WE HERE AT KAYE'S HOUSE LLC WOULD LIKE TO SAY,

EVEN IF YOU DO NOT CHOOSE US FOR YOUR CHILD CARE

- PLEASE FIND THE ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS,

TO HELP YOU CHOOSE THE PROVIDER THAT IS RIGHT FOR YOU.

INTRODUCTION

Choosing the right child care arrangement for you and your child is a very important decision for your family. It can also be a very difficult one. It is best to examine your own beliefs and values about bringing up children. Try to find a caregiver that has values your respect and will give your child individual, caring attention. This page contains information, ideas, and suggestions to help you make the best possible choice.

REGULATED CARE

• Family Child Care: Anyone who provides care for children in his/her home. Family Child Care may be either licensed by the State or certified through the county. If the provider cares for 1-3 children, regulation is optional.

 

 

• Child Care Center: Programs operated outside the home for more than 8 children. The total number of children served varies per center. Child Care Centers are licensed through the State of Wisconsin.

 

 

• In-home Caregiver/Nanny: Person hired to come into your home to provide care for your children. May include other services such as light housekeeping. This is the most expensive form of child care. In-home care is not regulated anywhere in the country. You must create your own guidelines regarding quality.

CHOOSING YOUR CHILD CARE PROVIDER

• Trust your feelings
  Pay attention to your 'initial feelings and intuitions. While there are concrete things you can ask or observe, it is okay to act on your feelings. Do you sense that the caregiver genuinely cares about children? Is the caregiver open to talking about policies and answering your questions? Or does he/she seem impatient or defensive?

 

 

• Check References
  Ask the provider/director for references of parents who currently have their children enrolled, and of parents whose children have left the program. Follow up on references!

 

 

• Avoid Care Hopping
  Changing child care is confusing and disruptive to a child. So try to avoid starting in one child care setting, then finding it unsatisfactory and moving to another. Make a wise choice from the start by using this guide. This does not mean that you should never change child care, but there should be good reasons for doing so.

 

 

• Work with your child care provider
  To ensure the best possible care for your child, you and the child care provider need to work together. This means listening, respecting, and communicating. Building a stable relationship with the provider will improve the quality of care your child receives.

 

 

• Continue to Evaluate
  After you have found care that meets your needs and standards, do not stop there. Continue to evaluate the care by visiting the home or center, listening to what your child tells you about their day, and asking questions of the children and provider.

COSTS OF CHILDCARE

For most people, cost is a very important factor in the selection of a child care facility. Research shows that for some families, child care is the second largest expense in the household budget. "Why is care so expensive?" Understanding where your child care dollars go is an important step in choosing quality child care. Expenses such as personnel, facility, food, supplies, water/heat, and toys/equipment/art supplies are all part of your child care costs. Often times providers put in many hours after the children have left for cleaning/sanitizing daycare items, shopping for daycare items, and preparing daily activities for the children. All of these things are part of your child care costs.

HOW MUCH WILL I HAVE TO PAY FOR CHILD CARE?

Providers have different policies regarding tuition. Tuition fees can vary greatly, depending on the program and the services offered. Some providers will do care for part-time children while others prefer only full-time kids. Some providers will charge the same rate every week while others may charge only for the hours that you are there. When looking at the cost of child care, there are many factors to consider:

• When do I need care?
• How many days of the week do I need care?
• What hours will I need care?
• What are the ages of my children? (Providers sometimes charge more for infants/toddlers)
• How much can I afford to pay for child care?

After you have determined what your child care needs are, you can begin to contact providers to find one that meets your needs.

Family and group child care centers, like other businesses, may have established policies concerning not only tuition but registration fees, returned check fees, late check fees, late pick-up fees, when payment is due, fees for providers for sick, vacation, and holiday pay, and holding fees. Any or all of these things could be part of a providers policies. In addition to checking out current tuition rates, you should also find out how often fees increase and by what amounts.

Don't be shy about asking questions regarding tuition costs. It's your money - so ask as many questions as you feel are necessary to get the information you require.

Remember... quality child care is not expensive - it's priceless!

PHONE SCREENING FOR FAMILY CHILD CARE PROVIDERS

For the following questions the answers for Kaye's House LLC are in green writing.

Name of Family Child Care Provider: Kaye's House LLC Child Care Centers
Address: Various
Phone number: 414-788-8857

• Do you have any vacancies?
Yes
• What are your hours?
7:00am to 5:30pm
• Are they flexible?
Yes, Your child can be here for any hours throughout the day between 7:00 am and 5:30 pm
• How many children do you care for?
• We care for no more than 8 children.
• What are their ages?
• We are licensed for children from 6 weeks to 12 years old.
• What is the cost?
• $5.00 per hour. Minimum 40 hours. Above 40 hours the charge is also $5.00 per hour
• Is there a multi-child rate?
• No.
• Are there extra charges or registration fees?
• Yes. There is a $25 per year registration fee September 1st, and a $10 per month curriculum fee(children start the curriculum when they are ready - usually about the age of 2).
• Do you provide food?
• Yes. Regular table food.
• Do you smoke?
• No. There is no smoking.
• Do you have pets?
• Yes, 2 Boxers.
• What do I need to bring for my child?
• Change of clothes. If needed, diapers, wipes, formula, and baby care items.
• Will you be transporting my child anywhere?
• No.  

