Finding a daycare/child care provier

I am 36 days (give or take, hopefully take) away from delivering this (surely adorable) baby boy. As much as it breaks my heart to even think about the fact that I will have to return to work 12 weeks later, it is something that must be done. I currently on the lookout for a great daycare facility or in-home childcare provider that we can entrust to care for and love our son while Daniel and I are at work during the day.

 

I've done a lot of research about this topic, but unfortunately I don't have a ton of friends here in the St. George area with children who can make good recommendations to me about care options. So far, I've pounded the pavement a little bit, checked out business websites and Facebook pages, hounded the Google reviews and even checked out websites like care.com and sittercity.com.

 

Here is what I am looking for:

• Some kind of facility or at-home care that is open from at least 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• A loving and safe/clean environment (obviously)
• Affordable (ha!)
• Reliable (can't have an at-home provider that is constantly flaking out on me. Taking days off in my line of work is very difficult. Especially on short notice.)

I've also gotten some insight from mom's who have had kids (years ago though) that gave me some of the pros and cons about the differing types of care I should be looking for; daycare facility vs. in-home provider.

 

Daycare Facility:

 

Pros include: consistent hours (no sick days), safety hazards and other possible issues are regulated by the state with regular inspections and possibly more of a learning-oriented environment depending on the facility.

 

Cons include: Possibly less individualized attention because there are more kids and often more expensive than an in-home care provider.

 

In-home Care Provider:

 

Pros include: more individualized time (depending on who you choose), more of a home-environment (obvs.) and less children in the group, which means for less chance of exposure to disease and sickness. Lower cost is also an added plus.

 

Cons include: most are not regulated by the state for safety codes, etc. The provider can also have an unexpected sick day, which can cause problems for Daniel and I taking a day off to stay home last minute. (not to mention, it would cost us money).

 

If any of you readers out there have any more insight on what it takes to choose the right kind of facility or care provider, I would LOVE to hear it. In addition to me trying to find some place to take my baby boy after I go back to work, I am also working on an article for the Southern Utah Life section of The Spectrum about how to find a daycare and what one should look for during this search. I plan to include a little of my own experience, but mostly want it to be an informative look at what parents can do when they find themselves in my boat.

 

I'd also love to hear any other tips or info one might have about how to go about this search. Where do you look for the best info about these places? Who is the best to talk to? What questions should one ask when touring a facility or talking to an in-home provider?

 

I'd also like to know if anyone has had any experience with any of the care-type websites like care.com or sittercity.com. I briefly did a search but mostly found college or high-school age girls looking to make a few extra bucks babysitting. It didn't seem like they were offering an in-home type of environment. Plus, most were charging $10 an hour for an infant and that is way out of my price range for full-time (35-40 hours a week care). Also, if anyone has any recommendations for providers here in the St. George area, I am ALL EARS. Please, help a new mama out :)

 

Please feel free to comment here or on my Facebook post. Thanks for the help and information!

 

--Samantha