S2E13: Making the Right Choice for Your Family- Selecting Childcare
Nebraska Extension Early Childhood Program Area-Emily Manning, Dr. Holly Hatton, Ingrid Lindal, Erin Kampbell, Linda Reddish, Katie Krause, and LaDonna Werth
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04/15/2025
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This episode delves into the essentials of selecting quality childcare. Emily Manning is joined by Nebraska Extension colleagues Lisa Poppe and Katie Krause, as they explore what constitutes quality care, its importance in early childhood, and the challenges parents face in finding suitable options. The discussion includes insights into the Nebraska Step Up to Quality rating system and various resources from the UNL Extension designed to assist parents in making informed decisions about childcare. Both professional expertise and personal anecdotes highlight the key considerations for ensuring children receive safe, nurturing, and developmentally supportive care.
Resources:
Selecting Quality Care- https://child.unl.edu/quality-child-care/
Checklist- https://child.unl.edu/ianr/extension/early-childhood-development/sites/unl.edu.ianr.extension.early-childhood-development/files/media/file/childcare-checklists.pdf
Step Up to Quality: https://stepuptoquality.ne.gov/
Buffett Early Childhood Institute: https://buffettinstitute.nebraska.edu/about-us/early-childhood-in-nebraska
The following music was used for this media project: Music: Afterparty Review by Sascha Ende Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/2962-afterparty-review License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license "Wholesome" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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- [00:00:00.000]This is The Good Life in Early Life, a production of Nebraska Extension. I'm your host, Emily
- [00:00:10.440]Manning, an Early Childhood Extension Educator in Seward County. Today, our discussion is
- [00:00:15.820]going to center around what is quality care in early childhood and what are some tips
- [00:00:19.940]and strategies for parents and caregivers who are selecting child care and how can they
- [00:00:24.800]find what's right for them. So for this topic today, I've pulled two of my wonderful colleagues,
- [00:00:31.240]Lisa Poppe and Katie Krause, to talk to us about this topic today. So I'm going to have
- [00:00:36.180]them introduce themselves, share where they're located at and the areas they focus on. So
- [00:00:41.600]Lisa, why don't you start with sharing a little bit about yourself?
- [00:00:44.520]My name is Lisa Poppe. I'm an Early Childhood Educator with the University of Nebraska,
- [00:00:50.020]Nebraska Extension. I focus a lot on the social and emotional well-being.
- [00:00:54.780]I teach a lot of classes revolving around that topic. I'm located in Fremont, Nebraska,
- [00:01:01.580]and I serve a lot of those counties around Dodge County, but also do some online trainings as well
- [00:01:08.480]across the state. Wonderful. Thanks, Lisa. And I think I understand correctly that you are part
- [00:01:15.280]of our early childhood team who developed some tools and resources for parents. You want to
- [00:01:20.480]talk a little bit about that work before we move on to Katie?
- [00:01:22.980]Yeah. So I'm a Early Childhood Educator.
- [00:01:24.760]We have developed a lot of tools and resources for parents when it comes to this particular topic of
- [00:01:31.080]selecting quality child care. We have a website that we will talk a little bit about and the
- [00:01:37.600]basics of what you should be looking for when it comes to quality child care. Great. Really looking
- [00:01:44.180]forward to diving into that a little bit more later on in this episode. And Katie, you've been
- [00:01:48.340]on before, but tell us a little bit about yourself and where you're located and maybe how your knowledge
- [00:01:54.740]relates to this topic. Yeah, sure. So hi, I'm Katie Krause. I work out of the Douglas-Sarpy
- [00:02:00.240]office. Just like Emily and Lisa, I work for Nebraska Extension as an Early Childhood Extension
- [00:02:05.120]Educator. My areas of specialization are nature-based learning and what I would consider
- [00:02:10.540]to be pedagogy. So like the way we interact with young children and following best practices.
- [00:02:15.320]But today I think I'm here as a parent expert because I have three children that currently
- [00:02:21.160]utilize child care in some form. I have a
- [00:02:24.720]just-turned-eight-year-old that attends after-school care and summer care. I have a five-year-old
- [00:02:30.800]that attends an in-home child care program. And I have a just-turned-16-month-old that
- [00:02:36.500]attends a center here in our community. So we access three different types of child care
- [00:02:41.320]on a daily basis with our family in the Omaha area.
- [00:02:44.620]Wonderful. I love that you're going to be bringing professional and personal experience
- [00:02:48.580]to this topic today. So let's start off with a fun question. What type of care did you have
- [00:02:54.700]as a young child and what are some of your favorite memories or some fun memories from
- [00:03:01.120]that type of care?
