As a parent, you'd like to provide for all the needs of your child. You're willing to make sacrifices to ensure that your child enjoys the things that you didn't. And one sacrifice that many parents need to make is to leave their child momentarily while they work.
Because of the need for both parents to work in order to put food on the table and provide for the needs of a child, one of the problems they face is finding dependable people who will take care of the child in their absence.
In Australia, parents have a few options to choose from when it comes to childcare centres and services. These include long day care, family day care, in-home care, outside school hours care, and occasional care. Here's a brief glimpse of each option.
1. Long day care or centre-based care is provided by a centre that looks after children with ages between zero and six years old. These centres operate from 7:30 am to 6 pm. Here, children are grouped either according to their ages or their developmental stage. The children may be provided with meals and most centres provide early education.
2. Family day care (FDC) is a flexible childcare service that parents can take advantage of on a full-time or part-time basis. The educators who are part of a network can also come in before or after school or during school breaks. Typically, operators of FDC authorise educators to enter into care arrangements.
3. In-home care operates in almost the same manner as FDC. The difference is that children are taken care of in their own home. This service is often chosen when it's not possible for a child to be taken into a centre due to a wide variety of circumstances. These include disabilities or diseases and the working hours of the child's guardians.
4. In outside school hours care, the children are taken care of before and after they go to school. These centres operate in close proximity to schools.
5. Occasional care is chosen by parents who would like to get childcare services on an occasional basis when a parent isn't able to attend to the needs of a child due to a meeting or engagement.
Although each family's needs and circumstances will differ, there are a few considerations that parents should weigh when choosing a suitable childcare service.
- The parents should determine how long their child will be under the care of professionals.
- Consider whether the child will thrive better in a centre or in a home environment.
- Whatever option you choose, it's prudent to look at the qualifications and experience of the professionals who will take care of your child.
- If you wish to make the most of the childcare services in terms of the education and development of your child, you may wish to look at the educational programmes offered by the childcare providers.
- Other important factors to consider are the ratio of professionals to children, the daily routine, and the meal plans.
For your child's well-being, consider working with the top childcare services in Australia today.