Choosing The Right Childcare Facility For Your Family

Finding the best childcare for your situation is no small task. Whether you take your child to someone’s home or to a childcare facility you want to feel comfortable leaving your child there.

After you speak with potential provider on the telephone, plan to make an unscheduled visit to the day care center. You want to see the condition of the facility and of the children without any preparation for them to “get ready” for your visit. Below are a number of things to look for.

You should visit the facility more than one time. Go once early in the morning and again on a different day later in the afternoon. Children get tired and run down in the afternoon and it gives you a good chance to see how the center runs in less than ideal circumstances. Bring your child with you. This gives you an opportunity to see the interaction between the two.

Does the facility look clean? There’s a difference between messy (from children playing) and unclean. Do the children appear clean? Or do they have lunch all over their face and dirty diapers on? Are they plunked in front of a movie? What are the sleeping arrangements?

Questions to ask: How do they help potty-train the children? What is the ratio of adults to children? Is their license current? What is the education/background of the providers? What is their policy on contacting parents for injuries? How and for what reasons do they discipline the children? What are the payment policies?

Ask for references. Talk with parents who leave their children with that childcare center. Ask them why they chose that child care facility to care for their child? Ask what they like best about it? Ask what is one thing they would change if they could (there is always room for improvement in any business).

Some parents hope to find a place where their child “can get in.” The mindset really needs to be the other way around. You should find a place that will be fortunate enough to have the opportunity to care for your child.

Does Your Teen Walk A Tightrope?

When we were teens, our lives didn’t seem so complicated.  We went to school, were close to our immediate family, applied for part-time jobs to help with the rent, perhaps volunteered at camp during the summer, and overall had a pretty good balance in our lives.  Helping your teen balance it all today can be a challenge.

Teens today have many pressures we didn’t.  They also tend to do more – more clubs, sports, and even part-time jobs to help pay for increasing college costs.  Some teens will volunteer their time to a charity or a summer camp, which is a prerequisite for college submission.

With all of this going on, their lives are analogous to a teeter-totter.  They haven’t yet found a way to stay balanced.  This is where you, as a parent, can help.  Being supportive, listening to the ranting and raving, and advising without pushing your teen in a certain direction, are all tools you can use to help balance your teen in all facets of their life.

For example, if you find your teen is sinking under the pressure of studying for high school end-term exams, you can ease the load by telling them it’s okay if they freak out, have their tantrums, and stay up late at night to study.  But also tell them you will act as their study partner.  Put on a pot of coffee and let them direct you.  Assure them that you understand what they are going through. Tell them once the exams are over, you will take them out and celebrate.

So too, if their life is spinning out of control because of issues they cannot resolve, ask if they’d like to talk.  Invoke the wisdom you have gained when you were a teen.  Site examples of times you felt out of control and what steps you took to resolve issues.  Offer suggestions, not mandates.

Soon, your teen will be an adult and what you do in the interim will directly affect how they handle situations.  Be a positive force in their life, but at the same time, allow them the latitude to figure things out for themselves.  Knowing you are always available as a safety net will give them the go-ahead to figure things out on their own.  Helping your teen balance it all requires you to approach a problem objectively, even though you know your child is betwixt and between.  It requires a balance within you as well.

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