So you’ve had the shower, painted the room and gone through labor.
Congratulations. Now it’s time to go back to work.
For thousands of Hall County residents, having a baby means juggling work, social activities and, of course, finding good child care. But while experts recommend parents do their homework and know what questions to ask when they start looking around, it doesn’t matter, said North Hall resident Dlynn Williams. In the end, you should always trust your gut instinct.
Williams, whose daughter, Rachel, is now 4, has experienced six child care centers since first starting her in day care at 6 weeks old. Often, she said, it was her gut reaction that told her something was wrong, even after reading books and doing research on child care centers.
"I purchased a lot of books and outlined a lot of questions to ask. But they weren’t very helpful," she said. "And I was naive when I began the process, thinking it wouldn’t be that hard — I had done my homework."
Some centers she visited would lie about their licensing or staff turnover. And sometimes, even the most well-meaning of child care workers would still have safety hazards in the rooms.
"Don’t let anyone dismiss you as a first-time parent. Rely on your instincts."
As a starting point, parents can call the Child Care Resource and Referral Agency. In Hall County and most of North Georgia, the local office is at Gainesville State College. This office not only keeps updated lists of all the child care providers in a 13-county area — from Hall to Rabun counties — but it also will compile a list of available centers based on a parent’s needs.
Dru Thomas, director of the local office, said parents can call and give information such as where they live, where they work, what type of center they prefer or what language they speak. Then, the office puts together a list of all the licensed child care providers that meet that criteria.
"We give referrals but we do not recommend," Thomas said of the lists. It is then up to the parents to visit the centers and make their own judgment. "We do tell parents what to look for, and then we send them the information in the mail.
Above all, Thomas said, parents should feel comfortable in the center and not just choose the one that’s closest or least expensive."We tell parents that as far as (choosing) caregivers, do they feel comfortable talking to the particular caregivers? How long has the caregiver been in business? How do they treat the children? What are the ratios in that center?" Thomas said. "(Parents) usually just go to the closest one they can find, and that’s not usually the best."
The Child Care Resources and Referral Agency is grant funded through Bright from the Start, Georgia’s Department of Early Care and Learning, which handles all the licensing and inspections of child care centers.
Todd Blandin, public relations director for Bright from the Start, recommends parents then take that list from the referral agency and check the names against their database, which can be found online at www.decal.state.ga.us. Parents can view reports from visits and see other services the center provides.
Blandin said every child care center gets an annual visit, and then there are one or two subsequent visits made to check up on changes requested in the annual inspection.
"Our consultants will try to go back and work with the center," he said. "If we substantiate a complaint, that will be on our Web site."
Blandin also recommended that parents research national accrediting associations as well, such as the National Association for the Education of Young Children or the National Association of Child Care Professionals. These associations have more strict policies for criteria such as student-to-teacher ratios, while child care centers licensed by the state have simply achieved a minimum standard.
But overall, Blandin said, parents must visit the center and start asking questions.
"We always encourage them to look at the licensing history. Look at the children — are they happy? Are the teachers happy? What’s the daily routine?" he said.
These questions are echoed by others in the child care industry.
At First Presbyterian Church Child Development Center in Gainesville, Director Gail Pyle encourages parents to drop in any time. Or even a few times.
"Maybe show up at two or three different times," she said. "Go in the morning because most child care centers are open 12 hours a day. But you also want to go in late afternoon."
The building should seem secure, she said, and also notice how you are greeted and the friendliness of the staff. Is there someone in the office?
"You ought to be able to walk into any child care facility or school and be greeted and have people interested to show you around," she said.
Teri Farner, owner of Little House Academy in Murrayville, also recommended parents look at the details.
"Don’t look at what’s cute on the decorations. Walk into every building and every classroom. See how long the teachers have been there, how long the kids have been there. If you can show consistency, then that shows you a good day care center," Farner said.
She recommended parents look at the toys — how many are there, and are there enough or too many? Are the rooms colorful, or painted bone white?
And, above all, does the center cater to the kids or the parents? "My favorite past time is to tell the parents ‘I don’t do parents. This is not a spa. We don’t do parents.
"Everything has to be kid oriented. For the most part, when you walk through this door, your child is our world."
But unfortunately, Pyle added that many parents simply look at the bottom line.
"We get a lot of phone calls with sticker shock and they call and want to know about child care and how much it will cost. They’re really stunned," she said. "They just go ‘Oh no, how will we afford that?’ and that’s a big concern."
Williams added that often, parents will see what they want to see. It is a hassle to change day care centers, and because of that, sometimes parents are willing to overlook a problem to keep from moving their child.
"There’s a loyalty that develops between you and your day care. That linkage is very strong," she said. But by visiting often, and at different times of the day, Williams was able to see things that she liked — and didn’t like — and act accordingly.
"If your child is small I’d go during mealtime so you can see food preparation, because it doesn’t benefit you when they’re napping," Williams said. "As they get a little older, try and go when instruction is taking place.
"I think the big question you have to ask yourself is, do I really want to know."
Some child care centers offer a place for children to play all day, while others see it as an opportunity to teach, even for the smallest children. Pyle cited research that shows infants start absorbing information even in the earliest part of their life.
"Make sure also for the young babies that they’re moved and they have interesting things to do," she said.
Farner agreed.
"I think keeping your baby room, they can read to them, they can show them colors," she said. Their brains are "like a sponge. I think all ages need to be touched, loved and get the feeling what colors are. That’s also how you can tell a child has a learning disability. If you do it every day it’s repetition and children learn.
"You have to make it fun."
And as the children get older, day care doesn’t just have to be a place to swing on the swings. It’s also a place they learn — and that’s their job, as kids.
"You want to make sure you have a center that considers itself a school, and you have people confident enough to carry out a curriculum, and they are doing activities with the children that will stimulate them," Pyle said. This includes songs, music or playing with balls, even for the smallest babies.
"We’re big on letting children know that coming to school is their job," she said. "Mom and Dad have their jobs, and coming to school is theirs."
For Williams, her experiences at six different day care centers — ranging from an in-home facility to a franchise — has had her strike a balance in her mind. There might be no perfect situation, she said, but you can at least expect a center to strive for it.
"It comes down to low pay, a highly stressful work environment — and it’s very difficult to engage 15 to 20 3- and 4-year-olds on a daily basis and not lose your mind," she said. "There’s no bad blood and I feel bad, but the quality of care I’ve seen at times is almost criminal. I’ve found the entire experience interesting."
One thing about day care centers compared to the school system, she added, is that you can always change. Unlike moving the family to another county to try out a different school, day care centers are competing against each other in the free market.
"That is the nice thing about day care is it’s a private enterprise," she said. "I mean, I went out of county.
"I have some friends who have conceded to hiring au pairs. But even that has issues."