Top 12 Trends in Child Care

1. Child Care Is Catering to Budget-Minded Families
More parents are taking a careful look at child care costs, and decisions to reduce hours or even pull their kids out of organized programs entirely due to job losses or expenses are affecting child care providers as well. As a result, more providers are offering flexible hours, keeping rates the same or even reducing them in some cases, and working out pay arrangements for struggling families to encourage families to stay. Special programs or fees are also being scrutinized as providers scramble to find ways to lessen costs while maintaining a quality care program for kids.

2. Child Care is Now Early Education
No longer is child care for young children simply babysitting. Child care centers have mostly transitioned to centers for early education, where young tots are involved with early learning. The trend to learning centers is partly due to high parent and school expectations; it's also attributable to research that shows that kids are capable of learning early academics and other skills that previously were not taught until later. Care centers often offer formalized early education curriculum, and staff receives extensive training in instruction geared for preschoolers.

3. Drop-In Child Care is More Common
It's no surprise that drop-in child care is on the grow. What may come as a surprise to some is that these facilities typically offer high-quality, safe, and affordable care options. The drop-in care facilities focus on fun activities for kids and often include mealtimes and special theme events to provide parents with a worry-free evening or time away from kids. Gyms, recreation centers, churches and even schools are getting into the act of offering Parent Nights Out or similar events. Look for this trend to continue with even greater flexibility in the future.

4. Corporate Child Care is Raising Quality Bar
Corporate child care is raising the bar in terms of quality child care. An increasing number of companies are either offering (or considering) in-house child care centers as a perk for attracting and retaining top employees. In addition, more companies are partnering with child care centers to offer discounted rates or even special hours for employees. Some developers are even focusing on including a child care facility as part of master planning of new areas, knowing that having a quality child care center nearby will make the area more desirable for both employers and employees alike.

5. Technology is Changing Provider/Parent Connection
An increasing number of facilities offer parents the piece of mind of being able to check on their child while at daycare as desired through videostreaming of classroom activities throughout the day. Other providers regularly take photos of children and send to parents, post daily or weekly blogs or e-newsletters online for parents to view, or even exchange emails or text messages throughout the day. The technology provides parents and providers with another tool for staying "in touch" and bonding with activities and events planned for youngsters.

6. Most Child Care is Becoming Safer
While no system is absolutely fail safe, and occasional stories will continue to occur about child pornographers or sex offenders found to be working around children, the truth is that most child care providers are increasing measures to protect children in their charge. Increased security concerning picking up of children, additional background checks and screenings being done on prospective employees, and more surveillance and monitoring (both overt as well as the covert varieties) are helping to increase safety. Training and more thorough checklists is also helping to keep kids safer on field trips and outings.

7. More Child Care Options Exist
Parents today can consider a wider menu of child care choices, and many families are choosing to use a variety of care options based on current needs. Some families may use a nanny for an infant, an in-home provider for a toddler, and then switch to a care center for a preschooler. Some families use one type of care during the school year and then another for summer months. Occasional care service options can include babysitters, drop-in care, specified parent night out nights, and even child care co-ops. Options do abound in most areas, although sometimes you have to really seek them out.

8. The Internet Can Help You Find Child Care
Word of mouth or driving around a neighborhood used to be the most common way to find child care. Today, however, many families, especially those who have moved to a new community, rely on the internet to find quality child care. Many websites offer free listings of child care; most states have a child care site for review as well. Web-based babysitting and child care services are on the increase, and parents can type in a zip code and find providers who meet the specifications designated. Entrepreneurs are increasingly advertising availability for child care as well. Of course, nothing replaces reference checks.

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9. Communications Are More Frequent, More Useful
In today's instantaneous, "tell me now" society, communications between child care provider and parent continue to strengthen. Where once a month newsletters used to suffice in addition to daily greetings and goodbyes, child care providers are using a variety of tools to provide parents with ongoing information about their child's day. Some providers create websites where they post monthly menus, weekly day-by-day activities, and even behavioral reports. Others provide parents with a daily update that is then emailed (written during naptime). Even with technology, face-to-face communications is still the best.

