Child Care Services for Parents in Warren, Washington and Hamilton Counties

Helpful Information and Resources on Related Child Care Topics

Quality Child Care Indicators

1. Adult to Child Ratio: How many children are in the care of each adult? The fewer children for each adult, the more attention for your child. The younger the child, the more important the adult-to-child ratio is. For example, in a center program, infants need at least one adult per 4 infants (1:4) and four-year-olds generally do well with one adult for 8 children (1:8).
2. Group Size: How many children are in the group? The smaller the group size, the better for your child; smaller group size is likely to be a calmer, safer environment for young children, in general.
3. Caregiver Qualifications and Training: What type of training and education have they experienced? Caregivers with degrees and/or special training to work with young children will be better prepared to help your child learn. Ask caregivers what types of trainings they participate in to maintain and improve their skills.
4. Staff Turnover: How long has the staff at the center or the family child care home been employed at the child care program? Children benefit greatly when caregivers stay with the same children for at least a year. Learning and development can be positively influenced when children can create meaningful relationships and form attachment relationships to their caregivers over time.
5. Parent Involvement: How does the caregiver promote communication with parents? Is parent input and involvement valued by the caregiver? Forming positive relationships between the caregiver and the parent is essential to quality care. A parent needs to feel free to always visit the child care program and to know what happens in the day-to-day happenings in the life of his/her child.
6. Health and Safety: An important component of a quality environment for children is one that is safe for exploration, social interactions, and freedom of movement. Supervision of children at all times is the primary way to promote overall health and safety. Additionally, does the provider know how to reach the parents in an emergency? Are rooms well lit and ventilated? Do the adults know first aid and CPR? Are smoke detectors evident? Child care regulations may be obtained online. Note: While state regulated programs meet basic health and safety standards, they do not necessarily meet other quality standards as outlined above; quality standards go beyond state licensing standards.
7. Accreditation: Is the child care provider accredited by a national organization? Caregivers that are accredited have met voluntary standards for child care that are higher than licensing requirements. The National Association of the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the National Association of Family Child Care (NAFCC) are the two largest organizations that accredit child care programs.

Child Care Referral Follow Up

We would like to know about the results of your child care search. Within four to six weeks after the referral session, our referral specialist will contact the family to learn about their experience looking for child care. This feedback helps us better understand the child care needs of our community, and ways to improve our services.