Feature/General
What are you Looking for in Child Care?
Information provided by Community Connection's Care Connection
Jan/Feb 2003

• Types of Child Care
• Questions to ask
• Georgia teacher-to-student ratios
• Listing of Clarke County Childcare Centers
• Parents rights
• Beginning a new child care plan
• Choosing care for children with special needs

When exploring the possibilities of a Child Care Center, let one of your visits be a visit you make by yourself. This will give you the opportunity to have a question / answer session with the director without being distracted. Once you are satisfied, arrange to visit the classroom where your child will be placed and meet the teacher to see a daily schedule and format of how the day is spent. Inquire about naptime and feeding schedules. Once you have found a program, arrange for a scheduled visit that includes your child. This visit should be during a time your child can interact with other children and teacher. After your initial visit, make an unannounced, drop-in visit to confirm that the situation is as described to you in the first initial visit.

A Child Care Center is licensed in Georgia to care for more than 18 children; however, they must meet the standards of fire, health, safety, and sanitation. There are also regulations about the amount of space and number of teacher to children. Licensing workers visit them three times a year or when a complaint has been made about the center.

Types of Child Care

Remember that although separation can be very difficult for you and your child, most caregivers have lots of experience in easing the transition. Your child may take several weeks to grow comfortable with this new setting. During this period, be sure to discuss the changes with your child, and address any concerns with the caregiver right away. Always remind the child, “I say ‘Good-bye’ in the morning, and ‘Hello’ again in the afternoon.”

Family Group Homes
Group homes have a capacity of 7 to 18 children, and are licensed and visited under the state guidelines, similar to centers.

Family Home Child Care
Family Home Child Care caregivers can keep two children in their home without being licensed; however, homes that keep three but no more than six children must be registered with the state-licensing program.

In-Home Care Providers (Nannies)
These providers care for children in the child’s home and are privately employed by the parent. In-home caregivers, and the agencies that place them, are not regulated in the State of Georgia.

Preschool, Mother’s Morning Out, and Play Groups
These are social/educational programs that last less than four hours a day. They can often be combined for a creative child care plan. Such programs are not regulated in the State of Georgia.

Follow your instinct
1. Do you feel comfortable in the home or center?
2. Are the child(ren) both enjoying himself / herself?

Child / Provider Ratio
1. Is the group within the limits set by the Department of Human Resources?
2. Does the provider have additional help?
3. Do you think your child will feel comfortably with the other children?

Provider
1. Do you like the provider on a personal level? (Director, Staff)
2. Is the staff warm and caring with the children?
3. Does the provider seem at ease with the children in her care?
4. Do you feel comfortable with the way the provider handles:
a. Discipline
b. Toileting / Diapering
c. A hurt or unhappy child?
5. Does the caregiver pay attention to and respond to the emotional and physical needs of each child?
6. Does the provider attend training courses or belong to a family child care association?

Program
1. Is the level of activity suitable for your child?
2. Does the schedule include active and quiet play, rest time, outdoor play?
3. Does a child have a choice about participating in a certain activities?
4. Are there sufficient and appropriate toys and equipment for a variety of play?
5. Are field trips a part of the program?
6. Does the provider take children out when she runs errands?
7. Is the provider’s transportation safe?

Meals
1. What meals are served?
2. Are you comfortable with the nutritional value and variety of the menu?
3. Is a child expected to clean his plate?
4. Are second portions allowed?
5. Is food used to reward or punish?
6. Is the food handling procedures safe and sanitary?
7. Is mealtime happy and pleasant?
8. Is the provider a member of a Child Care Food Program, which set of standards for meals served and reimburses the provider for the cost of the meals.

Environment
1. Is the environment clean?
2. How is the security?
3. Are all vents / fireplaces screened off?
4. Are unused electric outlets capped?
5. Does the provider have: Fire Extinguisher; Smoke detector; First aid kit; Fire plan posted; Rules and regulations posted; Hand-washing chart posted by sink; Sign in / out chart easily assessable?
Outside Play
1. If there is not a yard, does the provider have a nearby outside area to take the children to play?
2. Are the outside toys compatible with the child’s (rens) age?
3. Is the playground and surrounding area kept clean and free of debris?
4. How often are the toys cleaned?

Questions for Infant Caregivers
1. Is there a single feeding schedule for all the infants, or is this flexible?
2. Are there scheduled diaper changes, in addition to needed changes?
3. What does the provider think a baby needs from a caregiver at this age?

Toddlers
1. How does the caregiver handle stubbornness from a child?
2. What activities does the child (ren) enjoy?
3. How is toilet training introduced, and at what age?
4. How does the provider feel about the bottle? Pacifier? Security blankets?

Three to Four Year Olds
1. What skills should a child of this age be developing?
2. What role does reading have in the program?
3. How is discipline handled, when a child has misbehaved?

School-age
1. What games and activities are available?
2. Is a snack provided or expected from the parent?
3. Is homework time permitted?
4. Is tutoring available?

