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Step 1
Start looking for a day care at least six months before you plan to enroll the child.
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Step 2
Get recommendations from your social circle. Ask friends and family members about which place they'd recommend. Call the Childcare Aware hot line at (800) 424-2246 to get the number of your local referral agency or a list of accredited centers near you.
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Step 3
Do online and/or offline research. Check your local phone book for a list of providers in your area. Browse the websites of the National Association of Family Child Care (NAFCC)and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) for contact information, guidelines and interview questions.
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Step 4
Decide what type of day care you want to use. Choices include family members, home daycares, and professional daycare centers. Each has distinctly different pros and cons, and should be looked at in terms of environment, cost, curriculum, and vacation coverage, hours of operation, late fees, etc.
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Step 5
Interview the prospective providers. Ask about the ratio of children to caregivers, what types of activities the children do, methods used to disinfect play and changing areas, schedules and policies, and staff turnover.
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Step 6
Ask for references from each provider you are considering using and phone both current and past member-parents.
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Step 7
Visit the center during the day and observe how everyone interacts with each other. Do the children seem well cared for and stimulated? Are there are enough caregivers? Are the caregivers patient? Bring your child with you to see how well he or she interacts with the staff, other children and environment.
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Step 8
Take your gut reaction into consideration. A day care with great references and accreditation is not always the perfect one for you.
