child care choices for parents

Choosing child care for your child is one of the most important choices you will ever make as a parent or guardian.  Selecting a caregiver for your child means choosing someone you trust who will care for your child well and respond promptly to the child's needs for nurture and development.  Counselors at Child Care Resource and Referral Agency of Northeast GA at Gainesville are ready to tell you about various forms of child care. We serve thirteen counties in Northeast GA consisting of Banks, Dawson, Forsyth, Franklin, Habersham, Hall, Hart, Lumpkin, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union, and White. We can refer you to large or small child care centers or to family child care homes, where a provider can care for up to six children of differing ages.  Our referrals are made based on basis of stated need and preference of families without bias to a particular child care facility. Counselors can also advise you about how to choose child care, although they do not evaluate or recommend one program over another.  Child Care Resource and Referral of Northeast GA at Gainesville believes that making the best choice for your child is a very individual decision for you.  Your choice should reflect your values and expectations and also meet your child's personal needs.  What you know about your child and what you learn as you visit child care centers and family child care homes will help you choose child care that reflects your values and expectations and also meets the personal needs of your child.

Types of Child care

Child Care Centers

A child care center provides care for groups of children by a staff of caregivers.  The staff frequently has some type of early childhood education.  Centers are generally licensed by the STATE and more and more centers are earning accreditation through the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).  Centers are either privately operated for profit by a chain or individual, or operated by non-profit agencies such as churches, public schools, government agencies, or non-profit vendors.

In Home Child Care

This type of child care is provided by a licensed caregiver in their home.  The licensing agency screens caregivers' background, inspects the home and facilities, food preparation areas, and menus.  They may also provide playground equipment and other supplies.  Be sure to check (caregiver: children) ratio's for your state.

Child Care in Your Home

This type of care takes place in your own home.  The caregiver may be a baby-sitter, a professional "nanny" trained to care for young children, a student au pair that lives in your home, or another caregiver with some experience with young children.

Parents need to check references carefully.  When using in-home care, you become the employer, which requires special considerations.  As an employer, you are responsible for Federal Unemployment Insurance and Social Security taxes.  In many states you must provide Workers' Compensation and State Unemployment Insurance.

Sick Child/Back Up/ Emergency Care

All children get sick from time to time.  Most child care centers have policies about sick children and very few allow children with contagious disease to attend.  Caregivers also get sick.  Child care centers generally make arrangements for substitutes when a caregiver is ill; however, if you choose a child care home, you will need to ask if the caregiver has plans for someone to care for your child when the caregiver is sick.

It is good idea to plan for back-up care. When looking for back-up care, you may want to consider child care homes, neighbors, close friends, or local college students.  Discuss your needs for back-up care with the potential providers beforehand to be sure they will be available when you need them.  It is a good idea to complete the necessary documents and decide on any fees before you need the back-up care.

Part-day Preschool Programs and Nursery Schools

Part-day preschool programs and nursery schools are group child care programs which operate less than a full day.  These programs are located in a variety of settings, including churches, public schools, and child care centers.  State licensing regulations may be different for programs operating less than a full-day schedule.  This type of care, generally for children 2-5 years of age, provides an opportunity for interaction with other children of similar ages.  These programs usually follow the same academic year and holiday schedules as the public schools.

Programs for Children with Special Needs

Finding quality child care for children with disabilities can be especially challenging for parents.  However, information and assistance is available from national and community organizations and parent groups to make the search easier.  One of the organizations that can help parents of special needs children find child care is the  National Information Center for Children and Youth With Disabilities (NICHCY) it can send you free of charge two very useful publications. A Parent's Guide: Accessing Programs for Infants, Toddlers, and Preschool with Disabilities and A Parent's Guide: Accessing Parent Group.  NICHCY can also send you a State Resource Sheet that list the addresses and phone numbers of the agencies and organizations in your state that can assist parents of children with disabilities, and a National Resource Sheet that lists addresses and phone numbers of the national disabilities organizations and clearinghouses.  It is also important to point out that regardless of your child's specific disability, you may always call the local office of any of national disabilities organizations, such as United Cerebral Palsy Association, National Down Syndrome Society, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Spina Bifida Association of America, and March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation.  The staff of these and other organizations generally know about the services provided in their communities and can usually help parents even if their child has a disability different from the one that is the focus of the organization. 

Note: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) covers child care centers and family day care homes.  Information about requirements of the ADA, as well as informal guidance in understanding and complying with the ADA, can be obtained by contacting the U.S. Department of Justice, Public Access Section of the Civil Rights Divisions, PO Box 66738, Washington, DC 20035-6738 (202) 514-0301

Before and After School Care

There are various options for before and after school care.  Programs in your community may be operated by child care centers, recreation centers, churches, and youth organizations, such as YMCA, YWCA, Boys Club of America, Girls Inc., and Camp Fire Inc.  In many communities, school provides after school care, sometimes called "extended day care" programs.  If your school does not currently provide such a program, your principal or Parent Teachers Association (PTA) may be aware of parents' associations that are working in your community to get such programs started or to find other affordable quality options for school-age care.

Head Start Program

Head Start is a nationwide federally funded early childhood program for low-income preschool children primarily ages 3-5.  It is designed to provide comprehensive services in preparation for public school.  Services include cognitive and language development, medical, dental, and mental health services.  The program places particular emphasis on parental involvement.  For more information about specific eligibility requirements, contact your local department of social services.

Unregulated Child Care Providers

Some providers do legal unlicensed care but this is monitored by another agency and we do not have these providers in our database. 

On-Line Referrals

If you are looking for referrals on child care, please click on the link and fill out the  (Form).  Child Care Resource and Referral Agency of Northeast GA at Gainesville only gives out referrals, not recommendations. Our referral service is free.

Quality Checklist

Here is a quality check list for when you start looking for child care.