Great Start to Quality is my Go-To for Finding Child Care
As I prepare my family and myself mentally to return to work from maternity leave, there is one subject matter I am not stressing about: child care.
This is my third child, but the child care center my older children are at does not take infants. I had to start searching for childcare again, but this time I knew right where to look. The State of Michigan has created a website, Great Start to Quality, to help parents find quality child care options.
As a parent, you are able to search for a program that best fits your needs, and it’s okay to be picky. Don’t forget YOU know what is best for your child and what will work best for your family!
What to Look for in a Child Care Provider
If your gut tells you “this is not the place,” don’t ignore it. If you don’t get the answers you’re looking for, keep looking. Your child needs you to assure their safety, health and early learning, especially when you cannot be there. Here are some tips:
- Notice how the child care provider interacts with the children. Does the provider talk gently to the children? Does she get down to their eye-level? Do the children respond in a happy, satisfied way?
- Is the room set up so that children can reach the toys and books? How does the program embrace all cultures? How often do the children go outside?
- What are the provider’s current health and safety procedures? What will they do if your child appears sick or gets hurt? Currently, how are they handling the COVID-19 pandemic?
- Higher quality providers will offer a balance of active and quiet times; opportunities for children to make choices; times for larger groups, smaller groups and individual space; and regular schedules that allow for flexibility.
- Infants and toddlers need a safe space to explore, learn, and move as well as a safe place to sleep.
- How will you learn about your child’s development and what happened during the day?
- Do the food menus list healthy, nutritious options? How will breastfeeding moms work with the program?
Why Local Parents Trust Great Start to Quality
I’ve trusted Great Start to Quality and so have others:
“I was so glad to have found Great Start to Quality. They helped me search for child care near my home and office. We liked the 4 Star center near my office the best. We put our name on the waiting list for infant care while I was still pregnant and a spot opened up by the time my baby was born! Greatstarttoquality.org also had lists for what to look for during a visit and questions to ask, those lists were very helpful!” – Megan Smith Jovanovic, new parent
Many more tips about quality child care can be found at Greatstarttoquality.org under the Resources Tab on the main search page. Here is what some other parents have to say:
Take Your Time – The Perfect Provider for Your Family is out There
With the high cost of child care, parents want to know that they are getting the best for their child and the most for their money.
Michigan now has a five-star rating and improvement system. Great Start to Quality supports early childhood providers in their efforts to improve their programs and helps parents find and choose quality programs.
If I can stress one thing about looking for a childcare provider is this, it is not a fast process. Take the time to read through each of the providers profiles that fit your criteria. The Great Start to Quality Program is a great centralized website for all licensed childcare providers, that will help utilize your time spent looking for childcare. Check it out today!
Great Start to Quality
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Recently, my work has kept me very busy, and no one can watch my daughter while I’m at work. I have therefore decided to begin looking for a daycare facility where I can temporarily leave my daughter. I’ll make sure to look into how well the child provider interacts with the kids before I choose one, as you advised. Thanks!
Thank you for the advice to ask about current health and safety procedures if your child is sick or hurt. I am hoping to find child care for my 3-year-old when I go back to work full-time next month. It would be smart for me to start interviewing different providers now so we can be ready for the transition.
Thanks for the tips about finding good childcare. My wife and I need to find a center for our son. We’ll use these tips to find a good one.
Thank you for helping me to understand that finding the right childcare service is not a fast process and that it is important to take your time. My wife and I need to find a care service for our toddler because my wife is going to be living with her parents for a month. This tip you shared will help us find a care service we trust because we won’t be rushing to pick the first one we find.
I agree that it is important for a parent to trust their gut and to only choose a place that you feel good about. My sister is planning on going back to work soon and she’s looking for a child day care still. I’ll pass this tip onto my sister, so she can find a daycare that she feels good about.
I’ve been very busy with work lately, and there’s no one that can take care of my daughter when I’m at work. Therefore, I’ve decided to start looking for a daycare center, where I can leave my daughter in the meantime. Before I choose one, I’ll make sure to check on how well the child care provider interacts with the children.
It really helped when you said that good providers offer times for large groups and individual space. My sister is looking for a good childcare service for her little girl since they just moved to a new state. Thanks for the tips and I’ll help her research high-quality childcare services around.