If you need to put your infant in day care, it is important to consider your selection carefully. If he is going to be in someone else's care, you want to ensure that he spends his day in a safe and happy environment. To start investigating day cares in your area, ask friends and family members for their recommendations. They can tell you at which centers to set up interviews and which facilities to avoid.
Step 1
Call day care centers, and ask to set up visits to see the facilities and to interview the staff.
Step 2
Ask about the center's hours and availability to make sure they're compatible with your schedule. Find out if it offers any alternative arrangements for holiday closings, such as private babysitting referrals, or charges extra fees for after-hours care.
Step 3
Identify any accreditation or certification awarded to the day care center. Accreditation by either the National Association for the Education of Young Children or the National Association for Family Child Care requires that the day care meet certain standards to keep its accreditation valid. The center should be licensed by the state as well.
Step 4
Review the educational background of the teachers in the day care center. Choose a center that staffs individuals with a background in early childhood education, especially if you plan to keep the child in the center past infancy. The directors of the centers you are considering can provide you with this information.
Step 5
Visit the facility in person to verify that it is clean and that it employs sanitary practices for the staff and children.
Step 6
Allow the staff to interact with your infant to gauge how well they act with her. You should feel comfortable with the people who will be caring for your child. If you are checking out the center while still pregnant, observe the interactions between the teachers and the infants already in their care. Inquire about the child-to-staff ratio. For infants, you don't want to leave the child in a center that has only one teacher for more than three babies.
