Home-Based Child Care

Home-based child care is provided in a family-like setting for infants, toddlers, pre-school and school-age children.

There are two types of home-based child care.

1. Licensed Private Home Child Care is regulated care with an agency providing support and supervision. Licensed home child care agencies are inspected at least once a year by the Ministry of Community and Social Services. They recruit individual caregivers who use their homes to care for up to five children. These caregivers, usually called providers, are supervised by the licensed agency. Agency staff with training in child development and family studies ensure that providers follow the agencies' approved policies and procedures and meet the requirements of the Day Nurseries Act.

2. Unlicensed Home Child Care is often referred to as Informal Child Care. The care provider may care for a maximum of 5 children in addition to her own. Ministry guidelines should be followed. Parents are responsible for screening and choosing a mature and responsible provider that will provide the level of care they expect for their child. Parents and care providers can call a Family Resource Centre in their area for information and support.

There are many advantages to home-based child care, including:

· flexibility to allow for individual needs	· care is individualized and adapted to each child’s schedule
· multi-age interaction for children	· siblings of differing ages can be cared for together
· home environment	· may be less expensive than centre-based care
· subsidy is available in licensed private home child care

Some concerns about home-based child care may be:

· dependability of care may fluctuate with unlicensed Home Child Care.

· care provider works alone, often long hours and is unsupervised.

· Only one adult is present so handling emergencies that could arise can be difficult.

Choosing a Home Child Care Provider

Parents can have differing requirements of a provider home. Each parent should visit potential providers’s home and assess it with their own priorities in mind. Observation will be sufficient in some areas, while in others, the parent should ask specific questions.

Before deciding on a provider who may meet your family's child care needs, ask to visit the home (consider more than one, if possible). While in the home, watch what is happening and observe how the adults interact with children.

When you have collected all the information you can, assess the home(s) you have seen. Decide if a specific home and provider meets your family's needs and provides the quality of care you want for your child.

Determining Your Child Care Needs

Before beginning your search, consider:

v how many hours of care will your child need?

v does your child have any special needs?

v where should the home care be provided? near home, work or school?

Making the First Contact

A telephone call will likely be your first contact with a home child care provider. If you have only a few names, you may want to visit them all. Keep in mind that a person who may be suitable for your child may not impress you on the phone. Unless you are absolutely sure you don’t want this person, plan an initial meeting.

Before telephoning it is a good idea to make a list of questions.

If you are looking for someone to come into your home, your questions may include:

· What training or experience do you have working with children?

· Have you worked with children before? What were their ages?

· Why do you want to work with children?

· What kinds of things do you like to do with children?

· What other kinds of work have you done?

· Why did you leave your last job?

· What other kings of work are you considering?

· Do you have the names and phone numbers of people for whom you have worked before?

· What is the minimum length of time you will stay at this job?

If you are screening someone who might care for your child in his/her home:

· How did you get started as a home child care provider?

· What training or experience do you have caring for children? How long have you been giving care?

· What kinds of things do you like to do with children?

· How many children are you caring for now? What are their ages?

· What area of the city (neighbourhood) are you in?

· What hours of care are available? Are they flexible?

· What is the cost of care? Are there any additional charges? Is there a charge when children are sick or away on holiday? Is there an application fee?

· Will you supply the names of people whose children you have cared for in the past?

How to Check References

Check all of the references you are given. People do not like to give a bad reference. Direct questions may help you get an honest answer. For example:

· Would you choose this person again? Why?

· What did you least like about the care this person provided to your child?

· What did you best like about the care this person provided to your child?

Interviewing a Private Home Care Agency

The director of an agency oversees the home visitors and generally sets the tone or atmosphere of the agency. The director may not work directly with the providers or children but will have a major influence on your child's experience. For that reason, it is important to spend time with the director and think carefully about the way you are welcomed and how your questions are answered.

Similarly, the home visitor will also influence your child's experience. It is important to spend time with the home visitor and again, to think carefully about the answers given to your questions.

These interviews will give you an opportunity to ask more detailed questions about the agency, its staff and the activities it offers. The answers will help you decide whether or not the agency is providing high quality care. Many of your questions will relate to requirements for licensing under the Day Nurseries Act.