10. Child Care Caters to Time-Crunched, Working Parents
Have you noticed how more and more child care centers are offering enrichment options for tots to participate in while still at child care? Parents nowadays are busier than ever, yet want their child to participate in an array of activities at the same time. The solution for some is to sign kids up for optional fee-based ballet, karate, soccer and gymnastics classes that kids participate in during the week while still in care. The instructor comes to the facility rather than the other way around. This type of option may not be for everyone, but it works for those who are very busy or have long commutes each day.

11. Vacation Destinations, Kid-Friendly Hotels Offering On-Site Care
In order to entice parents to stay at a particular hotel or area, many resorts and tourist-based communities have added on-site or close proximity child care. While some facilities may have pricey fees for kids to participate, others are free and include crafts, special movie nights, field trips and more. As tempting as it can be, make sure you thoroughly check out the facility and are comfortable with the rules, safety procedures, staff training, health practices, and activities planned for the kids. If everything checks out: have fun!

12. After-School Programs and Care Provide Child Care Flexibility
Choosing a quality after-school care program can have a tremendous impact on your child's academics, self-esteem and overall happiness. Many daycares transport school-aged children from school back to the center, provide a healthy snack, and then start kids on their homework, so that it is mostly done by the time parents arrive. Some schools have on-site programs as well to avoid kids going home to an empty house until parents get off work.


As Lifestyles Change, So Do Child Care Offerings
From Robin McClure , former About.com Guide
http://childcare.about.com/od/evaluations/tp/trends.htm

Seleccionar una niñera… ¿es una “odisea”?

Encontrar a la persona adecuada que cuide a nuestros hijos mientras trabajamos o participamos en alguna actividad social, implica un grado de stress que no pocas veces se convierte en una experiencia nefasta.

Para minimizar los riesgos del proceso, definamos los ejes principales sobre los que realizar la selección:

• Formación/experiencia
• Responsabilidad/confianza
• Afecto por los niños

Apuntar a personas con formación específica en cuidado de niños es clave, para lo cual debemos partir del análisis de la información que se presenta en el currículum y relevar la relacionada con los centros de estudios indicados.

Contar con una persona responsable y de confianza, que se inserte en la familia positivamente y con quien los chicos se sientan a gusto también es determinante. Analizar algunas características (en principio sin la realización de tests apropiados) se dificulta, por lo que podríamos recurrir a personas “conocidas” o “recomendadas”, pero intentando que esto no vaya en desmedro de la formación.

Que la persona elegida sea afectuosa con los niños, y que pueda aportar elementos para su desarrollo cognitivo, emocional y social es el otro gran desafío. El chequeo de las referencias, y la entrevista (o entrevistas) con la postulante serán claves para hacer un acercamiento a lo que la persona puede brindar en esos aspectos. Incluso es positivo que el niño esté en esa instancia, valorando las reacciones de éste frente a su potencial nueva niñera.

El proceso de selección debe ser riguroso para evitar que personas inadecuadas queden al cuidado de nuestros chicos. La búsqueda debe hacerse con tiempo, de manera de cumplir con las etapas básicas del proceso - reclutamiento, análisis de CVs, preselección, chequeo de referencias y entrevista/s - y siendo las competencias a relevar: responsabilidad, cooperación, amabilidad, perseverancia, comunicación, respecto a las normas, iniciativa, entre otras.

Una vez tomada la decisión de a quien incorporar se deberá a su vez tener tiempo para entablar una relación que permita conocer, observar, y evaluar a la niñera en su relacionamiento con el/los chico/s. Es indispensable aportar elementos de inducción para una mejor inserción de la persona a su nuevo cargo: rutinas del niño, ubicación de utensillos, teléfonos de contacto, etc.

Recordemos: “odisea, dícese del viaje largo en el que abundan los sucesos adversos y favorables de un viajero”. En la medida que realicemos el proceso en forma y tiempo, el resultado del mismo tendrá más de estos últimos que de los primeros…

Nancy Cappelli Cerchi
Directora de Tunanny.com

Nancy es Socióloga, postgraduada en Recursos Humanos. Tunanny.com - emprendimiento elegido en 2009 por el Programa Carpe de apoyo a emprendedores - es el primer servicio uruguayo especializado en la selección de babysitters, niñeras y maestras preescolares.