- [00:03:02.280]So I was in a child care center in Lincoln, actually. So up until the time that I started
- [00:03:10.460]school. And I think what I remember the most is the dramatic play area. I loved how the
- [00:03:17.520]child care providers set that up in different ways. So whether it was a vet clinic or it
- [00:03:24.680]was a bakery or whatever it was, a fire station. I loved pretending and getting along with
- [00:03:31.780]or not getting along with some of the people in that particular area. But we could play
- [00:03:36.920]for hours. We could play literally for hours in there. And so I think that's some of the
- [00:03:40.820]fond memories that I have of child care.
- [00:03:42.920]Katie, how about you?
- [00:03:45.580]Yeah, sure. So I, you know, my mom was pretty fortunate when we were little that we were
- [00:03:50.920]able to do a mixture of kind of traditional programming.
- [00:03:54.660]And then also familial care.
- [00:03:56.680]So my grandparents live right next door.
- [00:03:58.280]So I never had to go to after school care.
- [00:04:00.460]My grandparents were right next door for me through my school age years.
- [00:04:03.300]I went to Montessori early preschool and preschool.
- [00:04:06.000]So I started there when I was two.
- [00:04:07.640]I have lots of memories of my time in Montessori school.
- [00:04:10.780]And I remember just playing.
- [00:04:12.460]And I remember my teachers really well.
- [00:04:14.960]But I only really remember them at like our morning meeting time.
- [00:04:18.580]And other than that, I just don't even remember them like being around, which is ironic because that's
- [00:04:24.640]how we know children learn best through play.
- [00:04:26.820]So that was what my memories are.
- [00:04:28.480]And I always wonder how those experiences might have shaped my own interests in this
- [00:04:33.500]probably childhood world.
- [00:04:34.360]That seems likely that it may have influenced your interests for sure.
- [00:04:37.860]Yeah.
- [00:04:38.620]I also, like Lisa, went to a child care center in Crete, Nebraska, growing up.
- [00:04:44.920]And I think I have a lot of fond memories from that center.
- [00:04:48.460]I think it was a really positive quality place.
- [00:04:50.640]But also like Katie, I just remember a lot of the times playing with the other kids.
- [00:04:54.620]And a lot of the play that we came up out of our own imaginations,
- [00:05:00.440]like pretending to be wizards and magicians and
- [00:05:03.300]all kinds of stuff that we could think of in our own imaginary world.
- [00:05:07.720]So just really enjoyed that experience at that center.
- [00:05:11.160]So again, today, our discussion is going to center around quality care
- [00:05:15.960]in early childhood and some tips and strategies for how to find that or how to select child care.
- [00:05:22.320]I did want to start off with a little clarification
- [00:05:24.600]of the term quality and how it is used within the field of early childhood,
- [00:05:29.340]because I think that the term quality could mean different things to people.
- [00:05:33.360]So does this mean that a place that is reliably open every day?
- [00:05:37.040]Does it mean a place that has evidence-based early childhood curriculum?
- [00:05:40.260]Is it a place that I can trust leaving my child in their care every day?
- [00:05:44.700]So I think, you know, that term quality could get mixed up with some of those things.
- [00:05:49.300]So I did want to provide some clarification.
- [00:05:50.960]For the purpose of this episode, these are the characteristics
- [00:05:54.580]that we are referring to when we are saying quality care in early childhood.
- [00:05:59.220]We are looking at nurturing supportive adult-child and family relationships,
- [00:06:04.840]looking for safe, stimulating physical environments,
- [00:06:09.480]frequent one-on-one language-rich adult-child interactions.
- [00:06:15.180]So those interactions between the teacher and the child in the classroom.
- [00:06:18.720]Opportunities for children to explore and learn across a variety of developmental
- [00:06:24.560]domains, such as cognitive, language, emotional, social, and physical,
- [00:06:29.280]and then adult behaviors that are sensitive to the individual and cultural needs of young children
- [00:06:35.040]and their families. So those are some of the qualities that refer to quality in early care
- [00:06:40.280]and education. I also wanted to add in, too, that for a lot of families in Nebraska, relying on care
- [00:06:47.140]outside of the home is an economic reality. In Nebraska, 72% of children under the age of six
- [00:06:54.540]live in homes where all adults work. So we know that a lot of families are going to be relying on
- [00:07:00.980]care, and that's just an economic reality for those folks. We want to make sure that parents
- [00:07:05.780]feel like their children are in a safe place, that they're receiving quality care, because that helps
- [00:07:11.500]them feel like they can go and do their jobs and let go of that stress and anxiety as well.
