It can be nerve-wracking to look for a child care center to take care of your baby. There are so many factors involved in choosing a facility that you can trust with your little baby’s well being; even when it is only for a few hours every day or just every once in a while.
However, with some efforts, it is easy to find an infant child care center that is just right for you and your baby.
Do your Research
The first step in looking for an infant child care begins with research. Recommendations from family, friends and colleagues can be an excellent source of information for finding a trusted day care facility.
– Make a list of all the recommendations and research some more. Check out the websites of these infant child care centers if there is one.
– Go through their social media pages to know more about each center’s facilities. You can read the online reviews or customer testimonials to further narrow down your decision.
– Drop by and check out the place with your own eyes. Talk to the person in charge and other employees. If possible, look around and see how the caregivers are interacting with children. Do you like what you see? Do you have any concerns? Are the caregivers certified in early childhood education? This is the time to ask questions and know more information on each infant child care in your list.
Check out the Facilities
Each day care center has a list of activities planned for babies and kids of all age groups. For babies, it is crucial that they do not miss out on any learning experience. Many infant child care centers formulate programs to create a nurturing environment for them.
– Look for a place that has specialized programs that aid your baby’s development through exploration activities while keeping your child safe. Find out if the teachers and caregivers have proper training and experience to support your child’s growth in the best way possible.
– Look at the place with sharp eyes and see for yourself if the place seems safe to you. Is the infant child care sufficiently clean? Do the kids in the care look happy?
Go for Specialized Care
Are you are someone who needs child care at home? Or perhaps you need a trained infant child care professional who can take care of a child with special needs. Whatever your requirement, it is possible to find the best services for your child’s care.
– When looking for an infant child care professional for your special requirements, you need to be even more diligent in your research. Once you have identified several good candidates, call them for face-to-face interviews. Don’t be shy to ask questions about their training, experience and knowledge of child care.
– Ideally, call your caregiver at least two weeks before you are due to resume your professional duties. This way you can gauge their performance and your satisfaction level.
Getting an au pair for your baby is a major step. Unlike nannies, au pairs are like temporary family members who will be providing live-in childcare assistance. The most unnerving part of welcoming an au pair in your home is that you don’t know them well. Moreover, the biggest challenge is to make them comfortable to develop a harmonious relationship. Therefore, while seeking the services of an au pair childcare agency, ensure that you avoid the following mistakes:
Here are some popular au pair childcare agencies you can check.
Cost of the au pair exchange program
if you want to host an au pair, be mindful of the financial add-ons. These include non-refundable application and processing fees, program fees, a weekly stipend, language course fees and, an overall increase in your household expenses for a year. Usually, the program fees charged by the au pair childcare services come down to a minimum of $7,000 approximately. Furthermore, the minimum weekly stipend for an au pair is around $200 per week. Likewise, an English language course can cost $500 or above approximately.
An au pair is an adult or a young adult aged between 18 and 30 years, who belongs to a different country and provides live-in domestic childcare for approximately 10 to 12 months. An au pair can play a role of an elder sibling for your children. You can find these individuals via au pair childcare agencies that ensure protecting the rights and interests of the involved parties. By the means of this exchange program, parents get a lending hand and reliable companion for their kids. Moreover, the au pair gets an opportunity to experience the country’s culture and learn its language.
Au pairs are often compared to nannies. However, there are some major differences between the both such as:
The costs of au pair childcare services will vary across agencies. Typically, au pair childcare agencies charge a program fee, which can be between $7,000 and $9,000. These exclude the non-refundable application fees and minimum weekly stipend expenses.