ParentLine

Dear ParentLine,

How can I determine the best child care for my two-year-old daughter?  I’ve read about this and all my friends are telling me what to look for, and I’ve visited a few in my area, but I’m not sold on any. Some seem overwhelmed with kids, others aren’t “credentialed” and another wasn’t a very friendly learning environment.  I’m in a panic.  I will have to go off to work soon and I don’t know what to do with my little girl.  Please help. 

Signed, Single Mom in Merrimack County

 

ParentLine feels your pain.  Sadly, you’re not alone. One of the many excruciating realities of economics in the “modern” society here in the US, is the fact that most people who have children don’t get much time to parent them.  Nonparental child care is now the norm for young children in the US.  Nearly 60 percent of children five years or younger are in childcare on a regular basis and 44 percent of infants are in childcare for more than 30 hours a week. 

Though obvious from looking at the huge numbers of teens and young adults in ever-increasing numbers over recent decades who show up with all manner of problems that require a huge expense to correct—such issues as learning disabilities, teen pregnancy, substance abuse—as a nation, we might do well to ask whether it makes sense to continue to treat the symptoms or to solve the problem of providing quality early childhood education for our children. 

Besides raising your daughter yourself, what could be more difficult than to locate someone you feel will do the job as well as you can?  Other than not finding what you’re looking for, you’re doing a great job by trusting your intuition.  Continue to do so!  The parenting that your child receives from you and/or another primary caregiver during the first three years of her life shapes her outcome as an adult.  Think of her developing brain as a baby computer. You bet you’re going to be picky about the way she gets “programmed” and who will do that job. 

If you have time and interest, check out what experts at places like Zero to Three, The Children’s Defense Fund, and  Drs. Stanley Greenspan and T. Berry Brazelton of the Touchpoints project at Children’s Hospital in Boston have to say about early childhood brain development.  In their book titled, The Irreducible Needs of Children, Greenspan and Brazelton identify the following as crucial to healthy development:

  • The need for on-going nurturing relationships.
  • The need for physical protection, safety, and regulation.
  • The need for experiences tailored to individual differences.
  • The need for developmentally appropriate experiences.
  • The need for limit setting, structure, and expectations.
  • The need for stable, supportive communities and cultural continuity.

According to JoAnn Cobb, program director for Child and Family Services’ Early Support Services and Family Support programs, “This mom is asking good questions.  Parents assume that all childcare is ‘quality’ because the provider has a license.  The more information a parent can get about a provider the better.  Here in NH, we have various levels of licensure with the ‘license plus’ being the most stringent standard of quality available.  If a provider meets this standard, you’ll find the best quality for your child.”

In an article titled 5 Steps to Choosing Quality Child Care, the folks at Child Care Aware (www.childcareaware.com) suggest you ask the following questions when you visit the child care centers you’re considering. 

  • Adult to child ratio. The fewer children for each adult, the better for your child.
  • Group size.  The smaller the group, the better.
  • Caregiver qualifications.  Caregivers with degrees and/or special training in working with children will be better able to help your child learn.
  • Turnover rates.  Check how long caregivers have been at the center or providing care in their homes.  It’s best if children stay with the same caregivers at least a year.  Caregivers who come and go make it hard on your child.  Getting used to new caregivers takes time and energy that could be spent on learning new things.
  • Accreditation.  Find out if the child care provider has been accredited by a national organization.  Providers that are accredited have met voluntary standards for child care that are higher than most state licensing requirements.  The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and The National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC are the two largest organizations that accredit child care program.

A great place to ask for help is the New Hampshire Child Care Resource and Referral Network. The NHCCR&R Network is composed of community based Child Care Resource and Referral programs. These strategically situated programs educate and support families, providers and the community regarding child care issues. Each of the 10 CCR&R agencies in New Hampshire is Quality Assured through Child Care Aware®. This program seeks to ensure that families are receiving consistent, high quality consumer education and referral services. New Hampshire is the only volunteer network and one of only six states in the nation in which all of its CCR&Rs are Quality Assured.

The Network agencies provide five core services:
•Provides families with the education and resources they need to find child care through free and confidential referral services.
•Recruits new providers and help them begin their child care business.
•Offers assistance and support to child care providers and programs.
•Develops and maintains a database of child care providers and programs.
•Provides child care training opportunities to enhance early childhood professional development.
•Advocates for quality, affordable child care for families and better wages and benefits for child care providers.

Here is CCR & R contact information:

  • Berlin/Littleton: White Mountains Community College.  800-445-4525
  • Claremont: Family School Connections CCR & R. 877-212-7267
  • Concord: Easter Seals.  800-307-2737x8266
  • Conway.  Lakes Region Community Services.  866-261-7555
  • Keene:  Easter Seals CCR & R.  800-307-2737x8138
  • Laconia:  Lakes Region Community Services.  800-649-8817x174
  • Manchester:  Easter Seals.  800-870-8728
  • Nashua: Southern NH Services, Inc.  CCR & R. 877-211-0723
  • Rochester:  Rockingham Community Action Child Care Services Strafford County.  800-913-1912
  • Salem/Portsmouth:  Rockingham Community Action Child Care Services. 800-310-8333

PARENTLINE WELCOMES YOUR QUESTIONS! 

ParentLine is a free and confidential service of Child and Family Services, a statewide, independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the well-being of children and families.  Call ParentLine, 1-800-640-6486;  write ParentLine, c/o Child and Family Services, P.O. Box 448, Manchester, NH; email parentline@cfsnh.org or visit our website at www.cfsnh.org.