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GUIDE TO
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Many child care options are available to parents. Arrangements can be made on an informal basis for in-home care with a friend, neighbor or relative, or on a formal basis with a child care provider. Care in the child's home is called in-home care and is not regulated by the State of Michigan. Care outside of your home is regulated by the State of Michigan and includes family day care homes, group day care homes and child care centers. There are over 250 licensed child care centers in Ingham, Eaton, Clinton and Shiawassee Counties and about 1200 registered day care homes. To obtain a list of child care centers or homes in your area, call the Office for Young Children at 887-4319 or outside the Lansing calling area call (800)234-6996.
The Michigan Department of Human Services Office of Child and Adult Licensing enforces minimum standards for licensing and regulation of child care programs. OYC encourages all parents to become familiar with State Licensing Rules. The complete set of Licensing rules is available on-line at the DHS Child Day Care Licensing website. Licensing rules regulate many areas including staff requirements, indoor and outdoor activity areas, meals, health reporting, discipline and programming, fire safety, field trips and sanitation. Child care center licenses may have "regular" or "provisional" status. Information regarding a center's license status is also available from the center.
Licensing Study Reports and completed Investigation Reports for family or group day care homes and child care centers are available from the State under the Freedom of Information Act by calling 373-3598, or on-line at FOIA - Freedom of Information. Parents can file a complaint about a child care program with the Licensing Division by calling toll free (866)856-0126 or with the On-line Complaint Form.
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TYPES OF CHILD CARE |
Family day care homes offer care in the provider's residence. The Licensing rules require family day care homes to have no more than 6 children in care at any one time. Within any group of up to 6 children, not more than 4 children shall be under the age of 30 months and not more than 2 of the 4 children shall be under the age of 18 months. Family day care home providers are required to complete first aid training and infant/child CPR training.
Group day care homes also offer care in the provider's residence, with 2 caregivers providing the supervision and programming for up to 12 children. Group day care homes must observe the same licensing ratios as family day care homes. A group home may have up to 3 caregivers, each of whom would have responsibility for not more than 4 children under the age of 30 months, with not more than 2 of those 4 under the age of 18 months. Group home providers must complete at least 20 hours of training, including child development, CPR and first aid.
Child care centers are facilities that care for children in group settings that may include infants, toddlers, preschoolers and/or school-age children. Licensing standards for infants and toddlers (0-30 months) in center care require at least 1 adult for every 4 children, and at least 50 square feet of usable indoor space for each infant or toddler. For children ages 2.5-3 years, the rules state that there must be at least 1 adult for every 8 children, and at least 35 square feet per child. The ratio of adults to children for preschoolers from 3-5 years old is 1:10; the adult to child ratio for school-age children over 6 years old is 1:20. A center is required to have a program director with at least a two-year college degree or a Child Development Associate credential, and 12 semester hours of college credit in Child Development.
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CHILD CARE SERVICES |
A wide range of services may be found in family day care and group day care homes. These services may include full, part-time, and/or flexible hours; drop-in or emergency care; care for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, kindergartners, and/or school age children; care for mildly ill children; and extended schedules, e.g. evening, overnight, or weekend hours.
Child care centers also offer a variety of services to families. Full time child care centers are usually organized to meet the needs of working parents and are often open all day and all year long. Full time child care centers may also offer part-time care on a regular schedule, and some offer drop-in care. Many centers also offer special services for school-aged children including before and after school care for first through fifth grade children, before and after kindergarten care, all day kindergarten programs, transportation services to and from school, and full-day care during the summer (summer day camps). Some centers serve school-age children only, often on-site at the child's elementary school.
Nursery schools, preschools and cooperative nurseries provide care for children 3 to 5 years old on a part-time basis. They are usually in session for the school year and are part-week programs. Some are operated solely by paid staff; others are parent cooperatives which offer parents the opportunity to assist in supervising children's classrooms. Fees at cooperatives are usually less than fees at nursery schools.
There are several part-time programs that offer care at no cost to families. The State Department of Education funds School Readiness Programs for four-year olds who are at risk of academic failure. For information about School Readiness programs in your area call OYC. Another free program is Head Start, which is a federally funded preschool program for low income families. For information about Head Start programs call CACS Head Start at 482-1504. These programs have eligibility requirements based on family income and other factors, and are designed to give children a preschool experience prior to kindergarten enrollment.
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QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS |
Choosing child care is difficult! At the very least, parents want to find a place where their children will be safe. Most parents want more for their children than just safety; they want a warm loving environment, a place where their children will grow and learn, and a place where their children will be happy. This kind of good, high quality child care program can be found in family day care homes, group family day care homes, and child care centers.
