Ten Things You Should Expect From Your Child Care Provider
Providers should give you frequent and full updates on your child's progress and problems. They should welcome your questions and ask you questions about how they can help your child. If they let you know what is happening with your child during the day you can develop ways to deal with problems and to build on activities and accomplishments of the day.
OPEN ACCESS TO THEIR HOME OR CENTER
Parents must be welcome to drop in at any time, even without calling. Providers should also allow parents to make a reasonable amount of phone calls to check in on their child's well being. You and the provider should work out the best times for such phone calls and determine how many calls are reasonable.
SAFETY FOR YOUR CHILD
Providers should take all possible precautions to keep children safe. This includes plugging light sockets, keeping knives and sharp objects out of reach, closing off stairways and using only safe and well maintained equipment. This also includes always using safety seats and seat belts when traveling.
HONESTY AND CONFIDENCE
Providers should not make commitments that they can not keep. They shouldn't cover up problems or accidents that occur. They should respect confidentiality and not discuss your child or your family to friends or co-workers.
ACCEPTANCE OF PARENTS' WISHES
Providers should abide by parents' wishes on matters such as discipline, TV watching, food, toilet training, etc. If parents do not want anyone smoking around their child, the provider needs to see that smoking in the house does not take place during child care hours. If providers feel that they can not abide by parent's wishes, they should tell parents before agreeing to care for the children.
ADVANCE NOTICE OF ANY CHANGES
Since it is often very difficult to find quality care, providers should tell parents well in advance if they are going to change their hours or prices. Parents need at least one month notice if a provider is no longer going to care for a child. Parents should be given at least two weeks notice even if the provider will not be available for just one day.
NO INTERFERENCE IN THE CHILD'S FAMILY
Provider's should not talk to children about their family problems, lifestyles or values. The provider should be careful not to take sides in any family disputes such as custody battles. Providers should try not to impose their beliefs on the children they care for. This includes not taking children to religious services unless approved by parents.
NO ADVICE OFFERED UNLESS ASKED FOR & NO JUDGING OF PARENTING PRACTICES
Providers should not criticize or advise parents on child rearing unless their advice is asked for. If parents ask for advice provider should offer it in a non critical way. Of course, if providers see something that is seriously wrong with how parents are raising their children, such as if they fear child abuse or see a child apparently suffering form malnutrition, they should discuss the issue with the parents.
ASSURANCE THAT EVERYONE IN CONTACT WITH THE CHILD IS TRUSTWORTHY AND PROPERLY TRAINED AND SUPERVISED
Providers must be responsible for everyone who enters, visits and works at the home or center. This includes not allowing strangers in the home, seeing that all transportation employees are properly trained and that all visitors of the provider are trustworthy and will not harm the child.
NO SURPRISES
This means that your family child care provider will not suddenly tell you that since she has taken a part time job outside the home, her teen age daughter will watch your child three afternoons a week or that your child's favorite teacher at the center just disappears without warning or comment. Surprises are probably what parents fear the most from their child care providers.
