Determining what the best form of child care for your little one is can feel slightly overwhelming. Depending on things such as affordability, curriculum, location, and accessibility, it can seem difficult to find an option that meets all of your needs. While you want an option that provides you with everything that can help your child grow, it’s also nice to know that you’re leaving them in the care of somebody that prioritizes their safety and creates a fun atmosphere for them. Home-based daycare opens up more great options to you beyond just centers. Read on to learn more about home-based care.

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What is Home Based Daycare?

Home-Based Childcare: The Basics Parents Need to Know

Home-based child care, otherwise known as family or at in-home daycare, is when you pay somebody to take care of your child from within their home. They may or may not be watching over other children, and primarily provide a more home-like setting for your child rather than an institutional setting. In-home child care is popular for many reasons, but many parents rely on it because it’s often easier to find a local caregiver close to home and their hours can sometimes be more flexible.

Home-Based Childcare vs Other Childcare Models

Typical home-based caregivers watch around 6 or less children on a given day and may vary depending on local and state regulations as well as what that caregiver decides personally. Depending on who you choose for home-based child care, there may be more freedom in the curriculum they offer. This can be beneficial for young children as it allows them to develop at their own pace and can help make them more comfortable when it comes to learning.

Compared to using a popular daycare or child care centers, home-based child care provides you with the convenience of knowing your child is being attended to at all times. Come cold and flu season, you can also enjoy the fact that with fewer children and caregivers around your little one, fewer germs are being spread around.

The Benefits of a Home-Like Environment for Child Development

Advantages come in various forms when it comes to home-based child care. They range from having a little more access to making sure your child is prioritized when compared to large centers, to things like better tuition and weekly rates.

A few of the many benefits you can look forward to with home-based child care are as follows.

• Home-based child care allows for better routines to form, based on the fact that there are fewer children to cater to and nurture. This can be beneficial when it comes to developing how your child interacts with others and will help them prepare for their future education by getting them used to a schedule.
• You can optimize the development of motor skills through this form of child care. With closer attention to individual children, the caretaker will often have more 1:1 time and assist in improving all of their skill sets so that they’re prepared for school later down the road.
• By honing their motor skills, they can begin to learn things like playing well with others or picking up on sports and other physical activities they might enjoy.
• Since in-home caregivers often care for a limited number of children, you’ll find more diversity in ages. This means that your child may be younger or older than the other children being cared for. If you have multiple children, this could also mean that they’ll be able to stick with their siblings while being watched and they may find more comfort in having that familiarity around them.

As your child adjusts to home-based child care, you can and should expect them to build close relationships with the caregivers and those that they’re around frequently. The initial time away from you might seem scary, but you’ll find that they’ll begin to gain a sense of independence over time. While some caregivers have gone through specific training to meet local or state required mandates when it comes to running a home daycare, many are not trained. It can be helpful to vet your provider prior to enrolling your child in a home-based program.

Studies show that fewer than one in every three children have a stay at home parent in the present day. Since most parents work a job outside of the home, this means finding child care that meets your standards and needs is a priority. From a surplus of benefits to convenience, safety to affordability, there’s a family child care service just for you.

The Child-to-Caregiver Ratio Advantage

Due to home-based child care maintaining and managing smaller groups, you can enjoy more individualized child care. This will reflect in child to caregiver relationships, often helping create stronger bonds and improving your child’s social and emotional development.

What to Consider When Choosing a Home-Based Daycare

A home-based daycare provides many opportunities for your child. To make the final choice, consider:

1. The type of environment your child would adapt to and enjoy
2. Programming and curriculum that you can see your child engaging in and one that will expand their horizons
3. Your schedule and any flexibility you need
4. Location
5. Costs
6. A place that offers care, a nurturing environment and safety

Look for providers with good reviews, proper licensing, and a philosophy of care that aligns with your own. And at the end of the day, it is often meeting a provider and facility in-person that will give you the direction for that final decision.

How to Find Quality Home Based Childcare

We aim to collaborate with local child care providers, equipping them with every necessary resource, and to facilitate connections between parents seeking quality local child care services and top-notch providers. We review the sources and styles of these caregivers to ensure that they meet high standards and follow local regulations. Then we take your needs and help you pick which child care service is right for your family. Using Wonderschool, you can find a child care option today. We’re here to get your little one enrolled in a place where they’ll be nurtured and can safely grow.