Choosing Childcare for Dummies

Rating:
Summary: Very helpful and reassuring
Review: Choosing Childcare for Dummies spells out exactly what is involved in finding a quality childcare arrangement: how to conduct your search and what types of questions you should be asking a potential childcare provider. The book spells out the pros and cons of in-home childcare arrangements versus out-of-home childcare arrangements so that you can decide what's right for your family. It's a friendly and helpful guide to a sometimes overwhelming subject.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent guide to finding childcare for your child
Review: I recently returned to work after the birth of my baby and, like many first-time parents, I was feeling completely overwhelmed at the thought of leaving my child in the care of a complete stranger. Fortunately, I happened to stumble across a copy of Choosing Childcare for Dummies in the bookstore one day and, having been satisfied with the no-nonsense approach taken by other Dummies' Guides, decided to purchase a copy to help guide me through the process of finding childcare for my child. I'm glad I did because the book proved to be a real lifesaver.

The book is divided into five sections:

- "Part I: Getting Started: Choosing Childcare 101" talks about your various childcare options, what you can expect to pay for in-home vs. out-of-home childcare, and practical tips on how to go about evaluating the quality of a childcare arrangement.

- "Part II: Out-of-Home Childcare: Evaluating the Big Three" tells you how to go about evaluating daycare centers, family day cares, and preschools.

- "Part III: In-Home Childcare: Deciding Whether Nanny or Uncle Danny Can Do the Job" talks about what's involved in hiring an in-home childcare provider such as a nanny or babysitter or a relative (e.g., your rights and responsibilities as an employer).

- "Part IV: Wanted: Part-Time and Occasional Childcare" discusses the challenges of finding part-time or occasional childcare and the importance of having a backup childcare plan so that you aren't left high-and-dry if your regular childcare arrangement falls through.

- "Part V: The Part of Tens" includes ten tips on easing your child into a new child-care arrangement, ten ways to feel connected to your child's daycare "family," ten signs that your childcare arrangement is in trouble, and ten childcare resources and organizations that every working parent will want to know about.

The book includes numerous charts and checklists and like all Dummies' Guides is written in a very friendly and readable style. This particular Dummies' Guide is written by Ann Douglas, author of The Mother of All Pregnancy Books and numerous other books on pregnancy and parenting.