- [00:07:17.540]So my first question for my guests related to this topic is, what makes quality care so important in
- [00:07:24.520]childhood? And why does it matter? Okay, I can go ahead. The early years in your child's life
- [00:07:30.380]are really some of the most important ones, because we know that approximately 90% of a
- [00:07:36.380]child's brain development occurs in the first five years of life. So how important it is for
- [00:07:41.440]that high quality care early in life. Birth to age five is very, very important. When a child has
- [00:07:48.460]high quality care, we know that it's linked to that progress in school, as well as a decrease
- [00:07:54.500]in negative behavior. That's why it's so important for us to have our children in a quality care
- [00:08:01.540]sector or home or whatever it is that a family decides, because those early years are important.
- [00:08:07.720]Thanks, Lisa. Katie, is there anything you want to add for this question?
- [00:08:10.880]Yeah, I think too, just from the parent perspective, it's a place that you want
- [00:08:16.540]to be able to drop your child off and know that they're going to be better off
- [00:08:24.480]when they get back, when they come back to you. So there's kind of this joke I hear sometimes
- [00:08:30.200]about like, I just want my child to be somewhere where I know they're going to come back, not hurt.
- [00:08:34.120]And that's a sad reality for some of our families. But for me, a quality program is really somewhere,
- [00:08:40.140]like I'll give today's a great example. My son, if we pick him up early from after school care,
- [00:08:44.220]he cries and gets mad at us because we know they're in these quality places where they've
- [00:08:48.960]got these great relationships with their teachers and they do amazing, fun things all day long.
- [00:08:53.360]And we know their lives.
- [00:08:54.480]They're learning and growing.
- [00:08:55.040]And I feel zero guilt.
- [00:08:57.200]You know, if I want to go get some shopping done after work before I pick them up,
- [00:09:01.740]I know they might be happier staying at school for an extra 45 minutes than getting
- [00:09:06.420]drug around with mom to the store.
- [00:09:08.180]So that to me is quality, that faith and that trust in the people that
- [00:09:12.600]take care of our youngest babies every day.
- [00:09:15.020]Thanks, Katie.
- [00:09:16.180]So for you framing it in a way, it's like I want something that adds value.
- [00:09:20.100]I want something that adds extra to what's going on in my family environment.
- [00:09:25.400]Now let's talk about how to find that quality care or find that care that makes
- [00:09:30.680]parents and caregivers feel safe and secure when they drop those kiddos off.
- [00:09:34.880]What are some challenges that parents and caregivers may face when they're trying to find
- [00:09:40.460]or decide on their care options?
- [00:09:42.960]Sure, I can go first on this one.
- [00:09:44.660]So starting off with like, you know, you find out you're pregnant.
- [00:09:48.080]Since I'm in the early childhood industry, I know how things go.
- [00:09:51.800]So the day my husband and I decided,
- [00:09:54.420]like we think we'd like to maybe start to try starting to have a family,
- [00:09:57.620]we were touring places and on wait lists
- [00:10:00.140]because some of the highest quality places in our area
- [00:10:03.740]and also anywhere that there's child care shortages,
- [00:10:07.280]you could be on a wait list for an infant spot
- [00:10:10.540]longer than your baby is an infant.
- [00:10:12.000]So we got on lists right away.
- [00:10:14.420]The research says, too, that the biggest deciding factors
- [00:10:18.540]for families are cost and proximity.
- [00:10:20.920]And I will also say that that was a huge thing
- [00:10:24.400]for our family.
- [00:10:25.020]We started our son off at a really great program
- [00:10:27.760]that was close to where my husband worked
- [00:10:29.480]because my husband, he had a very consistent work schedule,
- [00:10:32.200]you know, eight to five every single day.
- [00:10:34.480]So it worked great.
- [00:10:35.480]He could take our baby to school.
- [00:10:37.020]But then my husband got a new job
- [00:10:38.560]and we loved our program so much.
- [00:10:40.140]We were driving 25 minutes each way to still take him there.
- [00:10:43.480]So that lasted about six more months.
- [00:10:45.580]And we're like, we cannot do this.
- [00:10:46.760]Like, we love this program, but I cannot spend,
- [00:10:48.820]you know, I was spending an hour and a half on the road
- [00:10:51.380]every day out of the way trying to get Weston
- [00:10:54.220]to work.
- [00:10:54.380]So for us at Proximity, the proximity is a huge issue.
