How to find Quality Rated child care for your family

This post is sponsored by Everywhere Agency on behalf of GEEARS: Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students. However, all thoughts are my own.

There’s an old saying that goes, “Good help is hard to find.”  Here’s my remix on that quote, “Good help is easy to find when you know where to look!”  And let’s face it, parents.  From birth, we will search high and low to find out what we need for our children.  Everything from the right car seat to the right pediatrician.  Oftentimes, seeking out an expert opinion to help with these decisions.

One of the most difficult decisions I have ever had to make as a parent was selecting the right child care program for my first born son, then repeating the process with our second son.  Each time, the process was daunting.  On the threshold of the end of maternity leave, my husband and I would make a list of expectations and visited many facilities with that list in hopes that we were checking all of the right boxes and asking all of the right questions.

Like some friends who already had children, we leaned in to referrals from other parents, taking their word as bond.  Eventually, we selected a child care provider that was near my job and came highly referred by a close family member.  Throughout the search process, I remember thinking to myself how there must be an easier way for parents to find and select reputable child care service providers without spending so much time online, rabbit-trailing down site after site in search of safety reports, evaluations, accreditations, and reviews on each facility.

Now, there is a tool for parents to use that will save you time and energy when choosing the right child care provider.  The Quality Rated free online search tool takes the leg-work out of finding services by sorting child care options by a variety of categories including price, distance, services offered, and Quality Rated star-rating.

Now, if you’re thinking that this is too good to be true, well...it’s true!  There is an actual rating system for child care providers in Georgia through Quality Rated.  This system ensures best practices are being followed through evaluations by early childhood experts.

If you are a full-time parent working outside of the home with a daily commute such as yours truly - do you ever think about the convenience of having quality child care along your commute?  By using the “Search along a route” option within the Quality Rated tool, that thought can become a reality.  This feature was a saving grace when we were preparing to search for a quality Georgia Pre-K program for our oldest son.  Not only did I find the closest providers in our area, I also learned that Quality Rated’s tool lists all licensed and license-exempt child care providers in Georgia — whether they are Quality Rated or not — to provide you with a comprehensive overview to help you make the best choice.

And I get it.  Trust me!  There are so many thoughts that fly through your mind when you begin to consider care for your child.  Everything from the safety of the facility to the meals served at lunchtime to the standards and curriculum, and most importantly, the individuals entrusted with caring for our children -- the checklist can go on and on.  Thankfully, good help is easy to find when you know where to look! Consider letting Quality Rated help guide you towards the right decision for your child’s care just as it helped me.

So, what’s important to you when making a child care choice? Here’s a checklist created by Quality Rated with questions you may or may not have thought to consider.
Is your child’s current child care Quality Rated? Click here to use the tool and find out!