Child Care You Can Trust

A few months ago, my husband and I took our 22-month-old son to visit a day-care center. We arrived unannounced at a place that my working-mom friends rave about, were graciously welcomed (nice!), asked for photo ID (reassuring!), and given a thorough tour (nothing to hide!). We learned about feeding, naptime, and outdoor play, and when the staffer asked if we had questions, we looked at each other, shrugged, and said "Nope!" It never occurred to me to bring a list of questions, nor would I have even known what to ask. "We spend so much time researching what car to get, where to buy a house, where to go on vacation," says Iris Chin Ponte, Ph.D., director of the Henry Frost Children's Program in Belmont, Massachusetts. "But when it comes to looking for child care, many parents don't know where to start." After reading this guide, you will!