by Victoria Tiegert

Created on: January 26, 2009

Because many single parents work outside the home, one of the challenges of single parenting is finding a good daycare center for your child/ren. You want to go to your job with the assurance that your children are safe and happy, yet when you watch the news reports, you hear horror stories of child care that is subpar, to say the very least. Our children are our most precious gifts and we want to do all that we can to ensure their well-being, both physically and emotionally.

There are many things to look at and ask questions about when you go out to find the best daycare for your child/ren, so set aside some time. This is a very important decision for you and your child. Taking the child with you is often helpful, so long as they are not a distraction to you, keeping you from doing as thorough a check as you should. Children have very keen senses about people and it usually pays to be attentive to this. If your child seems unusually tense or fearful around a provider or in the center itself, there may very well be a reason that isn't immediately apparent to you.

There are daycare centers that are set up more like true businesses, having their own building and employees. These are usually larger, with more children and more providers. There are also in-home childcare services, typically smaller and with one or two providers. It will be up to you to decide which of these facilities to use, but either way, you should make sure that it is a licensed business. This will ensure that there are inspections done and that providers are trained and employees are properly screened.

When you go into a facility that you are considering leaving your child at, do a complete walk-through, checking for safety and sanitary conditions and any concerns. Look for things such as outlet covers, child locks on cabinets and doors, window locks and other basic safety measures that should be taken in these centers. Things should be clean and regular disinfecting should be done to minimize the spread of germs from child to child. Don't overlook the outside, either. Playground equipment should be in good repair and safe for the age of children that are using it.

Many states require daycare providers to have a food handlers' license and to have it on display. Keep your eyes open for these hanging in the food prep area. Check to see what's on the menu and if you are there at a mealtime, even better, you can see how the food is prepared and served to the children.

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