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Nowadays, parents in the Toronto, Vaughan, Thornhill and Richmond Hill areas are fortunate that there are so many options for childcare. Home daycare, daycare centers, nannies and private babysitters are becoming more and more common for busy parents. If you’re reading this, chances are that you have to make a decision about what’s the best fit for your family, but that decision can be a bit overwhelming. There are several factors that parents should consider when choosing whether daycare is right for their kids.

Considering Daycare

There are a few things all parents should think about when they are deciding what kind of care to choose. Taking the time to consider all of these factors will ultimately lead you to the best choice.

• Start Researching Early: It doesn’t matter what type of care you choose, they all take a significant amount of time to research if you hope to choose the right one. If you do choose daycare, many of the best programs are often full so it’s important to get on waiting lists as soon as possible.
• Budget: All parents want the best for their kids, but the trendy, organic daycare center may just simply be out of your budget, and that’s ok. There are lots of options for every budget. Also check with local childcare services to see if there are any financial assistance programs available to your family.
• Time: Do you need a full day of care or just part time? How much flexibility do you need to have with pick-up and drop off? Some daycare centers have very strict policies on pick-up and drop off times so it’s important to check on the policies for every daycare
• Licensed or Unlicensed: In Canada, if you do opt for daycare, look at the differences between licensed home daycare and unlicensed home daycare. In a nutshell, licensed home daycare allows for larger groups and regular check in by Child Services. Unlicensed providers can have up to 5 children and are not subject to regular check-ins, unless there is a complaint.
• Curriculum: Whether you choose private childcare or daycare, decide what you want your child to be getting out of their days. The best daycare providers can give you lesson plans for each day of the week and explain why they are doing certain activities. Private caregivers and nannies can customize day plans to your exact specifications. Think about a typical day for your kid and set some basic expectations.
• Are You Ready? As a parent, your needs are often overlooked when deciding if daycare is right for your child. Some working parents don’t have any other options, but if you do, make sure that you check in with your own feelings to ensure that you’re ready to hand over the reins to someone else for part of the day.

Daycare is a wonderful option for many families and if you take some of these factors into consideration when you’re making your decision, yours will be no different.

Interviewing a licensed home daycare provider before you hire them may well be one of the biggest interviews of your life. These people will be responsible for the most important people in your life – your children. For this job, hiring the right person is absolutely critical.

Questions to Ask a Licensed Home Daycare Provider

There are a few obvious questions about licensing and curriculum to ask when you interview daycare providers in the Vaughan, Thornhill and Richmond Hill areas. But if you know some strategies for more probing questions, you will be armed with the best information to make this very important decision. Here are some questions that should not go unanswered.

1. Can I Stop By One Afternoon During Pick Up Time to Speak with Some Current Clients? The answer to this question can provide you with several pieces of important information. If they say yes, you will be able to get unfiltered information from current references, which is gold when it comes to making your decision. If they say no, you should ask why not. Lack of transparency means there may be something to hide. However, depending on their policies, they may not allow outside parents to visit. If that’s the case, they should be able to show you this in their written At the very least, they should give you references. If something seems suspicious, trust your gut on this one.
2. What’s a Typical Day? This question will not only help you to understand what your kids will be doing all day, but also if the provider has a plan. A plan shows that they are organized and professional; even better if they can show you a written plan for each day. Lack of a plan is a bit concerning. If they can’t even make a plan for the kids, how do you expect them to handle an emergency? A licensed home daycare provider’s ability to plan can tell you a lot about how they run their operation.
3. What are the Rules AND the Consequences? These are not only rules for the kids, but also for the parents. A rule is worthless without a consequence for breaking it. Ask what happens if someone breaks a rule and how the daycare enforces it. Decide if these rules and consequences sound reasonable to you. Some licensed home daycares are stricter with rules based on what their clientele have asked for, so it’s also worth asking “why?” if a rule seems unusual.
4. Can You Tell Me About Yourself and Your Staff? If it’s a larger licensed home daycare, there may be a couple of people working there. You should be able to get a full report on everyone who will be interacting with your children. Ask about background, certifications and daycare experience and decide if these are the kinds of people that you trust to spend several hours a day with your kids.

These four questions will give you a well-rounded picture of the person you may be hiring to spend the days with your kids. Don’t be shy about asking difficult questions, when you drop your kids off on that first day, you’ll be glad that you did.