Bargain Shopping
Childcare costs are hard to ignore especially as they seem to keep rising. The maxim that you get what you pay for can unfortunately still hold true in childcare services. Childcare is a business and unfortunately some services run ‘specials’ or hold their prices down to become more attractive. Optimal quality childcare is not cheap especially with the removal of government assisted funding for services that provide 100% qualified teaching staff. Try and identify the childcare provider that meets the 3 hallmarks of quality: (1) Does it meet the regulatory and curriculum requirements? (2): Does it offer characteristics that distinguish it from other services and (3) Most importantly – are the programme and staff both flexible and responsive to your child’s needs.
Familial Care
Family and friends have cared for children for generations well before sending children off to early childhood services became the norm. While this can work well more often it falls down, largely because it’s hard for parents to set expectations and place limits on suitable activities and food, where the childcare is with a family member or friend. This can be overcome by the carer enrolling with a professional early childhood service agency such as Quality Kidz, who can then provide support, additional educational resources, training and mentoring for educational opportunities.
What are the key things you are looking for in a childcare provider? What are your non-negotiables?
