EDINBURG — Amidst the whirlwind of diaper changes, midnight feedings and sheer excitement that follow a baby's arrival, working parents have an important question to consider: What happens when mom and dad go back to work?
According to Sharon Veatch, executive director of the Virginia Child Care Resource & Referral Network, when parents should start looking for infant care "really depends on how difficult it is to find" in their community. It can be hard to find in some parts of Virginia, she said.
"We get folks that call us, they've barely found out they're pregnant," she said, and some call before they even conceive. A good place for parents to start is their local child care resource and referral agency, she said.
With the opening of Valley Baptist Daycare in Edinburg just over month ago, parents in the area gained another infant-care option. Clare Fauver, the day care's director, said the center is part of Valley Baptist Church and its school and takes children as young as 6 weeks old through pre-kindergarten.
"Our role is to make the kids well rounded," Fauver said. "We try to make sure we have a mature, well-trained staff," and all of the caregivers who work with the babies have children of their own, she said.
Though the day care center isn't state certified, she said, it meets or exceeds all of the state's requirements for licensure.
The decision to provide infant care was "a hard choice, because it can be scary" caring for babies, she said. But, the center opted to provide the care to help the community, Fauver said.
The day care center was designed for children, she said, and has security cameras in every room and pointing at every door, which parents seem to appreciate.
"I think the cameras really have boosted it along," she said, because parents have the safety and security of knowing that the people who are working with their children are qualified.
So far, all of the feedback from parents has been very positive, Fauver said, and she's heard they are very excited to have another infant-care option.
When considering child care, parents first need to think about what kind of care they want, Veatch said, whether it be center-based child care or family child care, the latter of which takes place in a provider's home. Once you find a facility you like, it's important to get on its waiting list, if it has one, and "know what to expect in terms of what the cost will be," she said.
"A lot of times parents with infants will go into sticker shock," Veatch said.
Parents need to know what to look for in a day care provider, she said, and "you don't want to be blinded by a shiny and new facility." Particularly with infants, "you really need to look at the adult-child interaction," she said.
"You want to go in and observe, and see how the caregiver interacts with the infants in their care," she said.
Also, it's important for parents to know their infant's temperament and be sure to find care that meets the baby's needs, she said. An adaptable infant would likely do well in a larger group setting, she said, but parents may want to look for a smaller group if their infant is cautious. For a "feisty" infant, she said, parents should make sure "there's going to be one primary caregiver assigned to that child that really understands its needs."
Parents should make sure there's not a lot of caregiver turnover in the environment, and that the provider is providing "lots of information," such as daily, written reports. Fauver said Valley Baptist Daycare keeps a log of when the babies eat or have their diapers changed, and sends home written reports of any accidents that occur.
"They [the parents] know everything that happens," Fauver said.
It's also important to look for a facility that meets the state's licensing requirements, she said. Parents should be aware that some facilities are license-exempt in Virginia, she said, and, in much of the state, family child care providers can care for up to five children without being licensed.
Licensed centers must meet the adult-child ratio, which, in Virginia, is one adult for every four infants, she said. For accredited facilities, the ratio is one adult for every three infants, she said.
"The lower the adult-child ratio, the better," she said.
Infant care is "very expensive care to provide," Veatch said, and it's often provided in a family home environment. But, parents should consider the same criteria whether they're evaluating a center or someone's home, she said.
If parents want a child care provider to come into their home, she said, it's up to the parents to conduct the necessary background checks because there are no regulations to oversee those providers.
"I think the main difference between looking at care for an infant versus looking at care for an older child is that you have to really tune into your child and try to make sure the care meets the needs of that child," Veatch said. "With an infant, it's all about the relationship and the interaction [with the caregiver]."
Fauver said the same principles apply to caring for children of any age, but babies "can't talk to you, so ... you have to be more observant." The center's goal is to provide "loving, quality care" that reinforces the values the child is learning in the home, she said.
"We really just want the kids to be well-rounded," she said. "Even at this age, you can read them stories. You don't know how much they're getting, but they're learning."
Veatch said there's lots of information on what parents should look for in a child care provider, "but, I also think that parents really need to think about: 'Is this [provider] someone that I would want taking care of me all day?'"