It’s always a good idea to visit several childcare providers before making a decision about who will be providing care for your child and equally important to prepare some questions for your visit.

Some questions you might consider are:

• How many children do you care for?
• What is the age range of the children?
• What is the daily routine?
• Can I see copies of your policies and procedures?
• Can I speak to a parent whose child has been attending for some time?
• What type of facilities/activities do you provide?
• Can I see previous OFSTED reports?

All childcare providers should have clear policies on safeguarding, health and safety, accidents, equal opportunities, how they deal with complaints as well as clear procedures stating the working practices of the staff and reporting procedures.

You can use all of the above information to compare childcare provider with another. This will help you to make a more informed choice about where to place your child.

Once you feel happy with a particular childcare provider you can also arrange to have a settling period for your child. This is where you attend with your child when there are other children around. This will be helpful for you and your child to get familiar with the new carer and the childcare environment.

Read some of the Advantages of choosing a Childminder.