PHONE SCREENING FOR CHILD CARE CENTERS

Name of Center:
Address:
Phone number:

• Do you have any vacancies?

 

 

• Do you close for vacations, summers, snow days, or other?

 

 

• Do you take children half days, or two or three days a week?

 

 

• How many children are in your center?

 

 

• Do you group children by ages, or by family groupings?

 

 

• Do you serve meals?

 

 

• What is the cost of tuition?

 

 

• Are there any extra charges or registration fees?

 

 

• Is there a multi-child rate?

 

 

• What is the child staff ratio?

 

 

• What is your staff turnover rate?

 

 

• How many different adults will be with my child during the day?

 

 

• Do you have regular parent teacher conferences?

QUESTIONS TO ASK ABOUT INFANT CARE

• Do you think a baby should be picked up whenever he/she cries?
• We believe a baby should be picked up when they cry because they are usually in need of something or uncomfortable. Picking them up shows them someone is there to care for them and help them with what they need.
• What do you think an infant needs most from a caregiver?
• Understanding and attention for what the baby needs at the time, whether it be that they need to be fed, changed, burped, or just to be comforted and held.
• What records do you keep on diapering, eating and sleeping?
• We keep daily sheets for each child which has the times when they eat and how much they eat, when they sleep and for how long, when their diapers are changed and if they were just wet, if the child had a bowel movement and how it was. We also let the parents know on this daily sheet, what their child's mood was throughout the day.
• Do you provide food or diapers?
• We do not provide diapers for the children.  We only provide food for children who are eating regular table food.
• How much time do babies spend in cribs or playpens?
• The babies are put in their playpens for sleeping and some play.
• Are babies held when they are being fed?
• Infants are always held when they are fed with a bottle, when they eat cereal or other baby food, they are put in a baby seat or high chair.
• What activities do you do with babies?
• The infants receive physical contact and attention when they are held, rocked, talked to, read to, sung to, and taken on walks.

QUESTIONS TO ASK ABOUT TODDLER CARE

• When and how do you think toilet training should be introduced?
• When the child is ready, somewhere between the ages of 2 and 3.  We communicate with the parents for information on how they are training at home, so things are consistant for the child.
• How would you handle a temper tantrum?
• We try to talk with the child at their level to calm them down and resolve the problem and redirect their attention to another activity. After the child is at the age of 3 and the redirection doesn't work we put the child on a time-out for no more than 3-5 minutes or when the child is calmed down, then we talk to them about the problem and find a way to resolve it.
• How often do you take the children outside?
• The children are taken outside for at least 15 minutes a day in the winter  and more time in the summer and on nice days.
• What types of activities do you do with toddlers?
• Toddlers in our care do a curriculum with the other children.  They listen to stories, participate in group and calendar time, do art projects, play with the other children and eat at the table with the other children.
• What would be their daily routine?
• A toddler's routine is much the same as a preschoolers day, we include them in our story and group times, in games, art projects, and group activities.  Toddlers don't always want to sit for some of the activities, so they are able to play with other toys quietly and ecouraged to join in with us.

QUESTIONS TO ASK ABOUT PRESCHOOL CARE

• What indoor and outdoor activities would you plan?
• We have a planned curriculum for the children and it is included in our daily schedule area of the activities section of our website.
• What kind of discipline do you think is appropriate?
• We try to talk with the child at their level to calm them down and resolve the problem and redirect their attention to another activity. After the child is at the age of the and the redirection doesn't work we put the child on a time-out for no more than 3-5 minutes or when the child is calmed down and then we talk to them about the problem and find a way to resolve it.
• What TV shows will the children be watching, if any?
• We have NO televisions in our child care.
• What would be their daily routine?
• The children's routine is included in our daily schedule area of the activities section of our website. Included in their daily routine is weather, calendar, story time, group activities and games, art activities, letter and number recognition, outside play during all seasons, rest time, and play time, along with breakfast, lunch and snack.

QUESTIONS TO ASK ABOUT SCHOOL AGE CARE

• Do you provide before and after school care?
• Not at this time.
• Do you provide after school snacks?
• What would the children be doing before and after school?
• On days that school is closed, what activities would the children be doing?
• Do you provide transportation? Do you charge extra for that?

  Copyright(c) 2008 Kaye's House LLC. All rights reserved.
Shane@KayesHouse.com