Pros & Cons of In-Home Child Care vs. Day-Care Centers
When it comes to child care, you have a couple of options, such as in-home care at a person's residence or a standard day-care center. When making the decision to place your child in in-home day care or a day-care center, there are many considerations to make, such as pricing and safety standards. Both options carry with them pros and cons, and knowing these factors can help you make the important decision of what kind of child care you will provide for your little one.
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Pricing
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Cost is one thing to take into consideration when finding child care. In general, in-home child care is the cheaper option for child care. According to BabyCenter, day-care centers average about $679 a month, whereas in-home day cares average about $525 a month. Employees in day-care centers typically have backgrounds in child education and more state certifications, which is why the centers can be pricier.
Interaction
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Day-care centers are larger than in-home day cares and have more children in their care, along with more caregivers. Your child might get more socializing with others, but also less one-on-one interaction with a caregiver. In-home centers have less children, offering more time interacting with the caregiver and less socialization with a number of children. Consider your child's age. Children aged one to three years old typically don't interact with large groups, preferring to be alone or interact with one or two kids, so in-home care might work fine. As children get older, they'll begin to want and need to socialize with larger groups, such as in a day-care center.
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Safety
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Safety is the most important consideration when debating between these two care options. Regulations for child-care safety differ with each state, so make sure you know how rigorous your state's regulations are. Day-care centers are typically more closely monitored for safety with regards to cleanliness, employee training and backgrounds, and first aid. In-home care, on the other hand, is less regulated by state standards. If considering in-home day care, check to see what certifications the provider has and make sure they, at least, have essential safety certifications, such as child CPR and first aid.
Dependability
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Dependability is another major difference between in-home and center day care. If you have a sick child, many day-care centers will not care for her, as they won't risk spreading the disease to other employees or kids. An in-home center might be more willing to take a sick child and simply keep her separate from the others in the group. On the other hand, in-home providers can get sick, as well, which means, during those times, you will need to find other means of care for your child, whereas, in day-care centers, if an employee is sick, there are plenty of others to take her place.
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References
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