Leaving your baby to go back to work is one of the most challenging moments for any parent.

It is understandable.

You have so much to worry about; how will your baby feel during all those hours in your absence? Will your child be safe? Will they feed well? Such are the questions you might be having right now, especially if you don’t have a trusted individual to take care of your infant while you go to work.

Putting your baby in daycare would give you the peace of mind you need to concentrate on your work. However, infant daycare centers differ significantly in terms of their services and level of professionalism.

This comprehensive guide focuses on where to start, what to look for or consider, so you can find an infant daycare near you with ease.

What to Look for in Local Quality Infant Care Options

You want the best for your child, so you should go for an accredited infant daycare. Any daycare center with accreditation implies that it has met the necessary standards necessary to offer child care services.

Usually, the National Association for the Education of Young Child (NAEYC) accredits daycare centers that meet specific standards. Some of the elements considered during the accreditation include the ratio of adults to babies, policy on promotion of health, and child development and safety.

Beyond these quality checks, we recommend thinking about what a quality daily structure looks like for you. Infant daycare programs have varying daily schedules. For instance, you will find programs that operate on an all-day free play schedule and several breaks for meals. Others follow a significant structure. Understanding the daycare’s schedule gives you an overview of your child’s potential routine. Whereas you may not prefer any of these arrangements, you must get a feel of what your child’s entire day will look like, so you can evaluate its suitability.

The Benefits of Choosing a Local Infant Daycare

Some of the many benefits of choosing a local infant care option are:

1. Community Connections: Local daycares are part of a community and they also foster a strong sense of community. Children can make friends in their area, and parents can connect with other local families.
2. Local Knowledge and Resources: Local providers know about nearby community resources and activities. They can recommend local pediatricians, parks, and community events that are relevant to young families.
3. Stability and Continuity: When infants are in their local area, it can provide a sense of security, stability and continuity.

How to Find Reliable Infant Daycare Centers Near You

Choosing a daycare is a process in itself. Whereas there are so many daycare centers around, not every facility you see will offer you the kind of service you need for your child. It would be best if you researched widely before settling on any particular daycare center.

Here are a few steps to help you find the best infant daycare near you:

1. Conduct Thorough Research for Your Local Daycare Options

Learning more about the home infant centers is the first step towards finding the best daycare. Do your research first. It could be by getting recommendations and suggestions from family members and colleagues.

Talk to your pediatrician and other parents you met during your clinic visits to find recommendations. You can, as well, check out online resources where you can get childcare services.

2. Actively Interview Potential Daycare Centers

Do not settle for the first daycare center that comes to your mind or you find during research. It is advisable to compare several facilities so you can establish which is better.

Make sure to get all the clarification you need – from the cost to the food the babies are fed.

3. Visit Your Potential Local Daycare Options

After identifying several facilities that match your tastes and preferences, visit them to ascertain everything they told you during your research. Consider asking about any specific curriculum they may follow, the structure of the day, and if there is screen time (and how much). Many daycare programs offer play-based learning education, including fine motor skill development, color identification, and shape-sorting.

Going there in person gives you the chance to review other fundamental factors. Listen to your gut; if there is anything that does not feel right, most likely it is not.

4. Use Online Reviews for Informed Decisions

You can easily find the best daycare centers online. Check out reviews of the centers online. If the daycare facilities have an online presence, check out any reviews left by other parents. Also, check reviews of daycare centers listed on review sites such as Yelp.

Questions to Ask When Choosing an Infant Care Option Nearby

Ideally, you want your child to feel at home. That’s why it is necessary to carry out enough research, so you settle for the best infant daycare around.

Here are pertinent questions to ask your prospective daycare provider before signing up your child:

What are the Operational Hours?

The best care option is also the one that works best for your schedule and needs for flexibility. This includes hours of operation and scheduling flexibility that may be required day-to-day or month-to-month. Questions to consider for you and to ask the provider are:

What are the opening and closing hours of the facility?

Is flexible scheduling available to accommodate different needs?

Can I Visit and Observe the Environment?

Some parents would like the extra reassurance of being able to observe the space and learning environment that their infant is part of. Others would like to know their child is safe and that there will be no unannounced arrivals at the care facility. There are several reasons why a provider may or may not allow people to visit throughout the day. If you would like to be able to observe, do ask the providers you are talking to. Specific questions to ask include:

Are parents allowed to visit the facility unannounced?

How are visits from parents handled during the day?

What are the Qualifications of the Caregivers?

From safety to education qualifications, there are a few things to ask.

Does the staff have certified training in infant care?

You want professional and certified caregivers to be with your child. Naturally, you would want to know the level of education of all the staff.

What is the staff-to-infant ratio?

Safety and proper care is critical. Make sure to ask what the staff-to-infant ratio is. For infants, the ratio should be 1 adult for no more than 3 infants.

What safety protocols do staff need to comply to?

Talk to the daycare providers to get a feel of how they vet their staff. For example, does the daycare screen the staff for criminal behavior or do they offer formal training to allow them to provide high-quality early childhood care?Knowing the vetting process will help you ascertain whether or not the individuals are qualified to handle your child satisfactorily.

FIND CHILD CARE NEAR ME

Simplify the Search with Wonderschool to Find ‘Infant Daycare Near Me’

It will be hard to leave your baby behind as you go back to work, but eventually, you will have to make the hard decision. A daycare center is one of the most appropriate places to leave your child. However, it is advisable to choose a center that will give your child the best.

Take enough time to screen several daycare centers before settling on one. At least such research will give you an overview of the kind of place and people you are entrusting with your child.

Your child is one of the most precious things in your life, so ask all the questions – from the cost, food, screen time, accreditation, curriculum, staff qualification, and schedule. Such information makes it easy for you to decide whether the center is the right one for your child.

Wonderschool is one of the best daycare resource centers around. Here, you enjoy the services of a forest school, preschool, micro-school, center, and in-home child care program under one roof. Besides, you can access the daycare programs from any city near you.

Additionally, Wonderschool’s use of modern technology and a supportive community makes it a reliable infant daycare center for parents with all manner of needs! Get in touch with Wonderschool for reliable child care services and resources.