- [00:10:58.220]And now our sweet baby is in a program that is like
- [00:11:00.960]a three minute drive from our house.
- [00:11:02.540]But we have an in-home person that is like family to us.
- [00:11:05.520]So this fall, when our five-year-old leaves her spot
- [00:11:08.760]at the in-home and our baby is old enough,
- [00:11:10.740]she only takes toddlers and older.
- [00:11:12.400]So when our baby's old enough to meet the age requirements
- [00:11:15.440]for in-home, we're going to actually leave the closed
- [00:11:17.580]program that we love so much to be with our in-home
- [00:11:20.500]provider just because of that relationship we've had
- [00:11:22.560]for so many years.
- [00:11:23.400]But even she's only two years old.
- [00:11:24.360]So it's that far.
- [00:11:26.060]But yeah, it definitely is cost and proximity, right?
- [00:11:29.920]Other things that I find to be a challenge is
- [00:11:34.260]like our in-home is amazing and we love her so much.
- [00:11:37.460]But if she's sick, she's closed, right?
- [00:11:41.340]So, or she's a type two home.
- [00:11:43.880]So she can have 12 kids with two adults.
- [00:11:45.740]So if one of the teachers is sick,
- [00:11:47.820]maybe they often don't have to ask four kids
- [00:11:50.300]to stay home that day.
- [00:11:51.240]So there's definitely some flexibility needed
- [00:11:54.340]depending upon what type of in-home program
- [00:11:56.540]you might be in.
- [00:11:57.320]Because unlike a center where pretty rare
- [00:12:00.440]for a center to close down for illness,
- [00:12:02.560]unless it's a pretty bad thing going around,
- [00:12:04.480]you know, snow days, that kind of stuff,
- [00:12:06.300]sometimes centers will close down.
- [00:12:07.680]But centers are a little bit more consistent care,
- [00:12:10.720]no matter what might be going on
- [00:12:12.440]with the individual staff member.
- [00:12:14.000]But then again, I love continuity of care.
- [00:12:16.980]So that's the idea of the same caregiver
- [00:12:18.920]for an extended period of time.
- [00:12:20.720]We are insanely fortunate in our childcare
- [00:12:24.320]center, they do continuity of care
- [00:12:26.340]with mixed age groups, which is extremely rare,
- [00:12:28.900]which is part of the reason we chose that program.
- [00:12:30.820]And that's really important to me.
- [00:12:31.920]So that's, again, why the in-home program
- [00:12:33.540]really made sense for our family.
- [00:12:35.000]Because yeah, their family is a second family
- [00:12:37.520]to our kids.
- [00:12:38.160]So, but yeah, I could say it's hard.
- [00:12:40.860]And I think, you know, the challenge is too,
- [00:12:43.520]like I said, when people move
- [00:12:44.760]and then in center-based care,
- [00:12:46.160]we had a really rough time for a little while
- [00:12:47.920]because teachers, I've had teacher leave
- [00:12:50.220]that we really had a good connection with.
- [00:12:52.080]And that was really hard because center
- [00:12:54.300]have lots of advantages,
- [00:12:55.340]but a disadvantage is there's some turnover.
- [00:12:57.320]So, and then we had other great teachers there as well.
- [00:13:00.460]But, you know, those transitions can be hard
- [00:13:02.960]for kids and for families.
- [00:13:04.660]So I appreciate you talking about
- [00:13:07.260]kind of the structure
- [00:13:08.020]and what you're looking for
- [00:13:09.780]in the child care you were looking for
- [00:13:12.680]when you were searching for your options.
- [00:13:14.040]I also like how you brought up proximity and cost
- [00:13:17.260]as kind of the two deciding factors for parents.
- [00:13:20.200]And I have some statistics to support
- [00:13:22.540]what Nebraskans are thinking
- [00:13:24.280]about child care and its availability and its cost.
- [00:13:28.280]So very few Nebraskans believe
- [00:13:31.680]that child care is affordable.
- [00:13:33.340]Only 6% say they agree
- [00:13:36.540]that child care is affordable in Nebraska.
- [00:13:38.820]So we know that this is an issue
- [00:13:40.440]for many families across the state.
- [00:13:43.040]Additionally, very few Nebraskans agree
- [00:13:47.080]that quality care and education
- [00:13:49.300]is available to every family in the state.
- [00:13:52.340]So only 11% agree
- [00:13:54.260]that that quality early care is available.
- [00:13:57.800]So we know that this is an issue.
