For the best child care, start looking early

When her younger daughter was 2, Kathleen McCartney left work early feeling ill and stopped at the girl's day care to pick her up.

She arrived during naptime, and was shocked to see that although there were 25 sleeping children on the floor, there were no adults in sight -- they were on another level of the facility.

``I withdrew my child from the program that day," recalled McCartney, dean of Harvard's Graduate School of Education. ``Anything could have happened. That's really basic. There should be nonstop supervision."

McCartney should know. As someone who has focused her academic career in early childhood education, she said there are some steps every parent should take when choosing child care.

First, because the best facilities often have long waiting lists, especially for infants, it's best to begin looking for care, and even plunking down deposits, when the mother is pregnant.

Once that process begins, parents need to decide whether a nanny or babysitter, an in-home day care, or a stand-alone day-care facility would be best.

``Parents should just consider what they are most comfortable with," McCartney said. This is a decision that I believe should be dictated by parental values. I think if you look at the data, for the most part, really what matters for your child is the quality. It doesn't matter if it's a nanny or a head start or day care."

McCartney said parents of infants often desire care that is more focused on warmth and a loving environment, which may call for home care. (The state requires ratios of no more than seven infants for every two care providers). A residential child care or nanny may work better for those working odd hours, although some employers with shift workers, such as hospitals, have on-site facilities offering 24-hour child care.

Parents of toddlers tend to look for care that offers more school preparedness or socialization opportunities, which tends to be stand-alone child care.

Cost is also a consideration. The larger chains, such as Bright Horizons and Mulberry Child Care & Preschool, tend to be more expensive, with the full-time slots that are unsubsidized by on-site employers costing close to $2,000 per month.

In-home care tends to cost less and varies widely. In either case, care for infants almost always costs more than care for toddlers .

The next step is to check references or ask people you know where they have had good experiences. Also, ask if the facility is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, which is the only independent nationwide quality-setting organization for child care.

Having the accreditation is a good sign, though only about 8 percent of day cares have the stamp of approval. However, there can be quality facilities that don't have the accreditation. If the day care is too new, for example, that can preclude the association's approval.

Regardless of what they choose, McCartney said parents should drop in unannounced. Any child care that does not allow a parent to do such should not be trusted.

To help choose a child-care center, McCartney said to ask what the staff's qualifications are -- you should expect them to have degrees in early childhood education, though experience is equally important.

Ask hypothetical questions that may be important to your situation. For example, if children are fighting, what are the strategies for discipline? Do you force children to drink milk at lunchtime? How do you handle a child who doesn't nap?

``There isn't a right or wrong answer," McCartney said. ``The parent has to be comfortable with that."