First, ask about the status of the agency's licence, which will be posted where parents and others can see it. A regular licence indicates that all the requirements of the Day Nurseries Act were being met at the time of the licensing inspection, while a provisional licence indicates that there were outstanding requirements at that time. If the agency has a provisional licence, ask the director what the agency is doing to meet the requirements and make sure that you are satisfied with the answer you receive.

The Day Nurseries Act requires that all agencies describe in writing what they expect to happen in providers' homes. In particular, agencies must have a written statement of philosophy, which will help you decide whether you share its views on child d-rearing and development.

Agencies must also require their providers to keep written information. Since these records and documents will answer many of your questions, you should ask to see samples, including:

· a daily program plan, which shows how the children spend their time each day

· a menu plan developed by the provider in consultation with parents and the home visitor that you can compare with your child's personal tastes and your own standards for nutrition

· policies and procedures relating to matters such as administering medication, sanitary practices and evacuation in case of fire.

Throughout the interview, make your questions specific and direct. Instead of asking a general question about what happens when your child misbehaves, focus on a specific example and ask, "What would you advise a provider to do if my child hit another child?" The answer to this direct question will likely give you a better idea of the agency's values and practices. The answers to such questions about behavior management, for example, should reflect the agency's policies of relating to children in positive ways. When you visit a home, ask similar questions to see if the provider follows the agency's policies and has the same values.

Also ask about the training opportunities the agency offers to the providers. Research shows that when caregivers have training that increases their child care skills, they are likely to provide higher quality care than untrained individuals.

Ask how long the director and staff members have been working at the agency and how long providers usually remain with the agency. A high turnover may show that people are unhappy.

Find out how the agency communicates with parents and how providers give parents information about their children. Is there an agency newsletter? Do parents get regular progress reports from providers? Do providers encourage parents to drop in at any time? High quality child care includes regular communication with parents and open-door policies that encourage visits at any time.

Interviewing the Provider

The individual who cares for your child is the most important factor in home child care. Before you make your decision, try to get an idea of the kind of person she is and find out as much as you can about her views on caring for children. Notice how she responds to you. Is she friendly, helpful and happy to listen to your questions? Do you feel good about the possibility of having her provide care for your child?

You can learn about her by observing how she relates to you and the children in her care. Get specific information by asking direct questions, such as:

· what training and experience have you had working with children? She may have children of her own, be a former teacher, or have taken courses in child development.

· what kinds of activities do you like to do with the children? The answer will give you an idea of what your child will do during the day.

· what would you do in an emergency? Ask specific questions such as "What would you do if a child had an allergic reaction?"

· do you transport children to special activities in your car? If so, ask about insurance and car seats.

· do you have any pets?

· will there be other children and adults in your home while you are caring for my child? If the answer is "yes", ask to meet the other children and adults, and make sure you are comfortable about your child being with them.

Observing the Children and their Relationship with the Provider

Make sure that you spend some time during your visit observing the children and provider together. Sit down and watch to see if the children are happy and involved in the activities described in the program plan. Look for evidence of a well-balanced program that includes:

· indoor and outdoor play

· active and quiet times

· structured and unstructured activities

· individual and group activities

· experiences that promote physical co-ordination, language development, and social skills.

Watch how the provider relates to the children. Does she talk to them often and listen carefully when they speak? Does she bend down to their level and talk directly to them? Are her words and tone of voice positive and does her face show that she is enjoying her work? How do the children respond to her?

Assessing the Setting

A child care setting should be a place where you would like to spend your time. As you observe the rooms where your child will be staying, consider whether they are clean and bright, have a comfortable temperature and are free from unpleasant odours. Ask about sleeping arrangements during nap time. Look in the kitchen to see where food is prepared for the children. Ask about the meals and snacks your child will be served.

Notice whether the children have enough indoor and outdoor space to move around and play. Look at the toys and games. Are there enough? Is there a variety? Are they clean, in good repair and suited to the age and interests of the children? Is there evidence that the children are free to take part in activities that might be considered messy such as painting and crafts? Check to see that the equipment and furniture are clean and in good repair.

Look for safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs. See that cleaning materials and medications are not accessible to children. Check to see that the outside play area is safe for your child.

Making a Confident Choice

After your visits, compare your notes and think about the agency and the home(s) you have seen in relation to your family's child care needs.

If you choose carefully, basing your decision on what is important to you, you are bound to make the best choice. The time and effort you put into the task will help to ensure an ongoing arrangement that benefits both you and your family.

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