- [00:13:59.940]So that in itself is really big barriers for families
- [00:14:04.040]when they're trying to find care options in Nebraska.
- [00:14:07.340]So if this is something that is impacting you,
- [00:14:09.760]if you're currently looking for options,
- [00:14:11.500]I think it's helpful to know that you're not alone.
- [00:14:14.920]Katie, you wanna jump back in?
- [00:14:16.460]Yeah, I was gonna say too,
- [00:14:17.820]so we spend almost $700 a week,
- [00:14:22.620]just a little shy of $700.
- [00:14:24.240]We spend almost $700 a week for our care for our three kids.
- [00:14:25.740]None of our programs are at the top of the market either.
- [00:14:28.800]So I think that's a misconception sometimes too,
- [00:14:31.480]that price equates quality.
- [00:14:33.080]I would say maybe if you feel like you're getting
- [00:14:36.040]a heck of a deal, maybe check into things a little bit more,
- [00:14:39.040]but quality and cost are not always related,
- [00:14:42.040]but it definitely might be.
- [00:14:44.200]Thinking about things like what teacher ratio
- [00:14:46.320]they might be running,
- [00:14:46.980]they might have extra staff on to have a lower ratio,
- [00:14:49.300]which we know is an indicator of quality.
- [00:14:51.000]Thinking about education of staff, right?
- [00:14:53.780]So we...
- [00:14:54.240]We like to have...
- [00:14:55.360]Not always necessarily degrees,
- [00:14:56.920]but if they're doing a lot of professional development,
- [00:14:58.580]you know, there's a lot of costs that go in to childcare.
- [00:15:02.580]It is not a lucrative business model.
- [00:15:04.740]model at all. So yeah, and it is mostly privately funded by tuition. Thanks for being so transparent
- [00:15:12.100]about your personal finances and expenses. I know not everyone is comfortable sharing that,
- [00:15:16.560]so I appreciate that transparency with other families. Lisa, did you want to share anything
- [00:15:20.920]on this question, like challenges that parents and caregivers may face? Yeah, you know, just like Katie
- [00:15:27.320]has said, that's what we hear all the time from parents is that Nebraska needs more affordable,
- [00:15:33.300]quality child care. And, you know, the state really is in a child care crisis. It's a major
- [00:15:39.240]challenge that affects families. And ultimately, it also affects the workforce. And then from that,
- [00:15:45.800]it affects the economy, right? So what we do know is child care providers are the workforce behind
- [00:15:51.020]the workforce. Without them, parents can't go to work, right? So, you know, and it affects,
- [00:15:56.340]like Katie is in a more of an urban setting, but it really is affecting those rural Nebraska
- [00:16:01.860]communities where there really is a shortage. In fact, we know that nine counties have zero
- [00:16:09.480]child care capacity. So nine counties in Nebraska are classified as child care deserts.
- [00:16:15.480]So that is another big issue and a challenge that families face. For some, Nebraska's child
- [00:16:22.340]care can be a huge area of concern, whether it's because of cost or the quality or the
- [00:16:28.820]well-being of children, but just the lack of it.
- [00:16:31.700]Yeah, Lisa, a lot of my work is creating nature-based outdoor play environments for young
- [00:16:35.320]children. And we get to work with a lot of rural Nebraska programs through that initiative. And
- [00:16:40.160]I'm working with one right now. It's a small community. This is a story many of our small
- [00:16:46.000]communities have had. There's been a huge decrease in the number of in-home providers,
- [00:16:50.280]which are the primary way that our rural communities receive care. A lot of them depend
- [00:16:56.160]on in-home child providers or family child care, different terminology for the same thing. And they
- [00:17:01.540]had an in-home, I think it was a type two, so they could have 12 kids, that was like, I'm retiring.
- [00:17:06.080]And she gave them a little bit of a heads up, but not a lot. And there were no other people
- [00:17:10.460]that were interested in stepping up and opening an in-home in their community. They are doing
- [00:17:15.780]some renovations at the hospital nearby, and they are going to be adding community-based child care
- [00:17:20.880]in some unused space within their hospital. And yeah, and it was like, I was talking to some of
- [00:17:24.960]the people on that team, we have people driving, like, I mean, I'm complaining about 25 minutes,
- [00:17:29.140]you know, each way, so like an hour and a half a day.
