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  • Choosing Quality Child Care and
    Preparing for Separation:
    Easing the Transition
    from Home to Child Care

  • Choosing Quality Child Care and Easing Separation

    This presentation will cover

    • Types of child care settings and making
      the right choice for your child.
    • What is quality child care?
    • Why separation may be difficult.
    • How to best prepare for the transition
      from home to child care.

  • Types of Child Care Settings

    All babies and young children need nurturing and responsive care. There are many types of child care settings to consider:

    • Licensed small family child care homes.
    • Licensed large family child care homes.
    • Licensed child care centers.
    • License-exempt providers, such as a nanny, babysitter, friend, neighbor, relative, or license-exempt centers.
    • State and federal (Head Start) preschool programs.

  • Types of Child Care Settings

    One of the most important aspects of quality child care to consider is adult-to-child ratio, or how many children are being cared for by how many adults.

    With too many children and not enough adults, a child’s needs may be overlooked or not adequately cared for. The next slide shows the Community Care Licensing standards for different types of care.

  • Adult-To-Child Ratios

    Small family child care homes

    Large family child care homes

  • Adult-To-Child Ratios

    Child care centers

  • Making the Right Choice for Your Child

    In addition to adult-to-child ratios, quality child care will include consistency and good communication across caregivers. A primary caregiver, or someone who will come to know and understand your particular child, is preferable to a rotating staff of caregivers.

    It is important to consider your child’s needs and personality as you decide on the right child care environment.

    • Is your child more comfortable in a small or large group?
    • How will the provider support your child’s development?
    • Does the space offer your child the level of activity he needs?
    • How does your child react to new people and places?
    • Does the provider encourage babies to follow their own schedule?

  • Making the Right Choice for Your Child

    Find a child care provider and setting that is sensitive and responsive to your child’s unique style.

    You can make a list of questions or priorities for your child before you visit different child care settings, such as:

    • What kind of experience does the caregiver have?
    • Do children participate in a wide range of activities?
    • How many children attend the program and are they mixed ages?
    • Are written policies, procedures, and payment contracts used?
    • What is the turnover rate for the staff?

  • What Is Quality Child Care?

    All children need a child care setting where they can grow and develop safely, with loving adults who respond to them as individuals.

    Parents can learn a lot about a child care program by visiting and asking questions, both in person and over the phone.

    As you visit and ask questions, pay attention to

    • The program’s health and safety practices.
    • The caregiver‘s warmth and personal style.
    • The caregiver’s or program’s level of education, professionalism, and experience.

  • What Is Quality Child Care?

    Here are a few key factors that indicate quality child care:

    Health and Safety
    • Licensed, safe, clean, sanitary, comfortable, and child-friendly facility.
    • Emergency plans practiced and posted and current emergency contact cards for each child are available.
    • Safe and clean areas for indoor play, outdoor play, napping, and eating.
    • Working smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, first-aid kits, and staff trained in pediatric first aid and CPR.

  • What Is Quality Child Care?

    Caregiver’s Personal Style
    • Warm, sensitive caregivers who clearly enjoy talking, singing, reading to, and playing with babies and children
    • Caregivers who respect each child’s individual needs.
    • Caregivers who handle conflicts and discipline firmly but lovingly without shaming, aggression, or harsh punishments.
    • Caregivers who accept and respect families’ different cultural values.

  • What Is Quality Child Care?

    Caregiver’s Professionalism
    • Experienced child care providers with training in child development or early childhood education.
    • Clearly written policies and procedures of the program, including child abuse reporting.
    • Positive references from current and past clients.
    • Parents are welcome to drop in at any time.

  •  

    Once you decide on a child care program for your child, what is the next step?

  •  

    There are a lot of factors to consider once you decide on a child care program, such as planning for your child’s separation from you and the transition to child care. Once enrolled, you should continue to monitor your child care arrangements by visiting the child care facility whenever your child is there. Look for caregivers who are willing to discuss your child with you and who welcome such visits. You have the final responsibility for your child’s care and the right to change child care providers whenever you are concerned about your child’s well-being.

    Continue

  • Actually...

    There are a lot of factors to consider once you decide on a child care program, such as planning for your child's separation from you and the transition to child care. Once enrolled, you should continue to monitor your child care arrangements. Parents have the right to make unannounced visits to the child care facility whenever their child is there. Continue to check the safety of the child care setting and speak to the caregiver about any concerns you have. If you cannot resolve a complaint with the caregiver, report your concerns to the Community Care Licensing Division, Department of Social Services. You have the final responsibility for your child's care and the right to change child care providers whenever you are concerned about your child's well-being.

    Continue

  • Separation: Easing the Transition
    from Home to Child Care

    Once you have decided on a quality child care program, the next step will be to prepare yourself and your child for the transition from home to child care.

    Separation is often upsetting for both parents and children. It is normal to feel a mix of emotions such as sadness, guilt, and even anger at your child’s reaction to leaving you.

    The next part of this presentation will help you understand and plan for your child’s separation from you and the transition to care.

  • Separation for Babies

    All infants and toddlers need to stay close to an adult in order to feel safe.

    From birth to around eight months, infants can be more accepting of another caregiver as long as their needs (hunger, comfort) are being sensitively met.

    Help the new caregiver learn about your
    baby’s unique ways of communicating.

    Even though your baby can’t talk yet,
    talk to her about the new caregiver.

  • Separation for Toddlers

    From around eight months to two years, typical “separation anxiety” develops where children may become frightened or upset when their parents leave.

    Separation anxiety is a normal stage of development.

    Comforting items from home such as a blanket or stuffed animal can help ease your child’s anxiety.

    Help your child to remember and predict when mommy or daddy will return: “Mommy always comes back after nap time.”

  • Separation for Young Children

    From two to five years, preschool-aged children usually handle separations and transitions fairly well, but temporary worries or fears are common.

    Any change in a child’s predictable daily routine can cause distress. Example of changes are:

    • New caregivers
    • Birth of a sibling
    • A family move
    • Other family stressors

    Be sensitive to signs of anxiety such as tantrums,
    thumb-sucking, or regression to earlier behaviors.

  •  

    I’m happy with the new caregiver, but my child and I still have a difficult time separating. How can I ease the transition of care once my child is with the caregiver?

  •  

    Be prepared for your own separation, anxiety, and worry. It is best to leave quickly at your pre-arranged time. Tell your child that you are leaving but that you will be back. Sneaking out does not build trust with your child. Prolonging the good-bye also makes the separation harder. Help your child look forward to a favorite activity or person. Overall, separation worries should ease over time. An open, positive relationship between parents and child care providers makes separating easier and transitions go more smoothly.

    Continue

  • Actually...

    Overall, separation worries should ease over time. Children learn to cope with separation successfully when parents take their feelings seriously, talk to them honestly, and give them lots of understanding and support. Sneaking out does not build trust with your child. Prolonging the goodbye also makes the separation harder. Help your child look forward to a favorite activity or person. An open, positive relationship between parents and child care providers makes separating easier and transitions go more smoothly.

    Continue

  • How to Best Prepare for the Transition
    from Home to Child Care

    Visit the child care setting ahead of time with your child.

    Read books together, talk, and draw pictures together about the upcoming change to child care (even with infants). Here are a few suggested books that can help them cope with their feelings:

    • The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
    • The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
    • Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney

  • How to Best Prepare for the Transition
    from Home to Child Care

    Make a plan for the first day:

    • Tell your child when you are leaving and explain when you will be back.
    • Once you have said good-bye, calmly leave. If you are concerned, call and check in later with the child care provider.

    Develop a special good-bye ritual or routine that you and your child share at every separation.

    • A quick hug and kiss
    • High-five
    • Fist-bump
    • “See you later, alligator… after awhile, crocodile”

  • How to Best Prepare for the Transition
    from Home to Child Care

    Let your child bring a special item from home.

    Stay calm and show confidence that you are leaving your child somewhere safe where she will be cared for and have fun.

    Know your child’s schedule at child care and help her anticipate what to expect. Use this information to ask her questions about her day.

  • How to Best Prepare for the Transition
    from Home to Child Care

    Be aware of, and patient with, signs of anxiety or worry: potty accidents, thumb-sucking, extra tears, more fussiness and clinginess at home, more difficulty with daily transitions. These should decrease over time.

    Be prepared for signs of separation anxiety to increase or suddenly appear after the first few weeks.

  • Ways to Learn More and Get Additional Help

    Spending quality time reading books to your child about separation is a good way to help him prepare and to ease his worries. In addition to the books mentioned earlier, here are some other resources for parents:

    • Becoming the Parent You Want to Be by Laura Davis and Janis Keyser
    • Caring for Your Baby and Young Child by American Academy of Pediatrics/Steven P. Shelov, M.D., M.S., F.A.A.P.

  •  

    Separation worries should ease over time. Children learn to cope with separation successfully when parents take their feelings seriously. Talk to them honestly, and give them understanding and support.

    An open, positive relationship between parents and child care providers makes separating easier and transitions go more smoothly.

  • We hope this information has been helpful to you!

    Our Choosing Child Care brochure has a checklist you can use while selecting a new child care provider. To download or print the brochure, click here.

    Use the Separation brochure as a guide for creating a plan that supports you and your child. Click here to download or print the brochure.

    To view another presentation, listen to podcast, or explore more resources on parenting or early care and education, click here.