Choosing day care provider not easy
Experts: Study your options carefully
By Dolly A. Butz, Journal staff writer | Posted: Friday, September 12, 2008
Ian, 4, jumps into the arms of his mother Tamera Stombaugh as she picks him up at Mary Elizabeth DayCare. (Staff photo by Jim Lee)
SIOUX CITY -- Leah Nelson stands on a hopscotch court drawn in colored chalk watching her 3-year-old daughter, Ayla, swing on a swing set.
A boy to her right plays in a sandbox. A group of girls sits at a green picnic table on the other side of the metal fence, writing cursive letters on lined paper under the watchful eye of Mary Elizabeth Day Care Center director Jane Heider.
In April, when she no longer had a sitter to watch Ayla, Nelson enrolled her at her workplace -- Mary Elizabeth Day Care Center, 814 Court St.
"I've worked in the day care profession for years," she said. "I know what goes on here. It's clean and there's good food. They're not getting cake for every meal."
Unlike Nelson, most Siouxland parents can't take their children to work. They have to choose a child care provider, which isn't always easy.
Pedro Albarado, of Sioux City, has been bringing his three children, ages 4, 6 and 9, to Mary Elizabeth Day Care Center for the past three years. He said finding someone he could trust to watch his children was difficult.
"They get along pretty good with the teachers and the people here," he said.
Tamera Stombaugh, of Sioux City, chose Mary Elizabeth Day Care Center for her sons, Ian, 4, and Seth, 6, because her sister's son also attends the day care center.
"They seem to really like it," she said. "I feel very comfortable leaving them here because of all the people they have with them. It seems like they have a really good system."
There are approximately 1,500 child care centers in Iowa. All child care centers and preschools must be licensed by the state.
To become licensed, they must be in compliance with minimum standards, including the requirements of the State Fire Marshal's Office. They must comply with, among other things, requirements for personnel, staff ratio, child records, health and safety policies, activity programs, discipline policies, building standards and food services. Programs must be appropriate for the ages of children cared for by the center. Child abuse registry and criminal record checks are conducted on all staff members.
Ric Hirst, supervisor of child care licensing for the Iowa Department of Human Services, said it's important that parents are involved in their child's day care.
He recommends that parents visit a prospective child care center several times at different times of the day before sending their child there. Child care centers are required to display licenses in their buildings. If a center has a provisional license, Hirst said, parents need to ask why it has a provisional license.
"It's serious business where you're going to leave a child," he said. "Good centers like having that visitation."
Complaint-driven system
Unannounced visits are conducted annually at child care centers by state licensers. If a child care center is found to be in violation of any state regulations, a corrective action plan could be put in place, the center's two-year license could be reduced to a provisional license or it could be suspended or revoked, depending on the violation.
The most common violation for day care centers is having too few staffers for the number of children, according to Iowa DHS spokesman Roger Munns. Other more serious violations, he said, include providing substandard care or child abuse.
"If it's severe, we'll ask the provider to voluntarily submit their registration and not do child care until further notice," he said. "Sometimes we revoke the registration and the provider keeps the doors open anyway. We don't have any police to enforce this, so we go to the county attorney."
Aside from the yearly licensing visits, state child care center regulation is a complaint-driven system. Hirst said complaints can come from parents, staff members or the general public.
"They drive by and see kids on the playground and nobody watching them, and they'll call in," he said. "Anytime there's a complaint we attempt to make an on-site face-to-face (visit)."
Kris Treiber, director of Yellow Brick Road Day Care Center, 1312 Morningside Ave., said she welcomes licensing visits.
"When licensing comes in here they're a help, and usually I enjoy the visit because he's not here to shut me down," she said. "He's here to help me be quality."
Improving child care standards
Mary Elizabeth Day Care Center's Heider has 35 years of experience in the child care field.
"There are a lot more regulations than what there were early on when I started," she said.
Heider said she has to meet federal, Department of Health and state guidelines, as well as requirements from the United Way, with which the child care center is affiliated. The most important thing about running a quality child care center, she said, is finding great staffers.
"A quality program has professional, trained staff who put the children first," she said.
Iowa ranks 37th nationally, tied with South Dakota and Arizona, in overall state child care center standards and oversight, according to the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies. Nebraska ranks 50th.
