In the minds of many, child care providers are simply places where children are dropped off and picked up at the end of the day, with no attention paid to that eight hours of in between time. They are generally regarded as expensive playhouses.

However, the standards of parents these days have subsequently raised the standards of child care providers. Child care is often quite
expensive, so parents expect that they essentially receive a good return on their investment. They want to know that their child is not only being cared for, but actually learning from the child care experience.

Services offered by child care providers vary rather extensively. Some of the more high quality providers can offer organic meals, teaching in
foreign languages, instruction on computers, and even some basic math skills. Children are expected to have a grasp of the basics like numbers and the alphabet before they reach elementary school. The reason for this is that research has shown that children who know these things before beginning elementary school are more likely to perform better in school.

Child care providers can actually work in competition with other providers for business. Certain providers will boast particular strengths, while others might show strengths in many areas, and even have extras like gymnastics or martial arts.

These providers, of course, come with a healthy price tag. The more services a provider offers, the more expensive the school. Additionally, there is typically a long waiting list for the best providers. Some parents even go to the extent of getting on waiting lists even before they get pregnant.

Child care is the middle of the march toward progression of our society. Providers are often on the cusp of technology and new developments in understanding children.

The question is whether or not a child should be so continuously educated versus simply having their childhood for play. There is certainly merit in allowing a child to play. After all, they are children. They are not born as adults, and there is some wisdom in letting children be children. Even experts cannot agree on which is the better course of action, therefore it is left to the parent to determine their child’s care based on their own values and priorities.

Authentic Assessment is defined as the process of documenting and evaluating growth and development in real-life situations over time. It shows what children can do, what they know, and what they understand. Rather than attempting to explain a child’s performance based on one test, this type of assessment focuses on the progress and growth of a child over time. Authentic assessment helps to paint a more accurate picture of who the child is and how the child is growing and learning. The term assessment, when used in the context of early childhood education, is sometimes interchanged with the term observation. Observation is one method of assessing student growth and development and is probably the best-known, most widely used way that teachers evaluate the progress of the young children they teach.

Teachers may wonder what to assess when working with young children. Using multiple forms of assessment allows a teacher to reveal an accurate picture of the child. Early childhood includes children from birth to age eight and is a very difficult period to assess because the rate of growth is so rapid. Also, growth is highly influenced by nurturing parents, quality of care, and the learning environment. Parents want to be assured that their child is ready for school. In addition, teachers and administrators want to know if they are offering effective programs. Therefore, assessment information is critical to the child, the parent, and the success of the program.

Assessment is a hot topic in the field of early childhood education as accountability becomes more important for teachers and schools. As educators, we must find ways to show we are teaching and that children are learning. It is imperative to find methods that illustrate growth and development over time, allowing children to be evaluated in real-life, everyday settings. It is the teacher’s responsibility to find methods of documentation that report success of children.

By understanding the basic developmental areas of the children you teach, assessment can be made simple. Easy-to-learn methods of assessment will help you document the developmental growth of young children over time. Learn more about assessment tools for the classroom. Visit ChildCare Education Institute to discover over 100 online child care training courses that meet the continuing education requirements of the child care industry.

Start your search at least 2 to 3 months before you go back to work so you have enough time to make a thoughtful decision. Ask friends and neighbors for recommendations. Before hiring or accepting an offer to baby-sit from relatives or friends, be sure they are qualified to care for your child and that you would feel comfortable giving them instructions or disagreeing with them on child-care issues that are important to you. Avoid hiring someone who is looking for something to do until a better offer comes along. To find candidates, check with a local agency that provides training and placement for in-home providers. Ask your doctor for names. Check child-care ads and place your own help-wanted ad in your local newspaper, local college career services office, and community bulletin board or newsletter. Specify the hours and days you need child care, your child’s age, the general area in which you live (but don’t give your address), and whether or not you want the sitter to live in or have a driver’s license. If you require a nonsmoker, say so.

Your child’s caregiver should have training in child development or have experience taking care of children. The caregiver should also appreciate the importance of stimulating your child’s intellectual, social, and emotional development. He or she should be able to communicate well so your child can build his or her language skills. Your caregiver should respect your philosophy of child rearing and understand that you are the ultimate authority for making decisions about the care of your child. He or she also needs to guide your child’s behavior with positive reinforcement rather than physical punishment.

Even if you work with a child-care agency that prescreens candidates, you should participate in the screening process. First, screen candidates over the phone to eliminate those who don’t seem right. Listen to your gut feeling, even if you are under the gun because you need help immediately. Ask whether or not they’re available the hours you need them, their salary needs, how long they can commit to the job, what interests them about child care, what kind of work they have done in the past, and when they can start. Invite the best candidates to your home for an interview. Some parents develop a job application form to make the hiring process more formal and professional.

Once you have a candidate in mind, contact at least three former employers and three personal references. Ask former employers about the candidate’s responsibilities, his or her strengths and weaknesses and the ages of the children that they have worked with.

When your new nanny starts working with the kids, spend a few days with her at home to get familiar with your house, kids and schedule. Do some spot-checking for the first few days. Get feedback from other family members, who comes in contact with the nanny. If your gut is telling she is the right nanny for your kids, go ahead.

Citinannies.net offers “prescreened” users the ability to locate each other from the comfort of their own home, 24 hours a day from the secure website. Online recruiting process of CitiNannies is designed to offer users a high quality recruiting experience at an affordable cost.