Choosing a child care provider for your family is a stressful task.
You are searching and deciding who you will trust with your most prized possession - your children! Unfortunately, the need for day care centers has increased exponentially over the years.
As parents become a little more career focused than before, and with a high number of single parent households, there is a significant strain on the child care systems in place.
This has led to a large number of people who are out to take advantage of the new lifestyles that are being led.
It seems each day you can read on the news that a day care center has been shut down because it is not meeting standards.
These centers are becoming more common as there are literally scores of parents out there desperate for child care so they can work and make ends meet.
So when you are ready to choose a day care center, what should you look for? Perhaps the most important thing you can do is research with your State Government.
Each state has specific laws, and each state also monitors and grades every single care center inside it's borders.
You can find online these resources and grades for any day care center you may be interested in.
If you are unable to find the particular center in a database run by your state government, avoid it at all costs as it is not monitored, and possibly, not meeting standards.
Finally, always do surprise visits to any potential locations and observe what a typical day may look like.
This can be the most telling and important step of your search.
Don't rush to make a decision on the care of your children.
Always take the time to get to know the teachers and the center itself.