Schools, doctors, counselors and early childhood development programs will usually keep a list of accredited or licensed day and child care facilities in your area. This if often a good place for parents to start making inquiries when first looking for a day care.

Understand that many of the best day cares will not have vacancies for new students or children, so getting your child and children on waiting lists and enrolling them as early as possible is very important . Some day care facilities may ask for a deposit or partial payment to hold your name on the waiting list that is then applied to regular fees when the child is actually enrolled.

Ask for the qualifications of the staff at the day care, not just the qualifications of the director. At the very least staff should have first aide training, some child development classes or ideally credentialing or certification, as well as specific early child education programs or courses.