- [00:17:31.380]There's people driving, you know, at some point, it's like, it's even worth working,
- [00:17:36.680]right? By the time you add, if you're driving 45 minutes each day, maybe not even on your way to
- [00:17:42.280]work or past, you know, where you might be needing to go, you know, and then you look at how much it
- [00:17:46.320]costs and what your salary is, at some point, a lot of families are like, it's not really worth us
- [00:17:50.520]working, right? And we already know Nebraska also has a super low unemployment rate,
- [00:17:55.420]and we really need these families to be working and helping out the rest of their economy as well.
- [00:18:01.220]It's pretty wild to see that there's just no care at all.
- [00:18:04.440]Yeah, thanks for sharing, Lisa and Katie, on that topic. I think let's move into now,
- [00:18:10.100]what would you recommend that parents and caregivers look for when they're trying to
- [00:18:14.260]select quality child care? And I think just for the sake of our discussion here, we'll just kind
- [00:18:19.660]of ignore all the challenges and barriers and just pretend that there's unlimited access
- [00:18:25.020]and lots of options in every community. And so we can say kind of like what, you know,
- [00:18:31.060]that top quality that you should be looking for if you have tons of choices. And I'm also
- [00:18:36.980]going to blend in, like, maybe you can also share some UNL resources or extension resources
- [00:18:42.120]that could help parents with identifying this quality care. Would anybody like to start
- [00:18:48.420]first with how we can select quality care? So UNL Extension and the team of early childhood
- [00:18:56.000]educators that we have here has developed resources for families to use when
- [00:19:00.900]selecting child care. So again, as Emily said, we want to focus on what's out there and how
- [00:19:06.620]families can best do what they can for their family because every situation is different,
- [00:19:12.000]right? We have a website called child.unl.edu. And on the site, there's a section called quality
- [00:19:18.960]child care. This site highlights five basic areas of quality child care. It's relationships. And
- [00:19:25.300]when I'm talking relationships, I'm talking about the relationship between not only the child
- [00:19:30.740]care and the child or the child care provider and the child, but also the child care provider
- [00:19:35.840]and the parent and the child care provider with other staff members. So all of those relationships
- [00:19:41.620]are important. It also highlights health and safety. Again, like Katie said, that's the number
- [00:19:47.720]one thing is that we want our kids to be safe, right? When we pick them up, we want everything,
- [00:19:51.660]their days to be well and them to be safe. And then there's curriculum,
- [00:19:55.160]learning environment and policies and administration. So each one of these areas,
- [00:20:00.580]really outlines what you should look for when you're selecting childcare. So we also want you
- [00:20:06.260]to prioritize what matters most for you. Because again, every family is different. Everybody has
- [00:20:13.500]different priorities. So what's great about this site is there is a downloadable checklist for each
- [00:20:20.220]area that you can take with you when you're visiting these childcare centers or family
- [00:20:25.480]homes or wherever it is. So for example, under the curriculum section, there are questions
- [00:20:30.420]like, what is your daily routine with the children and how do you plan for an individual child's
- [00:20:36.040]needs? Or maybe a question would be, how will my child's learning and cultural be supported?
- [00:20:41.360]And then under the section for relationships, like we were talking about, a great question is,
- [00:20:47.140]how will you help me with my child's initial adjustment to your childcare?
- [00:20:51.080]So there's all these questions that you can ask as you're visiting.
- [00:20:56.640]Because sometimes we don't know what we don't know, right? So,
- [00:21:00.260]we want to make sure that we give you as much information as you can when you're seeking
- [00:21:05.540]the childcare for your family. And we also have the Childcare Essentials Guide that is also
- [00:21:11.380]downloadable on our site. And this really breaks down the selection of childcare into age-specific
- [00:21:17.320]information. So, like for Katie, she has two children that are in childcare at different ages,
- [00:21:22.940]so she could look up if she has an infant, what that particular age group and what specific
- [00:21:28.840]questions to that age group. And so, we want to make sure that we give you as much information
- [00:21:30.100]that she could ask for the childcare provider. So, there's lots of great resources there and tips
- [00:21:36.900]that families can go to to help them select which childcare is best for their family.
