Although I’d love to open my door to every child that needs care the sad truth is I am not super woman.  Try as I may, I am not physically capable of tending to the needs of so many little ones all at once.  Thankfully the state of Florida understands these physical limitations as well and has set forth their own standards and capacities in order to ensure providers don’t take on too much and put our children at risk as well.

Finding the “perfect” childcare environment for your infant, toddler or preschooler is often a tedious task, but one that should have serious consideration because the choice you make now will have a lifelong impact on your child’s relationship and developmental skills.  Some parents begin this adventure long before their baby is ever born, which might not be such a bad idea considering some of the best schools and centers have year long waiting lists.  Although you cannot be certain the place you have selected will be able to guarantee a vacancy when you need it so far down the road, it is still wise to at least start your research and investigating now versus later.   The work you do ahead of time should make the job much less stressful when you are ready to make a decision because you will have narrowed your choices based on your personal likes and dislikes and you can be sure you will get the educational experiences and nurturing as well as the safe environment that you desire for your little one.

There are many different types of childcare facilities available these days with options ranging from public centers to private homes.  Each center and home offers their own personal style of teaching, their own specific ratio of teacher to children as well as some classes may mix age groups while others keep children of the same age together all day.  There is a wide array of options for any style of parenting and if you do your homework you will surely find what you are looking for.

Talking to friends and family members with children enrolled in childcare programs is a great way to network and learn about programs that are out there.  But if you are a parent like me and are not fortunate to have those friends and family available there are other resources available.  Start by visiting www.myflorida.com.  On the left panel select the Floridian Tab. In the right hand column, fourth row down, select Home and Family. This will open a new page and the fifth option down on the left side will be Child Care. If you select this tab it will take you to a page that gives you lots of information about child care in our great state of Florida.  There is an option on this page that allows you to do a child care provider search.  Once you select it the site will prompt you to enter your search options.  You must enter the county you are searching for first and then, if you have a provider you are interested in, you can enter the name or address information.  If you have not found a provider yet, don’t be discouraged.  You are able to search by your zip code, a convenient intersection to your work or home, etc.  It will even allow you to narrow down your search based on your specific needs such as part-time, meals provided, before school, after school, weekend care, etc.

No matter your race, religion, financial or marital status there are programs and scholarships out there to assist you in finding the proper care you need.  All you have to do is log in and start searching. 

Here are some additional sites for child care resource and referral: 

www.childcarepinellas.org

www.childcareaware.org/en/

www.pinellashealth.com/PCLB/index.asp

http://elcpinellas.net/