There are national organizations that offer accreditation to both family day care homes and child care centers that go beyond the minimum requirements of licensing and maintain high quality standards. The National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) accredits family day care homes; the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) accredits child care centers; and the National School Age Care Alliance accredits school-age child care programs. Additional information is available from the Office for Young Children at 887-4319 or outside the Lansing calling area call toll free (800) 234-6996. Some of the characteristics of high quality care as defined by NAEYC are: low child to adult ratios; small group size; staff training; positive interactions; stimulating learning environment; and parent involvement.
- Low Child to Adult Ratios
The Licensing rules have established minimum child to adult ratios for child care centers as described in the Types of Child Care section above. Programs which have fewer children per adult may be better able to provide for the physical, social-emotional, and cognitive needs of the children. For example, a high quality program may strive for ratios of 1 adult for every 2-3 infants or toddlers, or 1 adult for every 5-8 preschoolers. - Small Group Size
Group size is not addressed in State licensing standards for child care centers. NAEYC standards recommend a maximum group size of 6-8 infants, 6-12 toddlers, 10-20 preschoolers, and 20-24 young school age children. Within each age group, younger children should be in the smaller group size. For instance, 2 1/2 to 3 year olds are better off in a group of 10-14 children, while a group of 4 to 5 year olds may include 16-20 children. The American Public Health Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics have published guidelines for child care programs which have stricter group size limits: a maximum of 6 babies 0-24 months; 8-10 toddlers 24-36 months; and 14-16 children 3-5 years. - Staff Training
Research has shown that staff who are trained in child development or early childhood education have a positive effect on children's social and cognitive development. Center and home providers may attend workshops, conferences, or inservice training; or may enroll in formal training such as college classes. The Office for Young Children offers basic and advanced child care provider training under grants from the Michigan Child Care Futures Project. Formal training could lead to a 1-year certificate in child care, a Child Development Associate credential or 2-year associate degree in Early Childhood Education/Child Development, or a bachelor's or advanced degree from a 4-year institution. - Positive Interactions
Young children's development is enhanced when adults around them interact frequently with them in a positive, friendly, courteous manner. Positive adults tell children what they can do rather than what they can't do, and they treat all children equally regardless of race, religion, culture, or gender. Postive adults encourage children to gain developmentally appropriate independence and to learn self-help skills. - Stimulating Learning Environment
Children's development is enhanced by a learning environment that allows each child to make choices and gives plenty of opportunities for experiencing and exploring materials and ideas. Children should have opportunities for indoor and outdoor play, active and quiet play, large and small muscle play, directed and free choice play every day. Play materials should be neatly organized and stored where children can get them out and put them away. Look for a variety of toys, such as books, building blocks, wheeled toys, puzzles, art supplies, and dress up clothes. There should be plenty of toys, materials and equipment so that children do not have to wait for long periods of time for a turn. - Parent Involvement
Parents should feel free to drop in anytime to see their children. Good programs also supply parents with written information, such as a policy handbook, and provide regular communication by way of daily conversations, newsletters, notes home, etc. Formal conferences may be scheduled at least once a year. Many centers and homes invite parents to participate in field trips, potlucks, fund raisers and other activities.
In addition to the quality characteristics identified by NAEYC, there are some other indicators of quality that parents should consider. The first indicator is continuity of care. Young children are more secure when they are able to form a long-term relationship with a primary caregiver. Parents should look for low staff turnover and consistent staffing assignments in a child care center, or should seek a family day care or in-home provider who is willing and able to make a long-term commitment.
Another indicator of quality is the dependability of the child care arrangement. Dependability becomes an issue when illness, a family emergency, or a vacation makes the primary caregiver unavailable. Parents should know in advance that satisfactory arrangements have been made to ensure that their child care will not be disrupted during the caregiver's absence.
Other characteristics that parents may want to consider when selecting child care have to do with personal needs and values as much as quality. Some parents prefer a home-like setting while others like a classroom atmosphere for their children. Either centers or day care homes can be organized to create aspects of these two different learning environments. Some centers strive to create a home-like atmosphere, and some family day care homes are organized like mini-center programs. Especially for younger children both types of programs may use room arrangements, age groupings, private space, furnishings, and individualized attention to create a more positive learning environment.
Another characteristic that has to do with personal preference is the opportunity for multi-age interaction. Family day care homes are more apt to have a wide age range of children in the same space than a center. However, some family day care providers only accept preschoolers for care, and some centers arrange to have the children from different age groups play together for at least parts of the day.
There are many factors to take into account when considering any type of child care. Many parents think about cost of care, convenience of location, flexibility in scheduling, or mildly-ill care. Other factors include the degree to which a program exceeds basic minimum licensing regulations and maintains higher quality standards; and the philosophy or values of the caregiver. Different caregivers and programs address these factors in different ways. It's important to consider all of these factors and your preferences when making a choice about the caregiver or child care program for your child.
The OFFICE FOR YOUNG CHILDREN publishes the Guide to Choosing Child Care as a community service. If there are any corrections, changes, or updates to be made please call the Office for Young Children at 887-4319. Outside the Lansing area call toll free (800)234-6996 or send us an e-mail .