Family day care vs child care centre: What is the difference between a child care center and family child care? Which is better for young children?

Family Child Care vs Day Care Center

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Have you ever wondered what type of care is right for your family? 

Do think that it would be better to go with a Family Child Care in someone’s home or a Day Care Center?

There are pro’s and con’s to each choice. 

With a Family Child Care Center, there are advantages.

Pros:

More relaxed curriculum: Children may follow a curriculum, but there’s often more freedom for the family child care provider to change the schedule. Anderson says she and the children in her care often walk to the park to play on nice days.

Siblings can remain together: This is an important factor for many parents, especially those whose children are very close. Children are able to spend time with and play with children of all ages and may learn more from the older children.

More individual attention: Anderson says this is the primary reason some parents use an in-home center. “Children are often a face in the crowd in a day care center,” Anderson says. “In a family child care home, we really get to know each another well.”

Affordability: The cost of family child care may be cheaper than a day care center.

Fewer germs: Because there are fewer children, your child may be exposed to fewer illnesses.

Considerations:

Less regulation: Licensing of family child care programs varies state-by-state; double-check the rules in your state. If your area doesn’t regulate these programs, safety and health issues may be a concern — consider center care if you want a group experience.

Lack of back-up: Most in-home child care providers have a back-up plan in the event of illness. However, emergencies can happen. Stolov suggests you “find out what emergency plan the family child care home provider has in place, especially if there is no other adult in the home. ”

Difference in philosophies, values and styles: Unlike a child care center with a well-spelled out philosophy, in-home providers are all individuals. You may find the provider’s philosophy isn’t in line with your family’s style.

Here’s a link with a bit more information about Family Child Care Centers

https://www.care.com/c/stories/3442/what-is-family-child-care/

Now let’s move on to Day Care. 

Pros:

Multiple child care providers: If one teacher is sick and unable to provide care, there are additional teachers who can fill in to ensure your child receives age-appropriate care. Parents aren’t left without a back-up plan for child care if their child attends a commercial child care center.

State inspected and licensed: Child care centers undergo licensing through the Department of Social Services. Centers must meet high standards for cleanliness and safety and comply with local building codes.

Children are well monitored: “You have more than one set of eyes watching your child,” Van Hall says of using a child care center. Many child care centers also have closed-circuit cameras, which are monitored by the center’s director throughout the day.

Quality teachers: The teachers in day cares may have a stronger education background and take on-going classes to fulfill skill requirements each year. Many states are even starting to mandate educational requirements for teachers.

Age-appropriate curriculum: Children in child care centers are often in age-based classrooms. During the day, children participate in circle time, learning activities, outdoor play, arts and crafts and activities to develop gross and fine motor skills. Kids also take naps and eat meals and snacks with their peers. With infants, each child’s unique schedule is followed to provide a home away from home.

Considerations:

Cost: Because day care centers are commercial properties, the overhead is higher than a private home. This generally makes the cost of a day care center higher than family child care, which is in someone’s home. (Though some may offer discounts for siblings.) Learn more about the Cost of Child Care.

Germs: There are multiple children to a class and multiple classes in a center, increasing the chance for illness. Even when using good hand-washing and sanitizing procedures, young children often touch their eyes, mouths and noses, spreading germs.

Do your children go to a Family Child Care or a Day Care?  Which would you prefer?

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What is family day care? And how is it different to long day care in a child care centre?

Choosing care for your child when returning to paid work can be challenging, and to the uninitiated the terms can be confusing. One alternative to long day care in a larger child care centre is known as family day care.

Family day care is where a child is educated in a small group in a family style atmosphere at an educator’s home, seeing the same educator or educators each day.

The ratio in family day care is one educator for a maximum of seven children, and there can be no more than four children who are preschool age or under (per educator). The educator’s children must be counted in those seven children if they are under 13 years and not being cared for by another adult at the premises.

Read more:
Permanently raising the Child Care Subsidy is an economic opportunity too good to miss

All family day care educators must hold or be “actively working towards” at least an approved certificate III level education and care qualification. (In South Australia, though, a family day care educator must hold at least an approved certificate III level education and care qualification.)