Clarke County Childcare Centers
Child Care Resource and Referral Agency (CCRRA) of NEGA at Athens is a free telephone referral service for parents looking for child care in Northeast Georgia. CCRRA of NEGA is a central source of information about child care in our twelve-county area. We are available to describe the different types of child care that is available for children and make the most appropriate referrals. For a list of childcare centers for other counties, contact CCRRA

Athens Christian
706-549-7586
Athens Montessori
706-549-8490
Broad Acres Day Care
706-549-6913
Building Blocks # 2
706-316-0562
Building Blocks Child Development
706-354-0878
Champions for Children
www.champsforchildren.com
Child Care Network, Inc.
706-543-1104
Cornerstone Preschool
706-549-0019
Crockett’s Cradle
706-369-8879
Harvest Learning Center
706-742-2425
Head Start Athens-Clarke
706-548-2091
Head Start Main Office
706-546-8330
Jack and Jill’s Day Care
706-543-4959
Katherine’s Kiddie Kampus
706-353-0039
Kids & Company Learning Center
706-354-1351
Lifespan Center
706-355-8471
Little One’s Academy
706-354-0636
Little One’s Academy East
706-354-4442
Loving Kids Child Care Center
706-543-9204
Magic Years of Learning
706-548-5503
McPhaul Center
706-542-4921
McPhaul Head Start
706-542-4929
Navy Supply Corps
706-543-9113
New Freedom Talent
Development Christian Academy
706-369-0831
Parkview Playschool
706-549-6646
Peter Pan Child Development Center
706-543-9750
Preschool Academy
706-353-8183
Quality Day Care and Learning Center
706-742-5265
Rainbow Christian Daycare
706-227-3933
Rocksprings Infant Center
706-548-1000
Southeastern Early Education
706-353-2273
Timothy Christian
706-543-6900
Tiny Tot Learning Center
706-543-6479
Trinity Lutheran Preschool
706-546-8081
Waseca Early Learning Environment
706-546-8833
Young World
706-354-7885

Remember that Child Care Resource and Referral Agency (CCRRA) of NEGA does not evaluate or recommend these or other child care providers. We are able to discuss how to choose good child care with you, but the best choice for your child will be an individual decision that should reflect your own values and expectations and meet your child’s personal and developmental needs.

Begin the New Child Care Plan Once you have selected a good arrangement, it is important to prepare yourself and your child to begin the new child care plan. Some things that may make the transition go smoother for you and your child are: Make sure you understand the provider’s policies and procedures. Ask for your own copy, if not provided in a parent handbook. Make sure the caregiver has a contact number for you at all time, and you have provided a list of people authorized to pick up your child. Be sure to sign all forms and provide the necessary paper work, including: Emergency contact name and number; Medical treatment information; Current immunization record.

Parents Rights
Did you know?

• You have the right to see and record the provider’s licensing registration number and to check for investigations or complaints against the establishment.
• You have the right to inquire about any person working in the center. Georgia law requires any child care workers over the age of eighteen to submit to a background investigation.
• Parents have the right to enter all parts of the center or home when the child is in attendance. Day Care centers and Group Homes are required to be licensed. Family Home Child Care providers keeping more than two children must be registered in the State of Georgia.

If you would like a list of providers in your area, please call Child Care Resource and Referral Agency (CCRRA) in Athens. You have the right to file a complaint against the caregiver for any dissatisfaction you may feel.

• Georgia Department of Human Resource Licensing Unit 404-657-5562
• Child Care Resource and Referral Agency of Northeast Georgia at Athens at 2-1-1; 706-353-1313; or 800-924-5085.

Complaints can be anonymous. It’s up to the parent to know their rights! Our services are free to parents and child care providers.

Choosing Quality Care for Children with Special Needs

Questions a parent can and should ask:

1. Is the staff well trained in areas of typical development?
2. Does the program staff believe that all children learn if individual needs are considered and adaptations are made to meet those needs?
3. Has the staff been trained to work with young children with special needs?
4. Is the staff open to receiving training to care for the specific needs of your child if necessary?
5. Has the staff been trained to help children develop desirable behaviors (cooperation, self-esteem, thinking skills) and decrease undesirable behaviors (disruptiveness, distractibility)?
6. Does the program curriculum contain strategies to facilitate adjustments between children with special needs and typically developing children?
7. If the child uses assistive technology devices or a wheelchair, does the setting/space accommodate the use of these?
8. Does the setting have an established behavior management program that focuses on positive behaviors?
9. If necessary, is the program open to allowing therapists to visit and work with the staff and child during the day schedule?
10. Is the staff willing to be part of the IEP/IFSP team and implement goals and objectives throughout the child's play?

Adapted from: "The Role of Child Care Professionals in Placement and Programming Decisions," pp. 76-78, July 1994, Young Children.

Child Care Resource and Referral Agency of Northeast Georgia at Athens at 2-1-1 or
706-353-1313 or 800-924-5085