- [00:21:42.880]Thanks, Lisa, for explaining what we have available. I really like the checklist. I
- [00:21:47.660]think it's a great starting point for families when they're going to start
- [00:21:50.560]touring different places to help them think of questions to ask. It could also help them
- [00:21:55.540]identify what's the most important to them as well, their family values,
- [00:21:59.940]so I really encourage listeners to check that out, and we'll make sure to link that in the
- [00:22:04.140]show notes for you all. Katie, you want to chime in? Sure. So I was lucky because as I work in
- [00:22:09.800]this industry, I knew a lot of the programs that are available to our family location-wise
- [00:22:14.540]before we even had children, but for us, it was interesting. One of the best bits of advice that
- [00:22:19.680]we got was from a friend of mine also in the childhood world, and when she found out I was
- [00:22:25.600]pregnant, she was like, oh, how's your search going? I said, oh, it's stressful because when
- [00:22:29.780]you know a lot, you know all the great things to look for and all the not-so-great things to look
- [00:22:34.280]for. She said, you know what, Katie? You are never going to find care that's going to provide the
- [00:22:40.200]same care for your baby that you would provide. You're not. The only way you're going to do that
- [00:22:45.900]is if you quit your job and stay home. You're not going to find exactly what you need. She said,
- [00:22:51.580]find someone that complements what you guys do. In that way, and you kind of mentioned
- [00:22:59.620]I think earlier, right? But it's like they're adding, like they align with our values,
- [00:23:03.500]but they're actually like adding value to what our children would get on a daily basis.
- [00:23:08.540]So outside time, of course, is hugely important to me because even though I love outside,
- [00:23:14.140]I'm a nature lady to a lot of my friends and colleagues. By the time I get home,
- [00:23:17.760]make dinner, kids get out, you know, especially in the winter, there is no outside time in our
- [00:23:21.920]house in the evenings, in the winter, because it's dark before I even get the kids home from
- [00:23:26.780]school a lot of days. For us, things like outside time are really
- [00:23:29.460]important. A big thing for us was turnover, teacher turnover and center-based care.
- [00:23:33.740]So how long were teachers there for? And then, of course, the curriculum that they use,
- [00:23:38.120]an emergent play-based curriculum was extremely important to me, you know, as we looked at that.
- [00:23:43.560]But yeah, that advice, though, of like, you're not going to find exactly what you're going to do,
- [00:23:47.580]but to really embrace the differences that they might bring, you know, to the experience. And
- [00:23:53.940]it has been great for our family. And we definitely see lots of benefits. You know,
- [00:23:58.240]things that our kids are like,
- [00:23:59.300]where'd you learn that from? Right? And you're like, oh, you learned it at school. And that's
- [00:24:02.940]something I probably wouldn't have thought to teach you, you know, in school does. So those
- [00:24:07.040]are really fun experiences and fun to see how your kids are learning so many wonderful things
- [00:24:11.740]and then how they kind of pop up in daily life all the time. Thanks, Katie. Thanks for sharing
- [00:24:16.660]your personal experience with selecting child care. I do want to mention that with Nebraska
- [00:24:21.080]Extension and UNL, we are not going to specifically recommend a certain type of care. Whatever works
- [00:24:29.140]for your family and your child is what works best for you. And that's what we would like you
- [00:24:33.540]to do is what you feel comfortable with. Of course, there are research-based practices
- [00:24:39.260]that we know supports quality and we know supports a child's development over time.
- [00:24:44.660]And you can kind of find that within our guides. But again, that's for you to look over and make
- [00:24:49.840]decisions based on your own circumstances and your own family values and what's available to
- [00:24:55.380]you within your community. We're getting towards the end of our episode.
- [00:24:58.980]So as we're wrapping up, I did want to mention one other resource that is available to parents
- [00:25:03.260]that has been developed here in Nebraska. And that's called Step Up to Quality Nebraska. And
- [00:25:08.680]that comes from our Nebraska Department of Education has developed this rating system
- [00:25:14.340]for early childhood programs in Nebraska. It's on a scale of one to five, five being the far
- [00:25:22.400]exceeding quality standards. And one is just kind of starting out on their quality journey.
- [00:25:26.540]And they are rating them.