Diane Merchant, director of Apple Tree Preschool & Child Care Center, 3835 Indian Hills Drive, said state child care standards and oversight are improving in Iowa.
She said her staff recently participated in training sessions, including an early childhood environment rating scale class, where they learned about how to provide an environment conducive to the needs of children.
"There are wonderful trainings available in the Siouxland area so that when you pull staff members in, they have the power of knowledge to know how to be good care providers," she said
Merchant said the state's implementation of Quality Rating System and Quality Preschool Program Standards is a step in the right direction for child care center regulation.
Providers who participate in Iowa's Quality Rating System can receive on-site technical assistance as they go through the steps needed to improve their quality of care. They may also be eligible for grants or support.
Iowa' s Quality Preschool Program Standards were developed as a beginning point for child care programs to implement quality standards for early childhood programs to work toward accreditation with National Association for the Education of Young Children program standards and criteria.
"There are definitely some workings in place to encourage facilities to be certain that they are providing the best quality care possible," Merchant said.
16 tips for choosing a day care provider
-- Ask if the child care center is licensed by the state. If the center has a provisional license, ask why.
-- Visit the child care center more than once.
-- Ask about health and safety practices.
-- Talk to other parents. Get references.
-- Ask about the staff's qualifications and training.
-- Find out how many children are there at a time and what ages they are.
-- Ask about staff turnover.
-- Ask if the program is ChildNet certified, accredited or has a Quality Rating System level or plans to become so.
-- Find out whether the staff knows how to do CPR and rescue breathing.
-- Ask how often a substitute care provider will be present.
-- Ask if the program has records proving that the other children in care are up to date on required immunizations.
-- See if such toxic substances as cleaning supplies and pest killers are kept away from children.
-- Ask if playground equipment is inspected regularly.
-- Even after you choose a provider, if you are uncomfortable, ask questions and visit the child care center.
-- Volunteer in the classroom.
-- If your child is unhappy at his or her child care center, find out why.
For help in finding child care providers, call Child Care Resource and Referral of Northwest Iowa at 712-786-3489 or 800-859-2025.
A boy to her right plays in a sandbox. A group of girls sits at a green picnic table on the other side of the metal fence, writing cursive letters on lined paper under the watchful eye of Mary Elizabeth Day Care Center director Jane Heider.
In April, when she no longer had a sitter to watch Ayla, Nelson enrolled her at her workplace -- Mary Elizabeth Day Care Center, 814 Court St.
"I've worked in the day care profession for years," she said. "I know what goes on here. It's clean and there's good food. They're not getting cake for every meal."
Unlike Nelson, most Siouxland parents can't take their children to work. They have to choose a child care provider, which isn't always easy.
Pedro Albarado, of Sioux City, has been bringing his three children, ages 4, 6 and 9, to Mary Elizabeth Day Care Center for the past three years. He said finding someone he could trust to watch his children was difficult.
"They get along pretty good with the teachers and the people here," he said.
Tamera Stombaugh, of Sioux City, chose Mary Elizabeth Day Care Center for her sons, Ian, 4, and Seth, 6, because her sister's son also attends the day care center.
"They seem to really like it," she said. "I feel very comfortable leaving them here because of all the people they have with them. It seems like they have a really good system."
There are approximately 1,500 child care centers in Iowa. All child care centers and preschools must be licensed by the state.
To become licensed, they must be in compliance with minimum standards, including the requirements of the State Fire Marshal's Office. They must comply with, among other things, requirements for personnel, staff ratio, child records, health and safety policies, activity programs, discipline policies, building standards and food services. Programs must be appropriate for the ages of children cared for by the center. Child abuse registry and criminal record checks are conducted on all staff members.
Ric Hirst, supervisor of child care licensing for the Iowa Department of Human Services, said it's important that parents are involved in their child's day care.
He recommends that parents visit a prospective child care center several times at different times of the day before sending their child there. Child care centers are required to display licenses in their buildings. If a center has a provisional license, Hirst said, parents need to ask why it has a provisional license.
"It's serious business where you're going to leave a child," he said. "Good centers like having that visitation."
Complaint-driven system
Unannounced visits are conducted annually at child care centers by state licensers. If a child care center is found to be in violation of any state regulations, a corrective action plan could be put in place, the center's two-year license could be reduced to a provisional license or it could be suspended or revoked, depending on the violation.
