The hard work is done. You have narrowed down your options, crunched the numbers, interviewed your candidates and settled on a child care provider. But it’s important to continue to manage and evaluate the provider to ensure a good fit with your child’s needs.
Don’t forget that your child is an integral part of the equation. Be sure to include them in a discussion if they’re old enough and able to understand the situation. If it all seems to be going well from the point of view of a caregiver’s skills and experience, but your child says there are issues with the caregiver then something isn’t right. Making a great care match is always about creating a rewarding relationship for both of them.
In addition to the basics of evaluating and managing your babysitter, nanny, or day care center, the following are important issues to monitor:
Center logistics
Have any structural accommodations discussed during the interview been made to accommodate your child’s physical disability? If not, what is the timeline to implement the changes?
Teacher interaction
Does your provider interact with your child in a positive and creative way? Do you feel that he/she is helping to nurture your child’s special needs and gifts through developmentally-appropriate activities? Are you happy with the way that they handle separation, power struggles, etc.?
Individual needs
Has the provider undergone training for special skills to help them best care for your child with special needs, as discussed in the interview? Have they implemented specific learning plans that were discussed and agreed upon previously?
External services
If external services such as speech or physical therapy have been required, has the child care provider helped integrate these services into your child’s daily routine?
Communication and follow through
Does your care provider recount how the day went when you arrive? Do they follow through on concerns you may have regarding care? If there are issues related to your child’s special needs, do they communicate about them in a timely manner, and with sensitivity and compassion?
Your child’s response
Observing your child’s response to the child care provider will provide important information, particularly at the pre-verbal stage. Does your child seem happy and excited to see your child care provider or have you noticed negative behavioral changes (e.g., withdrawn, more sensitive) since starting with the child care provider? Do you feel that your child is thriving and responding to the level of care and attention to his or her special needs?
Christine Koh is a music and brain scientist turned parent and writer about parenting issues for Care.com. She is also the editor of BostonMamas.com .
