Home Work
The Daycare Dilemma
If you’re a mom, you know how much life changes when the first child is born. Many women have to decide if they’ll continue working and, if they do, where they’ll take their baby.
HOI 19 News set out to see how hard it is to find the right person to care for your child and to get insight into the best ways to go about it. The station looked at daycare centers and home daycare.
A good place for Peoria area women to start is the state’s Childcare Resource and Referral office, also known as Child Care Connection. For a small fee, based on your income, you can get a list of home daycares and daycare centers licensed by the Department of Children and Family Services.
Counselors also can give you an idea about what to ask when you interview a provider and what problems are most common. “Your initial things are ‘Is my baby going to be held, fed, cared for, and changed?’ But you’ll also be looking to see if this is the kind of environment your child can grow in because consistency is really important for a young child to have,” said counselor and Parent Services Coordinator Ginny Everett.
A referral counselor notes the hours you need and the general location you prefer. You can ask for home daycares and daycare centers. Counselors suggest you visit two to three of each childcare option.
At childcare centers, ask for a monitoring sheet. A D.C.F.S. representative fills out the sheets during yearly visits. They can be a good indicator of how the center is run. They list specifics of citations like, “chemicals left open on top of a refrigerator” or “chemicals left open on the floor.”
Everett mentioned the monitoring sheets because “It’s very difficult to revoke a license. Unfortunately, it takes a lot,” she said.
“It’s scary; I feel more anxious now because I guess the reality is starting to sink in,” said expecting first-time mom Jolie Alois as she listened to the counselor.
The referral office hands out a list of questions to ask providers: how many adults compared to babies? Is everyone trained in C.P.R. and First Aid? Are the kids happy? What’s your policy with sick kids? How much turnover is there with employees? Are the children learning?
Everett reminded parents to add more questions when interviewing home daycare providers: what happens when you get sick? Can I see your bathroom? Can you open the refrigerator? Do you have pets? Do you take the kids out of the home?
After visiting several providers, Alois said, “Just going through the process, knowing what questions to ask, it all really helped. It made me feel reassured, and I do feel confident I can find the right place for my child.”
Home daycare providers can watch up to eight unrelated kids under 12 years old. Only three can be under two years old. Daycare centers split up kids in different age groups. One staff member can watch up to four infants under 15 months old. The ratio for toddlers is five to one.
According to Child Care Connection, the average cost in Peoria for a daycare center for an infant is $175 a week. Home daycare centers run about $110 per child each week.
For more information on finding a childcare provider, call (800) 421-4371. TPW
HOI 19 News set out to see how hard it is to find the right person to care for your child and to get insight into the best ways to go about it. The station looked at daycare centers and home daycare.
A good place for Peoria area women to start is the state’s Childcare Resource and Referral office, also known as Child Care Connection. For a small fee, based on your income, you can get a list of home daycares and daycare centers licensed by the Department of Children and Family Services.
Counselors also can give you an idea about what to ask when you interview a provider and what problems are most common. “Your initial things are ‘Is my baby going to be held, fed, cared for, and changed?’ But you’ll also be looking to see if this is the kind of environment your child can grow in because consistency is really important for a young child to have,” said counselor and Parent Services Coordinator Ginny Everett.
A referral counselor notes the hours you need and the general location you prefer. You can ask for home daycares and daycare centers. Counselors suggest you visit two to three of each childcare option.
At childcare centers, ask for a monitoring sheet. A D.C.F.S. representative fills out the sheets during yearly visits. They can be a good indicator of how the center is run. They list specifics of citations like, “chemicals left open on top of a refrigerator” or “chemicals left open on the floor.”
Everett mentioned the monitoring sheets because “It’s very difficult to revoke a license. Unfortunately, it takes a lot,” she said.
“It’s scary; I feel more anxious now because I guess the reality is starting to sink in,” said expecting first-time mom Jolie Alois as she listened to the counselor.
The referral office hands out a list of questions to ask providers: how many adults compared to babies? Is everyone trained in C.P.R. and First Aid? Are the kids happy? What’s your policy with sick kids? How much turnover is there with employees? Are the children learning?
Everett reminded parents to add more questions when interviewing home daycare providers: what happens when you get sick? Can I see your bathroom? Can you open the refrigerator? Do you have pets? Do you take the kids out of the home?
After visiting several providers, Alois said, “Just going through the process, knowing what questions to ask, it all really helped. It made me feel reassured, and I do feel confident I can find the right place for my child.”
Home daycare providers can watch up to eight unrelated kids under 12 years old. Only three can be under two years old. Daycare centers split up kids in different age groups. One staff member can watch up to four infants under 15 months old. The ratio for toddlers is five to one.
According to Child Care Connection, the average cost in Peoria for a daycare center for an infant is $175 a week. Home daycare centers run about $110 per child each week.
For more information on finding a childcare provider, call (800) 421-4371. TPW