Jessica Howell was thrilled to land a job last August as a copy writer after being unemployed for 18 months. But the thrill quickly dissolved into anxiety.
“I had accepted the job offer that was contingent on me finding day care for my daughter,” the 31-year-old Decatur mom said. “I had two weeks to find child care.”
In addition to racing the clock, Howell needed a center that could accommodate 3-year-old Malia’s dairy and soy allergies, an often tall and expensive order for day care centers. Then there were the usual parental worst-case scenarios that played repeatedly in Howell’s head as she searched for help in a metro area that has more than 2,660 facilities. Statewide, there are 3,139 facilities, according to Bright from the Start, the state licensing agency. And that’s just the licensed and registered ones. Child care experts say there are hundreds more out there operating under the radar.
“Unfortunately a lot of parents in my situation end up seeking a neighbor or stranger to take care of their child because they don’t have the resources,” Howell said. “If you’ve got to get to work and can only afford to pay $100 a week — that’s a tough place to be.”
Fortunately, Howell’s predicament didn’t last long. Malia has settled into The Goddard School in Buckhead with the help of a grant from Quality Care for Children, a private nonprofit agency that helps people find good day care statewide. Its efforts have become crucial for many parents because of the sputtering economic recovery.
“With the economy being as it is, we’ve seen vacancies rise in day care centers and revenues go down. We’re also seeing quality decline,” said Pam Tatum, Quality Care’s chief executive officer and president. Quality Care’s recent studies on the economic downturn’s impact on child care found that some centers aren’t paying for teacher training or have not replaced toys and equipment as frequently as they have in the past.
To help offset the financial and emotional burden of finding good day care, Quality Care provides temporary financial help for people trying to finish school and, in the case of Howell, the unemployed who are returning to work. It covered part of Howell’s day care registration fees and, for a time, some of her day care bill, which amounts to $283 a week.
“I can’t tell you the relief I have in providing her that education,” Howell said. “I couldn’t have found a high quality school in such a short period of time without Quality Care coming to my rescue.”
Finding good quality day care in short order may be a tall order but it can be done. Many families shell out thousands of dollars a year for child care believing that lots of money is the sure-fire guarantee to quality care. It isn’t.
“Just because a center is expensive doesn’t mean it’s high quality and just because there’s a provider in your neighborhood that’s affordable doesn’t mean they can’t provide excellent quality care,” said Mindy Binderman, executive director for Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students or GEEARS, a nonprofit dedicated to improving early education in Georgia.
It’s an arduous process that should include online research, referrals from friends and family and in-person visits along with checks to make sure the facility is accredited and has the proper teacher-to-child ratio. In the end, all the reports, research, policies and experts can’t take the place of parental gut instinct. Sometimes, it’s something as simple as smell and knowing whether a facility is just the right fit for your child’s needs.
“I look for the quality of the day care center by how it smells when I first walk in,” said Marietta mom Janine Clark, 24, who found a program for her six-year-old son Jeremiah while she finished her nursing degree. Quality Care, which helped her find the program, also is covering her son’s $135-a-week day care fee this summer.
“It’s truly a blessing,” said Clark who recently graduated from Chattahoochee Technical College with an associate degree in nursing. She is waiting to hear whether she got a job at a hospital in Cobb County.
For others, finding child care may take a more methodical approach.
Lakita Cordova Brooks and her husband, Terry, have scoured state licensing reports to find which day care centers they need to avoid. The reports provided by state licensing agency Bright From the Start show violations and other problems. Those kinds of concerns became paramount for the couple after they heard about the two-year-old who died recently after being left in a hot day care van. The center, Marlo’s Magnificent Early Learning Center, had been cited for several violations — including not filling paper work properly — just months before the toddler’s death.
“I’m highly aware of things that can go wrong in day care,” said Lakita Cordova Brooks who relished the checklists and guidelines she’s gotten from various online resources. “My husband knows some people who sent their children to Marlo’s and they said it was a nice day care.” They live in Riverdale and want to put their daughter Kennedy in day care when she turns one in September, so that she can be around other children her age.
Terry Brooks wants a center that’s close to a hospital and has a diverse mix of children of various ethnic backgrounds. The couple expects to spend between $600 and $800 a month.
“It’s hard to tell just by dropping in and doing a tour. They’re always going to have their best face forward,” Lakita Cordova Brooks said. “We’re probably going to have to go with our gut.”
For Howell, another big selling point is the relationship she and her daughter have forged with the teacher who, as an added bonus, has a master’s degree.
“It was great to have a good interaction with the director or owner who helped get my child enrolled, but it was far more important to me to have a great relationship with the teacher who is in her classroom every day,” she said.
“When you’re returning to the workforce after being laid off, having peace of mind that your child is not just being taken care of but thriving allows me to be a better employee,” Howell said.
Postscript: After reporting for this story was completed, Howell lost her job on July 8 and said she would have to take her daughter out of daycare until she lands another fulltime position.
Tips for finding the best child care
Visit. Visit a lot of child care facilities so you can narrow your list to a select few. Then revisit and review those centers. Drop by unannounced to get a feel for how the centers operate and how they treat the children.
Observe. Watch how teachers and the center’s staff interact with children. Do they get down to the child’s level and talk to them or do them talk down to them? How do they respond to children when they’re hurt, sick or upset?
Question. Is the center licensed with the state? Is it accredited? What’s the child/teacher ratio? What’s the curriculum? Is it diverse? What are the teachers’ educational backgrounds? Do they have certificates or a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education? What’s the staff turnover rate? High turnover often is a sign of problems .
Safety. Is it safe? Are there covers in the electrical outlets? Are chemicals properly stored? Is the TV securely on a wall or table or is it teetering?
Health. What is the overall cleanliness of the center? Is there a policy or program for sick children? Is there a sick room? How will the center notify you when your child is sick or if there’s a child who has a communicable disease?
Play. Are there enough toys? Is there a variety of toys? Are they in good condition? How often are they cleaned? For infants, toys need to be cleaned daily.
Resources
Here are some websites to help you navigate the child-care maze:
● www.decal.state.ga.us — Bright From The Start’s website where you can check for problems and concerns regarding a child care center. The site has licensing reports on child care facilities.
● www.geears.org — Website for Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students, an organization dedicated to making Georgia’s children school-ready.
● www.qualitycareforchil- dren.org — One of Georgia’s best websites for child care-hunting parents.
● www.qccdata.org — Quality Care for Children’s website that looks at day care fees by county, accredited facilities and other pertinent information.
● www.zerotothree.org — The National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families website.
