	Franklin, Jefferson, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, Perry, Iron, Madison, Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, Reynolds, Wayne, Stoddard, Scott, Mississippi, Ripley, Butler, Dunklin, New Madrid, Pemiscot

Making a decision

1. First, do you think that the child care program is GOOD? Will your children be safe and have the opportunity to learn and grow? Is the facility clean and is nutritious food served? Are the caregivers trained and nice to the children in their care? Is the person in charge interested in your family's needs?
2. Second, can you AFFORD to pay for the child care program? When you call the Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, they will talk with you about different ways to pay for child care, depending on your income level.
3. Third, does the LOCATION of the child care let you easily drop off and pick up your children without conflicting with your work schedule or the child care's schedule?

After you think about these 3 things, making a decision about a child care program may be easier. If you visited more than one child care, you can compare them to decide which one best meets the needs of your family and your children.

Summary

References

Frede, Ellen, C. (1995). The role of program quality in producing early childhood program benefits. In Richard E. Behrman (Ed.), The future of children: Long-term outcomes of early childhood programs. Los Altos, CA: The Center for the Future of Children.

Whitebook, Marcy, Howes, Carollee, and Phillips, Deborah. (1989). Who cares? Child care teachers and the quality of care in America. Oakland, CA: Child Care Employee Project.

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension Work Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture. Ronald J. Turner, Director, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Missouri and Lincoln University, Columbia, Missouri 65211. • University Extension does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability or status as a Vietnam era veteran in employment or programs. If you have special needs as addressed by the Americans with Disabilities Act and need this publication in an alternative format, write ADA Officer, Extension and Agricultural Information, 1-98 Agriculture Building, Columbia, MO 65211, or call (573) 882-7216. Reasonable efforts will be made to accommodate your special needs.