When choosing the childcare and education that is best for you
and your child, you need to think about the following points:
- Do you need full time or part-time childcare - which days
and hours?
- Do you need childcare all the year round, out of school hours
only or just occasionally?
- Do you want childcare to be near your home or near your
work?
The three main choices you have are:
Alternatively you may wish to think about employing a
nanny or approved childcarer.
There are also pre-schools and
nursery classes to consider for children who are three and four
years old. They operate on a part time basis - morning or
afternoon sessions. If you need full day care then you may be
able to arrange for a childminder to drop off and collect your
child each day and provide full time care in school holiday
periods. This can be very helpful where you have more than one
child and want your school age and baby/toddler to be cared for
together.
For more information follow the links above; see the
publications 'Making Choices' below or follow this link to the
Childcarelink
website where you can find information about local childcare
online. Not all childcarers are prepared for their details to be on
the internet so you may also want to call us for advice and up
to date lists of the childcare of your choice.
If you would like further guidance about choosing childcare you
can use our 'one2one' service. A member of our team will meet
with you and talk through your options. If you are a first time
parent and haven't used childcare before you may find this service
helps you to feel more confident about your choice. If you are
having difficulty finding childcare we can assist you with your
search.
Making Choices: