Finding quality child care is essential for your child's development.
Child care can be incredibly expensive, and for many working parents, traditional day care and child-care centers are simply not affordable, especially for children who aren't yet in school while you're at work. But that doesn't mean you have to settle for poor quality child care. It may take some effort on your part, but you can find free or low-cost child care services, in both public settings and private, in-home centers.
Instructions
1. Use the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Child Care website (acf.hhs.gov) to find information on free and low-cost federally sponsored and state-sponsored child-care services in your area, as well as ways to get help paying for traditional child-care services.
2. Visit the Child Care Aware website (childcareaware.org/) to find low-cost child-care programs in your area. Child Care Aware is recommended by the Department of Health and Human Services as a trusted child care resource. Child Care Aware works with child-care agencies in 99 percent of the populated zip codes in the United States.
3. Team up with other parents you trust. While you may work a similar schedule as many other parents you know, you probably don't have the same schedule outside of work. Make a schedule with parents in your area to watch their kids when you're free and have them do the same for you. You can even form a larger group of parents in your neighborhood. Having other parents you can call to watch your kids is beneficial for most parents.
4. Find caregivers that can do double-duty with your children. Look for a qualified babysitter that can also give your child piano lessons or help them with their math homework, whatever secondary qualification is important to you. You would spend twice as much on a babysitter and piano teacher plus a caregiver, so finding a caregiver that can multi-task will save you a considerable amount of money in the long run.
5. Talk with your employer. Many companies offer child care for their employees for little or no cost as part of their benefits package. Some companies may require you to work for them for a certain amount of time before you can take advantage of company-sponsored child-care programs.
6. Locate your community's Head Start center (eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov). Head Start centers were set up to help young children develop basic learning skills in a safe, nurturing environment. Contact your local Head Start center or call their toll-free number, 1-866-763-6481, to see if your family qualifies for the program.
Tags: Care Aware, child care, Child Care Aware, Head Start, other parents, your area, Child Care