All family day care educators must hold an approved first aid qualification and have undertaken approved training in anaphylaxis management and emergency asthma management.

The approved provider of a family day care service must read — or ensure a nominated supervisor or a person in day-to-day charge of the service has read — a person’s working with children check before the person is engaged or registered as a family day care educator as part of the service. You can see which check applies in your state or territory here.

There’s a clear focus on learning and development based on the principles, practices and learning outcomes of the Early Years Learning Framework. The educator will plan an educational program for each child, share it with families and invite family input.

What’s the difference between family day care and long day care in a child care centre?

The most obvious difference is size.

Child care centres are usually much bigger and busier, with children usually grouped according to age. There are various educator-to-child ratios for each age group and it may be different depending on your state (as you can see here).

Like family day care, child care centre staff are required to have a qualification in early childhood education and care. The qualifications required will depend on their roles and responsibilities.

Routines at long day care centres are usually tailored to the needs of each child, especially for very young children, but may move to routines that are more based around a group dynamic as the child gets older (for example, having lunch time at the same time).

How to choose a family day care provider that’s right for you

If you’re interested in family day care, start by finding out which registered providers are near you. Then, you can organise a visit to the educator’s home.

When judging the quality of the care and educational program, it helps to ask yourself:

• is the care child-focused, or time-focused? (For example, are nap times tailored to each child or grouped at the same time of day?)

• how many children does the educator have each day and what are their ages?

• what learning experiences are available for the children each day and will this suit my child?

• do the children attend a playgroup during the week? For some parents, this represents bonus social interaction opportunities but for others it’s not a priority

• are meals provided and if so, how is the menu determined?

• how does the educator manage supervision of children indoors and outdoors?

• are there other people in the home when family day care is provided and how do you feel about that?

• what ratings did the family day care service achieve under the National Quality Standards (more on that in a minute)?

• does the cost suit your budget?

Family day care services are part-funded by the Australian government, and the costs vary across services and family income.

Family day care services are assessed for the quality of the education and care under the federal government’s National Quality Standard.
Shutterstock

How the regulator judges quality

Family day care services and long day care services are assessed for quality of education and care under the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority’s National Quality Standard.

Seven quality areas are assessed and rated to determine a quality rating, including the educational program, childrens’ health and safety, the physical environment, staffing, relationships with children and families, governance and leadership.

State and territory regulatory authorities assess and rate family day care services as either “exceeding”, “meeting”, “working towards”, or “significant improvement required” using the National Quality Standard, also known as the NQS.

Here’s how family day care compared with child care centre-based care, according to the regulator’s data as at March 31, 2020:

Ratings results for centre-based care, as at March 31, 2020.
Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority

Ratings results for family day care, as at March 31, 2020.
Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority

However, there is great variation across and within each service and centre. Finding out as much as you can about each provider on your shortlist can help inform your decision.

Many families prefer the home-like family environment of family day care for their children, especially when they are young, and then move their children onto long day care when the child is old enough to want friends.

It can be a trade-off between a small intimate family-like atmosphere for a more active, stimulating environment with many more people.

Read more:
Caught in an intergenerational squeeze, grandparents juggle work and childcare

Question about the possibility of terminating the activities of family kindergartens

Question

Question about the possibility of terminating the activities of family kindergartens

Answer

reasons are not enough.

The development and operation of a network of family kindergartens is an important social initiative of the city of Moscow.

Regulations that regulate the activities of kindergartens, as well as the procedure and standards for payments for children’s meals, are in force.

Staff units based on the number of children in relation to a family kindergarten, which is a structural subdivision of an institution, are determined by an exemplary regulation on the organization of the activities of a family kindergarten.

A family kindergarten is opened by order of the district department of education of the Department of Education of the city of Moscow, in accordance with which the appointment to the position of a family kindergarten teacher is also carried out.

Contracts are concluded between the parent-educator and the head of the educational institution (parental contract, labor contract). In the contract, in practice, there are no grounds for terminating the contract or transferring the child to another group while there are 3 children in the family garden. It must also be understood that it is also practically impossible to fire a teacher – a mother of many children, who most likely has young children.

