Montgomery County Georgia Web Portal

 Child Care Resource and Referral (R&R) Agencies

Georgia has a network of child care resource and referral (R&R) agencies to help families locate child care providers. The R&R staff member can give you a list of child care providers who meet your criteria.

Choosing a Provider

How to Choose a Child Care Provider

Choosing the best child care for your young child or school age child is not easy. It will take time to find a caregiver that best meets your child’s needs. Visit child care providers in your area to observe their programs and ask questions. Compare the choices and select the provider that is best for your family.

Look at the steps shown below for helpful advice!

Step One - How to Choose a Child Care Provider

Call the caregivers and ask...

•   Is there an opening for my child?

•  Where are are you located?

•  What are the days and hours that you are open to provide child care?

•  How much does care cost?
  

•  Do you enroll children who are subsidized by the Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS)?

•  Is your program licensed or registered?

•  How many children are in your care? What ages of children do you serve in your program?

•  Do you provide meals and snacks?

•  Do you provide transportation?

•  When can I come to visit?

Step Two - How to Choose a Child Care Provider

Visit the program and...

• Look to see if the caregivers are nurturing and responsive to the children. Do the caregivers seem to enjoy talking and playing with the children?

• Look to see if there are a variety of toys and learning materials that are interesting and which will contribute to the children’s growth and development.

• Look to see if the children are happily involved in the activities and comfortable with their caregiver.

• Listen to see if the caregivers seem cheerful and patient. How does the caregiver discipline the children; does she shout or does she take the child out of the group to quietly discuss the infraction?

• Ask about the background and experience of the staff. How long have the caregivers worked in the child care program? Do they have degrees or credentials? What training have the caregivers had in the past year?

• What is the discipline policy of the program?

Step Three - How to Choose a Child Care Provider

Drop In and Visit.

An unscheduled visit will allow you to observe a typical day with the caregiver. Quality child care programs do not all look alike, but they do have these things in common:

        The caregivers/teachers should enjoy being with the children. They are responsive and nurturing. They get down on each child’s level to speak to the child. They meet each child’s needs without delay, even when things get busy. The caregivers/teachers understand child development and recognize and respect individual differences in the children’s abilities, interests, and needs. The caregivers/teachers are trained and experienced; they attend professional workshops, classes or seminars regularly.

        The child care setting is clean, bright, and pleasant. There are different areas for active play, quiet play, and resting. There is a fenced outdoor area with a variety of safe equipment. There is enough space and there are enough toys and materials for the number of children in the group.

         The activities should be interesting and include a balance of play time, story or reading time, activity time, and rest time. Activities should allow time for children to play quietly indoors (individually or in small groups) and to play vigorously outdoors. Toys and materials should be appropriate for the age of the children in care. All areas of the children’s development are stressed equally; the activities promote mental, physical, social, and emotional development.

         Communication is important. Parents are welcome to visit the child care program at any time. The caregiver takes time discuss the highlights of the child’s day with parents. Caregivers show respect for families of different cultures and backgrounds. Caregivers meet with one another regularly to plan and evaluate the program.

Step Four - How to Choose a Child Care Provider

Decide which program is best for your child...

•  Which care should I choose so that my child will be happy and grow?

•   Which caregiver can meet the unique needs of my child?

•   Is the child care accessible and affordable for my family?

•   Are the caregiver’s values similar to my family’s values?

•   Can I comfortably communicate with the caregivers?

If you need help in finding child care providers near your home, job, or school, you can contact your local Child Care Resource and Referral Agency. The child care specialists at the agency maintain a computer database that lists center based programs, family child care homes, group child care homes, after school programs and summer care programs. The specialist can tell you what hours the program operates, the fees for care, where scholarships are available, etc. If you aren’t sure which Child Care Resource & Referral Agency serves your county, call 1-888-893-4582 or 912-382-9919.