10 Things You Should Expect From
Your Child-Care Provider
Whether your child is cared for in your home, by a family child care provider in their
home, or in a child care center, you should be able to expect certain things.
1. Open communication. 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.
2. Open access to their home or center. Parents must be welcome to drop in
any time, even without calling. Providers should also allow parents to make a
reasonable number of phone calls to check on their children’s well-being, in
case of illness or if there’s a special problem such as separation anxiety. You
and the provider should work out the best times for such phone calls and
determine how many calls are reasonable.
3. Safety for your child. Providers should take all possible precautions to keep
children safe. This includes plugging light sockets, putting away knifes and
other sharp objects, closing off stairways, and using only safe and wellmaintained
equipment, among other basic safety measures. It also includes
always using child safety seats and seat belts when transporting children in
cars.
4. Honesty and confidentiality. Providers shouldn’t make commitments that
they can’t or don’t intend to keep. They shouldn’t cover up problems or
accidents that occur. They shouldn’t expect parents to help them avoid
income taxes by slipping them money on the side. They also shouldn’t gossip
about your child or your family to friends or co-workers.
5. Acceptance of parents’ wishes. Providers should abide by parents’ wishes
on matters such as discipline, TV watching, food, adult smoking, and toilet
training. If providers feel that they can’t abide by parents’ wishes, they need
to tell parents before agreeing to care for the children, and parents should
look for other care.
6. Advance notice of any changes. Since it is often very difficult to find
adequate care, providers should tell parents well in advance if they are going
to change their hours or prices or if they are going to stop or limit the time of
caring for a child. Parents need at least a month, or better yet, six weeks’
notice if a provider is no longer going to care for a child. Except in the case
of an emergency, parents should be given at least two weeks notice, even if
the provider won’t be available for just one day.
7. No interference in the child’s family or family problems. Providers
shouldn’t talk to children about their families’ problems, lifestyle, or values.
Likewise, the provider should be careful not to take sides in any family
disputes, such as custody battles. Providers should not try to impose their
religious or other beliefs on the children for whom they care. This includes
not taking children to religious services unless asked to by the parents.
8. No advice offered unless asked for and no judging of parenting
practices. Providers shouldn’t criticize or advise parents on child rearing
unless their advice is asked for by the parents. They shouldn’t set
themselves up as experts on parenting. If parents ask for advice, providers
should offer it in a non-critical way. However, if providers see something that
is seriously wrong with how parents are raising their children (if they find
symptoms of child abuse or neglect), they should discuss the problem with
the parents and, if needed, contact appropriate authorities.
9. 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 their home or center. This includes
screening custodial help, not admitting strangers to the home, seeing that all
transportation workers are properly trained, and that all visitors, including
friends or relatives of the provider, are trustworthy and supervised and will
not harm the child.
10.No surprises. This means that your family child care provider shouldn’t
suddenly tell you that she has taken a part time job, that her teenage
daughter will watch your child three afternoons a week, or that you child’s
favorite teacher at the center is leaving without warning or comment.
Surprises are probably what parents fear the most from their child care
providers.
home, or in a child care center, you should be able to expect certain things.
1. Open communication. 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.
2. Open access to their home or center. Parents must be welcome to drop in
any time, even without calling. Providers should also allow parents to make a
reasonable number of phone calls to check on their children’s well-being, in
case of illness or if there’s a special problem such as separation anxiety. You
and the provider should work out the best times for such phone calls and
determine how many calls are reasonable.
3. Safety for your child. Providers should take all possible precautions to keep
children safe. This includes plugging light sockets, putting away knifes and
other sharp objects, closing off stairways, and using only safe and wellmaintained
equipment, among other basic safety measures. It also includes
always using child safety seats and seat belts when transporting children in
cars.
4. Honesty and confidentiality. Providers shouldn’t make commitments that
they can’t or don’t intend to keep. They shouldn’t cover up problems or
accidents that occur. They shouldn’t expect parents to help them avoid
income taxes by slipping them money on the side. They also shouldn’t gossip
about your child or your family to friends or co-workers.
5. Acceptance of parents’ wishes. Providers should abide by parents’ wishes
on matters such as discipline, TV watching, food, adult smoking, and toilet
training. If providers feel that they can’t abide by parents’ wishes, they need
to tell parents before agreeing to care for the children, and parents should
look for other care.
6. Advance notice of any changes. Since it is often very difficult to find
adequate care, providers should tell parents well in advance if they are going
to change their hours or prices or if they are going to stop or limit the time of
caring for a child. Parents need at least a month, or better yet, six weeks’
notice if a provider is no longer going to care for a child. Except in the case
of an emergency, parents should be given at least two weeks notice, even if
the provider won’t be available for just one day.
7. No interference in the child’s family or family problems. Providers
shouldn’t talk to children about their families’ problems, lifestyle, or values.
Likewise, the provider should be careful not to take sides in any family
disputes, such as custody battles. Providers should not try to impose their
religious or other beliefs on the children for whom they care. This includes
not taking children to religious services unless asked to by the parents.
8. No advice offered unless asked for and no judging of parenting
practices. Providers shouldn’t criticize or advise parents on child rearing
unless their advice is asked for by the parents. They shouldn’t set
themselves up as experts on parenting. If parents ask for advice, providers
should offer it in a non-critical way. However, if providers see something that
is seriously wrong with how parents are raising their children (if they find
symptoms of child abuse or neglect), they should discuss the problem with
the parents and, if needed, contact appropriate authorities.
9. 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 their home or center. This includes
screening custodial help, not admitting strangers to the home, seeing that all
transportation workers are properly trained, and that all visitors, including
friends or relatives of the provider, are trustworthy and supervised and will
not harm the child.
10.No surprises. This means that your family child care provider shouldn’t
suddenly tell you that she has taken a part time job, that her teenage
daughter will watch your child three afternoons a week, or that you child’s
favorite teacher at the center is leaving without warning or comment.
Surprises are probably what parents fear the most from their child care
providers.