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Working Mom
Types of Child Care |
The different forms of child care are
typically classified by the setting/location of where the child care is provided. The
three major forms of child care are (a) in-home care by relatives or child care providers
(b) family day care-care provided in a neighbor's or relative's home for a small group of
children (c) center care-care provided in a child care center or preschool. The following
details your different choices and options in child care.
In-Home Care
Care provided by relatives or childcare provider including babysitter, au pair, or
nanny
By choosing in-home care, parents typically hire another adult to care for their child
in their home. In-home providers do not have to be licensed and there are specific tax and
employment rules that apply. Both nannies and au pairs fall under the category of in-home
care and can be found through agencies that will search for a provider according to your
requirements. Au pairs are often times exchange students from foreign countries that will
care for children in exchange for room/board and a fee set by the au pair agency.
Considerations:
- Your child will be more accustomed to his/her surroundings because they are in their
home
- Because your child is alone with his/her provider, he/she is likely to receive more
individual attention
- Transportation and other logistical factors that your child requires are taken care of
by the individual provider
- Individual childcare providers can be more accommodating (get there early, stay later,
etc.) especially in the case of live-in providers
- By staying at home, your child will not have the same group interaction he/she might be
exposed to in home or center care
- There is no way for you to monitor what your child does all day
- Your child will not be subjected to an academic or physical program on a routine basis
- Because individual caregivers are susceptible to illness and other unavoidable
circumstances, absenteeism can leave you with no back-up child care
- In-home care is sometimes more expensive than other care
Family Day Care
Care provided in a neighbor's or relative's home for a small group of children
Family care is offered in the home of the caregiver, who often times is a parent. Just
like centers, family care providers are required by law to obtain licenses from the state
that mandate specific standards of safety and hygiene. Although states have different
licensing requirements, family care providers generally are licensed to care for a maximum
of 12 children.
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