Russell Isabella, PhD
Department of Family and Consumer Studies
University of Utah

Once parents have decided to place their young child in the care of someone else, they face the very difficult and important challenge of finding the right person and setting. This article will focus on the care provider in asking the question: How can parents know if a caregiver is right for their child? In writing this article, I am assuming two things: first, that parents will meet and talk with a number of caregivers before making their decision, and second, that parents have as their goal finding the caregiver who will be best suited to their child. I mention these assumptions only because I once saw a rather troubling statistic indicating that American families spend much, much more time deciding which car to buy than which care arrangement to use for their children.

First and foremost, parents must like the caregiver. Parents should enjoy being with this person, they should feel comfortable talking with her, and must trust her. If your interactions with a potential caregiver don't feel comfortable to you, and if you don't feel as if you 'click' when you talk with this person, this is not the person you want to take care of your child. This is very much a gut-level criterion, but very important nonetheless. Your discomfort serves as a sign that this is a person who will interact with your child in ways that are very different from your own interactions. Also quite important, your discomfort makes it likely that as the weeks and months of daycare roll on, you will not talk with this caregiver as much as you should because it's not pleasant to do so!

In addition to talking with potential caregivers and asking lots of questions about those features of care most important to you and your child, parents should spend time observing the caregiver's interactions with the children in her care. Visit the setting on several occasions at different times of the day. Following are some of the things you should look for:

A good caregiver will smile often and communicate a positive attitude to the children. There is no good reason for anything less than this.

A good caregiver will always pay attention to the children, answer their questions, and respond quickly when they cry or otherwise require her intervention. Remember, you are paying this person, this is their job, and they shouldn't be involved in anything that distracts them from, or interferes with their caring for the children during the hours of operation.

A good caregiver will help children understand what they are feeling. Particularly for children entering their first daycare setting, there is much to learn and adjust to. This is a challenge for the child, and a good caregiver helps by understanding the child and helping the child to understand themselves. Here again, a positive and encouraging attitude is very important.

A good caregiver will encourage children to get along, and help them to do so by minimizing competition (for example by having more than one of popular toys), praising cooperative behavior, and helping children to understand how their behaviors affect those around them.

This is not a very long list, but it covers a lot of ground. Good luck with your search!

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