- [00:25:28.820]On curriculum, learning environments, teacher-child interactions, child outcomes,
- [00:25:33.700]professional development and training, family engagement and partnerships, and program
- [00:25:38.840]administrations. And so, you know, families and caregivers can go to Step Up to Quality's website
- [00:25:44.960]and look up programs that are enrolled in the Step Up to Quality program. I do believe that it's
- [00:25:50.240]voluntary to participate in this program. But I also want to note that some programs might be
- [00:25:58.660]like they might have just gotten enrolled and so they might be on a Step 1, but that doesn't
- [00:26:03.580]necessarily mean that their quality is low. Like it could still be a place that is valuable and
- [00:26:10.240]you could feel safe sending your kid to. So even if it is rated at a 1, just remember,
- [00:26:15.300]maybe they're just starting out with Step Up to Quality. So you might still want to check it out
- [00:26:19.740]and kind of have those conversations with the staff and with the directors or with whoever
- [00:26:24.620]owns the business to kind of get a better understanding and feel for yourself
- [00:26:28.500]Katie, want to chime in? Yeah, just I like to think of it as a step above. So licensing is like
- [00:26:35.900]the bare minimum required to be legally operating. Extremely important that if you're in a that your
- [00:26:43.300]program is licensed, if it has to be in-home programs that have three or less children do not
- [00:26:48.580]have to be licensed. So those are things to check on. If they only have two babies, then they wouldn't
- [00:26:53.620]need to be licensed. But that's, again, like the bare minimum for health and safety to be legally
- [00:26:58.340]operating a child care program in Nebraska with a certain number of children. But Step Up to Quality
- [00:27:03.740]is a step above, right? So this program is showing that they're going not only meeting the requirements,
- [00:27:07.860]but they're going a step above, you know, and there's multiple steps that they go. And they
- [00:27:12.580]can't go from zero to five. There's a process they have to go through, like Emily said. So if it is a
- [00:27:17.320]one, it doesn't mean that they're not moving towards a five one day or, you know, whatever
- [00:27:21.260]it might be. There's all kinds of, it's a complex system and it's great and it's a really helpful
- [00:27:25.020]thing. Our in-home provider was one of the first Step Five in-home
- [00:27:28.180]providers in the state and she just got re-rated this year. One of our kids is in a program that
- [00:27:32.120]isn't rated at all right now because they're a newer program and they just aren't that far
- [00:27:35.580]along in their journey to be able to work on additional work and stuff. But they're both
- [00:27:41.640]great programs and one's five and one's not in the system. But it is a great place to start when
- [00:27:46.800]you're looking for something. Yeah, really an indication of a commitment to quality if they're
- [00:27:52.580]enrolled in the program. And I think Katie did have an important note, like it is a helpful tool for
- [00:27:58.020]you. You got to just remember some of those caveats or some of those circumstances. Still
- [00:28:02.400]important tool, still really helpful for parents and caregivers to look and see where the program
- [00:28:06.820]is at. But don't completely rule someone out because they're on a one. Step one.
- [00:28:11.920]Lisa, did you want to chime in? Yeah, I just wanted to say that this is a really exciting
- [00:28:16.640]time for families and parents. You know, when you walk into a child care program to visit,
- [00:28:23.140]you should feel welcome. You should have this good feeling in your stomach,
- [00:28:28.080]in your heart that this is the place for my child. And I just want people to understand
- [00:28:32.000]that it's a great time of your life. There's lots of great child care centers and family homes and
- [00:28:37.660]all kinds of child care programs out there. So good luck to everybody.
- [00:28:41.900]Thank you, Lisa. I think that's such an encouraging and positive way to leave this
- [00:28:45.880]episode. So I'm going to end it here. Thank you, Lisa, for sharing all of your expertise. And thank
- [00:28:51.660]you, Katie, for sharing your personal experiences and diving into some of these resources. Thank
- [00:28:56.900]you both for your time.
- [00:28:57.940]And efforts today. Thank you. It's been great. Thanks so much, Emily. Thanks, Lisa.
- [00:29:02.480]Next, let's hear from some young Nebraskans.
- [00:29:06.260]What do you love most about your classroom or your teacher?
- [00:29:10.620]I can't remember.
- [00:29:11.940]Do you have a favorite teacher?
- [00:29:14.420]Chelsea.
- [00:29:17.740]Chelsea. She's your favorite. What does Chelsea do that makes her so special?
- [00:29:22.680]She she tricks us.
- [00:29:25.780]She tricks you.
- [00:29:27.200]How does she trick?
- [00:29:27.920]She tricks you.
- [00:29:28.240]So we're tricking her. We put baths in her office.
- [00:29:31.320]Can you say that one more time?
- [00:29:32.360]We put baths in her office.
- [00:29:34.300]Oh no!
- [00:29:35.160]This has been another episode of The Good Life in Early Life, a Nebraska Extension early
- [00:29:42.640]childhood production with your host, Emily Manning. For more information on early childhood,
- [00:29:47.080]check out our website at child.unl.edu. If you like the show, subscribe and tell your
- [00:29:52.480]friends to listen. The show production team is Emily Manning, Dr. Holly Hatton, Erin Kampbell,
- [00:29:57.900]Ingrid Lindal, Linda Reddish, Kim Wellsandt, LaDonna Werth, and Katie Krause.
- [00:30:02.700]See you next time and thanks for listening. Bye-bye.
- [00:30:06.120]Bye.
- [00:30:06.160]♪♪♪
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