Choosing the Right Private Childcare for your Family
Feeling overwhelmed choosing a private childcare solution for your family? Many parents aren’t even sure where to get started. You have options! I’ve taken some time to compile the basics about the most common types of paid & private childcare available, including a few pros and cons of how they compare to each other. Let’s take an overview look at them, sorted from least expensive to most expensive childcare solution.
Daycare Facilities
Daycare facilities are the most widely used paid childcare resource. Due to their availability and affordability, this option works for many families. Daycares offer long-term support as they accept children of a wide age range. Children learn a lot from their peers and receive structure throughout their day. Illness is common due to the class sizes, so having a back-up plan for sick days is necessary. Open hours and travel plans to and from the facility are important factors to consider when making a selection.
- Pros: Socialization, Structure, Wide Range of Ages Served, Long-Term
- Cons: Illness is Common, Limited Flexibility, Large Group Size
Preschools
Preschools help children develop social and academic skills. Because preschools often have specific curriculum (for example: Montessori, Religious, Waldorf, etc.), parents can choose the type of learning style, philosophies, and specialized education they’d like for their children. Accepted ages are limited, normally 2.5-5 years old, and potty training is usually required prior to enrollment. Programs run for different lengths of time and on different schedules, which can be difficult for parents to accommodate if relying on this as regular care.
- Pros: Specialized Curriculum, Socialization, Structure
- Cons: Illness is Common, No Flexibility, Limited Range of Ages Served, Large Group Size
In-Home Daycares
In-Home Daycares provide a “best of both worlds” type of experience for families seeking private childcare. Being in a home environment is a comfort and safety that many parents value. Parents have the ability to choose a location and caregiver that best meets their needs. Often the in-home daycare owner/teacher has relevant experience, credentials, and training. There is a licensing and review process for fully-functioning in-home daycares in Indiana, but not all will have this status. Group sizes tend to be small, and it is also common for stay-at-home mothers to open their homes as a daycare to just a few other children. Because in-home daycares vary in many ways, the pricing for this childcare service varies as well.
- Pros: Socialization, Small Group Size, Home Environment, Wide Range of Ages Served
- Cons: Less Structure, Limited Flexibility, Less Oversight
Babysitters
Babysitters offer private childcare for short-term or date-night needs. Providing care in the family home, they step in to keep things running smoothly so parents can go out for a few hours. Children can be of any age and care is scheduled only when needed, giving parents a lot of flexibility. As babysitters are not a consistent and regular childcare arrangement, some parent preparation is required before a babysitter handoff. Prepare emergency contacts, have an easy to cook meal & ingredients available, give the babysitter a full rundown of what to expect during their shift and how to handle certain common situations (for example: Johnny goes to bed at 7:30pm, but he has a hard time with it. This is our step-by-step bedtime routine…).
- Pros: In Family’s Home, Dedicated Attention, Flexibility, Any Age Served
- Cons: Short-Term or Date-Night only, Inconsistency
Nannies
Nannies provide regular and consistent private childcare directly in a family’s home and work with parents as a team to raise children. Professional nannies can be live-in or live-out, though live-out is most common now. The majority of professional nannies seek full-time hours, but as long as the job is structured in a way that is mindful and consistent, part-time hours work for some. Nanny shares (where two families go in together to employ a full-time nanny), are becoming more popular too. These relatively recent industry changes make employing a nanny accessible to more families.
It is important to be aware that choosing to employ a nanny is a serious decision. The decision involves a commitment to provide the livelihood of an individual in exchange for their commitment to provide care for your family. The dedicated attention and support a nanny provides truly makes a difference. To make the magic happen, finding a good nanny match for your family is critical. Parents often make the mistake of elevating the importance of a candidate’s experience over their compatibility with the family.
If you’re looking for a long-term arrangement, the nanny you choose must be aligned with your family’s personalities, parenting styles, morals, and philosophies. When interviewing potential candidates, discuss these things about your family and have prepared questions that will help the candidates open up to you as well. Example questions: To you, what are the top 3 characteristics of an ideal nanny? What hobbies do you have outside of work? Do you prefer a relaxed or structured daily routine with the children? What is your caregiving style?
- Pros: In Family’s Home, Dedicated Attention, Flexibility & Adaptability, Any Age Served, Long-Term
- Cons: Highest Cost
Interested in Hiring a Nanny?
I hope you find this overview to be useful information for your family. Each solution provides a different experience for families, so finding the right fit is important. If you are interested in learning more about employing a nanny, select a button below to learn more about each service or to complete the Family Registration Forms to sign up!
