[KariKae]

I would start weeding out day cares by looking at their location. Do you want one close to home or close to work? For us, a provider closer to work has been better for doctor appointments, meeting her for lunch, programs, etc.

I would ask if the provider is willing to give medicines? For example, your child may be taking a decongestant for a cold every 4 hours. My provider will not give ANY medications, so I have to leave work at my lunch hour to give her medicine. The worse part about seeing her at lunch time is she gets VERY upset because she has to stay when mommy leaves.

Ask how they handle "problem children"? For example, children who consistently bite. How will my child be protected?

What do they consider a "sick child"? Some providers consider a runny nose a sick child.

For home day cares, how many days per year do they close? How many of these are "unscheduled"?

Do you pay for vacation time? I really liked the home care was daughter was in as an infant. However, her provider got two weeks of paid vacation per year. I also paid full-price for our vacations.

Which meals are provided? I'm a nutrition nut so this was important to me.

How much television to the children watch? I preferred activity and art projects rather than television.

I would also check on turnover. This is not really an issue with home day cares. But with day care centers, I was not comfortable with the high turnover at some of the centers. I wanted more consistency in my daughter's life.

Finally, I would take an hour or two to observe a few of your top choices. A lot will depend on the personality of your child. Does s/he need lots of stimulation? Or is a calm, laid back atmosphere better for his/her temperment? With my daughter, we chose the later. Before her birth, I would have chosen the center with more stimulation. Once your child is placed, you will know more about the personality and find a day care to match that personality.

For us, we found a retired teacher who cared for her until she was 2 in a home care environment. After age 2, we moved her to a montessori pre-school. Both worked very well for us.

Good luck. It's a huge decision!