Robyn's Nest - The Parenting Network - Finding Quality Child Care

Finding Quality Child Care

Licensing and Accreditation

Matching the needs of your child and your own needs with the child care available is a time-consuming process. It often takes extra time and effort to find high quality care. This section can help you to find high quality care by explaining the role of licensing and accreditation, and describing steps a parent can take in evaluating child care centers or homes prior to selecting one. It suggests questions to ask when you phone ahead to child care centers or homes, offers ideas of what to look for when visiting child care centers or homes, and describes how to monitor the quality of care your child receives while in the center or home you have selected. Especially useful is a checklist that can be copied and brought along on the initial visit to the centers or homes. The checklist can then be used to evaluating your choices after visits to several centers or homes.

Licensing and Accreditation

One means of determining a child care provider's commitment to quality is whether the provider is licensed and accredited (or working toward accreditation). Licensing indicates that minimum standards have been met, whereas accreditation means that the child care provider has gone beyond the minimum standards and is voluntarily striving to achieve high quality care.

Licensing
Most States regulate child care centers by licensing; some States also license child care homes. Licensing includes an on-site visit to assure that basic minimum requirements (for health, safety, and child/staff ratios) have been met and periodic inspections to monitor continued compliance. This may include inspections by the local health department, the fire department, and the licensing agency. Keep in mind, however, that States vary considerably as to the minimum standards allowed. Also, certain categories of the child care centers, such as church-sponsored centers and centers in public schools, are legally exempt from licensing in some States. Most of the State licensing offices listed in A summary of your State's child regulations can also be obtained from the Children's Foundation, described in "Federal and National Organizations". [NOTE: Registration is a variation of licensing used by some States for child care homes. Registration relies more heavily on parents as monitors than does traditional licensing. Inspections are not usually required prior to registration, and States vary considerably in the degree to which registered homes are monitored.]

Accreditation

Two organizations accredit child care

The National Academy of Early Childhood Programs (a division of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)), accredits early childhood programs, child care centers, pre-schools, kindergartens, and before and after school programs.

The accreditation process examines the total child care program; however, emphasis is placed on the quality of interactions among staff and children and the developmental appropriateness of the curriculum - what really happens to the children.

Health and safety, staffing, staff qualifications, communication with families, physical environment, administration, and nutrition and food services are all reviewed during accreditation, but primary consideration is given to the nature of the child's experience.

Programs must be operational for at least one year before accreditation may be granted.

More than 1,000 programs have achieved accreditation and an additional 3,000 programs are in the process of becoming accredited. Write for a list of accredited programs to:

NAEYC
1834 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20009

The National Association for Family Day Care (NAFDC) accredits family day care homes that offer high quality child care services.

Accreditation is intended for those home care standards defined by State licensing and registration agencies, but also have demonstrated a commitment to reach beyond these minimum requirements to achieve standards of excellence.

The dimensions of child care assessed by NAFDC are safety, health, nutrition, interaction between children and care provider, learning environment, outdoor environment, and professional responsibility.

Write for a list of accredited homes in your State. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope to:

NAFDC
1331-A Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, #348
Washington, DC 20004

You may wish to ask if and when the child care center or home plans to apply for accreditation.

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Finding Quality Childcare