The most common violation for day care centers is having too few staffers for the number of children, according to Iowa DHS spokesman Roger Munns. Other more serious violations, he said, include providing substandard care or child abuse.
"If it's severe, we'll ask the provider to voluntarily submit their registration and not do child care until further notice," he said. "Sometimes we revoke the registration and the provider keeps the doors open anyway. We don't have any police to enforce this, so we go to the county attorney."
Aside from the yearly licensing visits, state child care center regulation is a complaint-driven system. Hirst said complaints can come from parents, staff members or the general public.
"They drive by and see kids on the playground and nobody watching them, and they'll call in," he said. "Anytime there's a complaint we attempt to make an on-site face-to-face (visit)."
Kris Treiber, director of Yellow Brick Road Day Care Center, 1312 Morningside Ave., said she welcomes licensing visits.
"When licensing comes in here they're a help, and usually I enjoy the visit because he's not here to shut me down," she said. "He's here to help me be quality."
Improving child care standards
Mary Elizabeth Day Care Center's Heider has 35 years of experience in the child care field.
"There are a lot more regulations than what there were early on when I started," she said.
Heider said she has to meet federal, Department of Health and state guidelines, as well as requirements from the United Way, with which the child care center is affiliated. The most important thing about running a quality child care center, she said, is finding great staffers.
"A quality program has professional, trained staff who put the children first," she said.
Iowa ranks 37th nationally, tied with South Dakota and Arizona, in overall state child care center standards and oversight, according to the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies. Nebraska ranks 50th.
Diane Merchant, director of Apple Tree Preschool & Child Care Center, 3835 Indian Hills Drive, said state child care standards and oversight are improving in Iowa.
She said her staff recently participated in training sessions, including an early childhood environment rating scale class, where they learned about how to provide an environment conducive to the needs of children.
"There are wonderful trainings available in the Siouxland area so that when you pull staff members in, they have the power of knowledge to know how to be good care providers," she said
Merchant said the state's implementation of Quality Rating System and Quality Preschool Program Standards is a step in the right direction for child care center regulation.
Providers who participate in Iowa's Quality Rating System can receive on-site technical assistance as they go through the steps needed to improve their quality of care. They may also be eligible for grants or support.
Iowa' s Quality Preschool Program Standards were developed as a beginning point for child care programs to implement quality standards for early childhood programs to work toward accreditation with National Association for the Education of Young Children program standards and criteria.
"There are definitely some workings in place to encourage facilities to be certain that they are providing the best quality care possible," Merchant said.
16 tips for choosing a day care provider
-- Ask if the child care center is licensed by the state. If the center has a provisional license, ask why.
-- Visit the child care center more than once.
-- Ask about health and safety practices.
-- Talk to other parents. Get references.
-- Ask about the staff's qualifications and training.
-- Find out how many children are there at a time and what ages they are.
-- Ask about staff turnover.
-- Ask if the program is ChildNet certified, accredited or has a Quality Rating System level or plans to become so.
-- Find out whether the staff knows how to do CPR and rescue breathing.
-- Ask how often a substitute care provider will be present.
-- Ask if the program has records proving that the other children in care are up to date on required immunizations.
-- See if such toxic substances as cleaning supplies and pest killers are kept away from children.
-- Ask if playground equipment is inspected regularly.
-- Even after you choose a provider, if you are uncomfortable, ask questions and visit the child care center.
-- Volunteer in the classroom.
-- If your child is unhappy at his or her child care center, find out why.
For help in finding child care providers, call Child Care Resource and Referral of Northwest Iowa at 712-786-3489 or 800-859-2025.
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Jamie Vondrak wrote on Sep 13, 2008 8:29 PM:
To New Sioux City - Building Blocks is opening a new center in the next couple of weeks on the north side. They have a great facility. You can call their Sergeant Bluff location to get info. They take 6 weeks to school age. They have a great program. "
Jamie Vondrak wrote on Sep 13, 2008 8:28 PM:
New Sioux City wrote on Sep 12, 2008 9:28 PM:
I need one that will take newborns and 2yr old.
Thanks for your help! "
LEB wrote on Sep 12, 2008 3:50 PM:
TuesdaysGone wrote on Sep 12, 2008 2:38 PM:
Huh?
Jamie Vondrak, I know you! "