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Types of Care
The first big decision facing you is the type of care you want for your child. Perhaps the hominess of a family child care home appeals to you, or the chance for socialization in a child care center. Each form of care has something to offer your family.
Family Child Care Homes
Family child care homes are programs run by providers in their own home. The environment is a small-group, mixed-age setting. Family child care homes offer care for children from 0-12 years of age. Family child care offers:
- A setting that offers care for a variety of ages
- Part-time schedule options
- Possibly flexible schedules, evening, weekend and overnight care
When looking for a family child care provider, it's important to be comfortable with the home, the children, and the caregiver. When you visit a family child care program, look at the activities the children are doing, see how the children fit in with the rest of the family, check out the space the children have to play in, and ask a lot of questions.
Contact the Kelowna Child Care Resource & Referral Program at 762-3536 to receive your FREE "Choosing Child Care" guide.
Their are two types of family child care:
License Not Required Family Child Care
- Child care provider may care for 2 children unrelated by blood or marriage over and above their own children.
- Home environment for children birth to 12 years; flexible hours and days.
- Members of the Kelowna Child Care Resource and Referal Program have been screened and assessed.
Licensed Family Child Care
- Caregivers who are licensed through the Community Cares Facilities Licensing Branch may care for a maximum of 7 children. �
Child Care Centres
Opting for care in a child care center means that your child will be in a group setting outside of your home. Center-based programs generally care for larger numbers of children than other types of care, and children are usually grouped by age.
Centers are licensed by the Community Care Facilities Licensing Department and are restricted by regulations that govern the number of children they are allowed to serve, the ratio of adults to children, and the educational qualifications of the caregivers.
To review licensing agencies and staff-to-child ratios for centers in our community, check the website at www.healthplanning.gov.bc.ca/ccf/
In-Home Care
In-home care is care that is provided in your home by a caregiver whom you hire -- usually a nanny or au pair, or in some cases a "mother's helper." In Kelowna Nanny agencies can be found in the yellow pages. You can also advertise for a nanny in newspapers, bulletin and job boards. Currently, the Kelowna Child Care Resource and Referral program does not have listings of available nannies.
In-home care is not for everyone. It may be expensive, hard to find, and does not provide an emergency back-up situation. Caregivers may or may not have training in child development. In addition, you may not feel comfortable becoming an employer, providing supervision, and being responsible for taxes associated with the employment of a caregiver.
In-home care does offer a great deal of flexibility.You do not have to worry about transporting your child to and from child care and the In-home provider may be able to help with other household chores. Nanny care can be especially helpful if the childcare you require is outside of a regular work schedule. It can be easier to have your child cared for in their home if you work early in the morning or late into the evening as it won't disrupt their regular routine.
Finding the right in-home caregiver takes time and patience. You need to evaluate the caregiver's qualifications, check references, and meet with a candidate several times. Most of all, you need to feel comfortable with the person and trust that he or she is committed to providing the best care for your child. You may want to consult with agencies that place in-home caregivers to help you with the search process. Once you've chosen your in-home caregiver, it's a good idea to draw up a contract that outlines the legal responsibilities of your child care arrangement.
Additional considerations with in-home care:
- Live-in caregivers require room and board to be provided by the host family.
- You and your caregiver may have different expectations regarding care responsibilities -- make your expectations clear up front.
- The length of the relationship with in-home caregivers is variable.
- You may be able to "share" a nanny with another family if you do not require full time care.
- You should ask the nanny to provide a copy of a criminal record check
- You may also ask that they have a current childsafe first aid certificate