Types of child care... Page 2

continued

Considerations:

• Your child may feel more comfortable in a home-like setting
  
  
• Though family providers have their own needs, they are more likely to be accommodating to you when it comes to pick-up, drop-off times etc.
  
  
• The companionship with other children of different ages offers a good developmental environment
  
  
• It can be less expensive than other forms of care
  
  
• While family care programs are sometimes less structured, they are not necessarily less educational than center care
  
  
• Because day-care providers are susceptible to illness and other unavoidable circumstances, absenteeism can leave parents with no back-up child care
  
  
• A lot of family day care in this country is not licensed or registered, so parents are less sure about how to judge quality

Center Care

Care in a child-care center or preschool

Child care centers are programs licensed by the state and operate in a facility designed specifically for the care of children. Size and the number of children can vary quite considerably - some centers being licensed for only a handful of children, while others may have over 100. Licensing regulations often require child care centers to segregate infants, toddlers and preschoolers based on the required staff/child ratios. Due to their "school-like" setting, children experience a significant amount of interaction with other children.

Considerations:

• The majority of center programs have an emphasis on education
  
  
• They are reliable everyday. Child care centers do not call in sick days
  
  
• Because they are subjected to regulated and inspected programs, care centers have established standards which they have to meet
  
  
• They are more likely to have a variety of developmental toys and books for your child to choose from
  
  
• Care center programs are usually modeled with a group in mind and are therefore very structured without much flexibility
  
  
• Less attention may be paid to your child
  
  
• Many centers have fixed business hours and are therefore cannot accommodate individual schedules