Nix the Daycare and Consider In-Home Care Options

If you’re thinking about using an in-home care option for your children that are under school age, then you’re not alone. According to recent statistics in-home daycare for children is growing rapidly as a child care choice for working parents. There are benefits and a few drawbacks of using a care option like this, and knowing what they are will help you make the best decision for you, and your children.

Some parents are choosing to opt out of the typical daycare center routine because it doesn’t fit their emotional or physical requirements that they desire for their children. If you’re one of them that feel that a more loving and nurturing environment would be good for your children, then you’ll join others that feel the same way. In-home daycares take children into their home on a daily or flexible schedule that’s needed by the parents, and most are state regulated, and inspected on a periodic basis. Another benefit is that home care provides a small group of children a lot of interpersonal social interactions with different age levels. Your children will be able to not only be with older kids, but with a few of their own age too.

In-home daycares have the advantage over larger daycare centers of feeling less institutionalized, but you’ll find that they’re not closed as often, except for major holidays or personal illness. Many times in-home daycares will be found in smaller neighborhoods, and are just a hop, skip and jump from your own home. Children love being able to recognize their neighborhood, and feel very comfortable playing with others that they know. For the fun activities such as crafts in a home daycare situation your children will be able to not only participate in group craft activities, but will be able to play and experiment making things on their own. Learning is much more personalized and focused because in-home child care providers will often be trained in working with preschoolers, and kindergarten aged children.

Other benefits for parents are that in-home care is not as costly as daycare centers for children. Depending on the area in which you live, a price of $20.00 off per week per child compared with a daycare center is a good deal. Of course typically larger daycare centers will give multi discounts if more than one child is enrolled, but some in-home care will do the same too. Extra charges from in-home care are not as expensive either, nor is it charged as much because they’re more flexible in attitude and their practices. It’s a more personal attentive type of care, and interest in the family’s personal situation. For example, if you’re a few minutes late in picking up your child from daycare at an in-home service, you often won’t be charged a late fee. These fees can add up in cost in a hurry, so it’s nice to have.

Drawbacks of in-home care for your children are there and need to be understood. Anyone can open a daycare in their home, and quality ones will be run by the state, but there is the danger that some won’t be, so check them out. Also, a few child care providers might not have any child development training or safety classes beyond what’s required by the state. This is not always true of course, but when placing your children in a care situation like this look for someone that has some child related college instruction under their belt. The always present issue of illness from your in-home care provider for your children is there too. There’s always the possibility that the home might shut down too due to illness or financial matters. You’ll need to have a good back up plan with other types of care such as relatives, or on the list for emergency care at your local daycare center.

Using an in-home care option for your children is fast becoming a popular method of care. Only you can decide what’s best for your children, so learn all you can about the issues. It’s their safety emotionally and physically that is top priority, and if you find a good in-home daycare for your children make sure to stick with them, and thank them too for being there for you and your children.