I noticed that my posting on the Average Cost of Daycare (or Childcare) in Ohio has been getting alot of traffic so I thought that a good follow-up series to that would be to describe my journey in looking for a daycare in Ohio. I have used the same method for both Cleveland/Rocky River and Columbus/Westerville, Ohio so it has been tried-and-tested twice. Admittedly, we have only lived in areas where the "worst-case scenario" is still not that bad, but hopefully this is a starting point for others and they can change their approach appropriately for their need and circumstances. (Also, I am open to comments from others with their respective experiences to help other moms who may be on this journey themselves.) Let's start with . . .
Timeline
I would say that 6 months ahead of the estimated date of birth or when you plan to start your child in daycare is not too early to start. Depending on the demand and need of the market, (and I swear by the peak cycle of number of babies born around the same time as yours), some waitlists can be as long as 6 months to 1 year. If you like what you see, you can then place yourself on the waitlist of a couple of places and then make the final decision with the option(s) on which you have already completed your groundwork check.
Here are the steps I took
1. Determine Desired Location
2. Search for Centers Near Location
3. Review Compliance Reports
4. Call Potential Centers to Find Out about Availability
5. Schedule Center Visit
6. Narrow Down Choices and Schedule Second Visit
7. Get Waitlisted or Enrolled
1. Determine Desired Location
(if you want a daycare close to home, close to work, or in-between, or if location does not matter at all)
In Rocky River, I worked all the way out in Elyria which was a good 30 mins drive away from our home, also, my husband worked fairly close to home and so the natural decision was to look closer to home. Prior to relocating to Columbus, we did not know where we were going to live and I was commuting between the two cities on a weekly basis (2-hr drive each way). For this purpose, I looked closer to work and to the hotel I was staying at while in Columbus. I found 3 I liked and space was open in 1 immediately so we enrolled Naia part-time in both cities. This went on for maybe 6 weeks while we househunted and when we finally relocated to Westerville, we liked the daycare enough to decide that the convenience factor skewed in my favor (Noah would have a 40 mins drive from office to daycare) was fine.
An added benefit of having the center near my workplace was when Gianna arrived. I could drive there and nurse her and drive back to work easily. Also, if the girls needed anything, it was easy to just jump in the car and be at the center in less than 5 minutes.
So discuss this with your partner or anyone else who will be helping out. Of course if there are just no potential qualified daycare centers nearby, then expand your search but it helps to have a focused scope to begin.
2. Search for Centers Near Location
Now that you have your desired area, next is to look at potentials in this area. Let me introduce you to a valuable resource provided by the state:
The Ohio Department of Job & Family Services Child Day Care Starting Page
http://jfs.ohio.gov/cdc/childcare.stm
Online Search Tool for Map-Based or Criteria-Based Child Care
http://gis1.odjfs.state.oh.us/childcare/
I personally tend to use the criteria-based child care where you can indicate the country, zip, caregiver type (e.g., full-time center, type A homes), age of children.
3. Review Compliance Reports
For each daycare center, you can click on the name and view the current inspection reports for the center as audited by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. It may depress you at first since it is really rare to see a "Fully Compliant" compliance status.
But the good news is that at times, if you look into the items that are Out-of-Compliance (denoted by "O/C"), sometimes, it's not really something that would really bother you.
This would of course not be one of them:
Yikes.
Review all the reports available for the center and weigh for yourself, what you are comfortable with overlooking and what you are not. I try to think about things from this perspective - anything administrative and not reflective of the caregivers that will be in direct contact with my child(ren), I can overlook. But if it is a matter of child-ratios, certain hygiene-related infractions, I do not even look at the center. Note that items listed in red are licensing non-compliances which are considered serious, presenting an elevated risk of harm to children. The serious rule violations, as well as additional non-compliances found on the date of the inspection can be viewed below. Serious non-compliances are displayed in red for any inspections completed after January 1, 2007.
4. Call Potential Centers to Find Out about Availability
Now that you have your viable options selected, you get to go through the possibly frustrating process of calling them to see if they have availability. You should not be surprised to hear that many of them are now asking parents to pay to be placed on the waitlist. I can imagine why - the rate of parents who place themselves on waitlists for free, only to backout of the spot, is very high. This fee helps to prevent these flippant abusers of the system and allows the center to cushion the disruption to their cashflow with this fee. However, they should not heckle you for a fee prior to a center visit - I mean, how do you know if you want to be on their waitlist until you have seen the center?
5. Schedule Center Visit
If a center indicates that they have availability during or around the time when you need it, schedule a center visit for about 20-30 minutes, preferably without your child since your goal is to do a first-pass visit. Directors or administrators are used to these requests and may ask that you visit during certain hours of the day when you can view the peak level of activities for the room your child will enter into. It is ok to go when they ask - you are giving them the chance to give you their "best-face" and if that even is not pleasing to you, say thank you and go on to the next one.
I once walked into a daycare that smelled like pee. I said thank you to the director and left within minutes. *shudders*
During the center visit, note the answers to all of the following checkpts or the relevant ones to your need:
Here are some helpful forms to get you going:
http://www.parentingweekly.com/parenting_information/organized_mom/finding_day_care.htm
http://www.parentingweekly.com/parenting_information/organized_mom/nursery_interview.htm
6. Narrow Down Choices and Schedule Second Visit
By now, you should have about 1-3 choices you like and this would be a good time to schedule some time for your child to visit with you. Consider calling the center a few days after to say that you have enjoyed your visit but that you would like to sit in for about 30-45 mins in the late morning or late afternoon to get a feel of the room. Please note that it is absolutely not appropriate to leave your child in the care of the teachers while you are there! Get a feel for the types of teachers, ask them about their care-giving techniques and the typical schedule, etc. Allow your child to interact with the other kids in the room if he/she does but step in if your child is not appreciating the immediate surrounding. Most kids take about 2 weeks or so of daily exposure (anecdotal insights from having transitioned 2 kids into different rooms, and from seeing other kids transition) to get used to a new routine and room environment so do not read too much into your child's resistance to the teachers in the room or to the room itself.
7. Get Waitlisted or Enrolled
Once you have your top choice(s), get on their waitlist or commit to a spot. Work with the directors if you have specific requests and see if they can accomodate you. As mentioned above, the centers may impose a fee to be placed on the waitlist - sometimes this fee can be applied to the daycare enrollment fees at time of enrollment, but most of the time it is not. If there is a center you really like and know is the best of the list you have seen, it is absolutely worth the money to be placed on the waitlist. The peace-of-mind with knowing you have a spot at your top choice center for your child(ren), where you know they will receive the desired standard of care and attention, is worth it.