Decree of the Government of Moscow dated October 30, 2007 No. 9 has not been canceled and continues to be in force51-PP “On approval of the Model Regulations on the organization of the activities of a family kindergarten.”

It contains a regulation on the financing of expenses for the operation of family kindergartens in 2007 and subsequent years, which is carried out at the expense of funds provided for the maintenance of subordinate institutions of the system of the Moscow Department of Education.

According to the Decree, the Department of Education of the City of Moscow still provides guidance on the creation and operation of family kindergartens.

Not canceled and continues to be valid (taking into account the changes of April 01, 2013) Order of the Department of Education of the city of Moscow dated February 15, 2008 No. 48 “On financing the organization of meals for children in family kindergartens” (sets the amount of payments per pupil, the procedure and terms of payment to the personal account of the educator, the procedure for recalculation).

Letter of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science (Department of State Policy in the Sphere of General Education) dated August 05, 2013 No. 08-1049″On the organization of various forms of supervision and care of children.” The letter was sent in order to implement the provisions of Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated May 7, 2012 No. 599 “On measures to implement state policy in the field of education and science” in terms of ensuring the availability of preschool education, as well as in pursuance of the list of instructions of the President of the Russian Federation dated March 17 2013 No. Pr-539 following the meeting of the Council under the President of the Russian Federation on the implementation of priority national projects and demographic policy on February 26, 2013 and the instructions of the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation dated March 26, 2013

Based on the above, the termination of the activities of a family kindergarten, and, accordingly, a change in the structure of an educational institution and a reduction in staff, according to the meaning and importance of a social project, is impossible without the consent of the founder – the Moscow Department of Education.

It is likely that standard amendments to the charter and local acts of educational organizations will be recommended in connection with the novelties of the Law “On Education in the Russian Federation”, in connection with the approval of the Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of August 30, 2013 No. 1014 of the Procedure for organizing and implementing educational activities for basic general education programs – educational programs of preschool education, which, in particular, contains a provision that preschool education can be obtained in organizations engaged in educational activities, as well as outside organizations – in the form of family education (Article 3 of the Order), and also states on family preschool groups (Article 13 of the Order).

Until more detailed legal regulation and without the approval of the Department of Education of the City of Moscow, it is not recommended to start the procedure for terminating the activities of a family kindergarten in the structure of an educational organization.

As information and as an illustration of the direction of the state policy on the issue of family gardens, we send the above letter to the Ministry of Education and a link to the information that is posted in the questions and answers on the website of the DOGM.

Review of acts that have become invalid

Has become invalid since March 11, 2008 Decree of the Government of Moscow dated August 29, 2006 N 644-PP On approval for 2007 of the financial standards for the cost of maintaining one pupil in state educational institutions of the system of the Department of Education of the City of Moscow implementing general educational programs of preschool education,

Clause 2 of Decree of the Government of Moscow dated 10/30/2007 N 9 has become invalid51-PP “On the approval of the Model Regulations on the organization of the activities of a family kindergarten” ((there was the following text: “Introduce changes to the Decree of the Government of Moscow dated August 29, 2006 N 644-PP” On the approval of financial standards for the cost of maintaining one pupil in state educational institutions of the system of the Department of Education of the city of Moscow, implementing general educational programs of preschool education”, supplementing the appendix to the resolution with paragraph 1. 8 as amended in accordance with appendix 2 to this resolution”).

Item 2.2 is excluded. from the Order of the Department of Moscow dated February 15, 2008 No. 48

(there was the following text: “2.2. Produce a report on the expenditure of funds allocated for catering for children in a family kindergarten, based on cash receipts indicating the name of the purchased food product).

Kindergarten in Finland – features, cost

This is not the first time we have addressed the topic of education in Finland. This time we bring to your attention a brief overview of the features of the Finnish system of preschool education.

One of the main principles of the Finnish educational system is the desire to ensure equality in education, but taking into account the individual characteristics of each child.