Returning to work for the first time after having a child can be an incredibly nerve-wracking experience, especially if you’re leaving your child in the hands of strangers. This is why it’s important that you do your research on childcare options so that you find the right fit for you. Here are some things for you to keep in mind when making your decision.

Personal Attention

Something you should consider when looking at childcare is how much personal attention you want your little one to receive. Obviously, hiring a nanny will guarantee that your child is always a priority. In daycare, your child will constantly be competing with the other children for the attention of the caregivers. This has its benefits, however, since it will teach your child skills like patience. In daycare, your child will also get the opportunity to socialize with other kids their age and learn the importance of sharing. These are things your little one is less likely to experience with a nanny, though that is entirely dependent on the nanny’s care style since it will vary between caregivers.

Multi-Functionality

A nanny’s primary role is that of a caregiver, but many daycares, in addition to basic caregiving, offer curriculums meant to assist in your child’s development, with different curriculums tailored to different age groups. For infants, childcare facilities will provide enrichment activities that focus on improving cognitive development, language development, physical development, and social-emotional development. As your child reaches an age where preschool is on the horizon, daycares will implement programs to introduce them to topics such as basic math, reading, creative arts, science, social studies, and logic and reasoning. Programs like these will help better prepare your child for preschool and kindergarten, keeping them from falling behind educationally or socially. This developmental boost is something that your child will miss out on if they spend their days in the care of a nanny instead of a childcare facility.

Exposure

While exposure to other children in a daycare facility can benefit your child socially, they also run the risk of being exposed to germs. If you enroll your child in a daycare facility instead of hiring the one-on-one care of a nanny, your child is at a higher risk of contracting diseases like the common cold, the flu, or other viruses like chicken pox. In a daycare facility, your child is also much more likely to contract head lice, bringing the pesky bugs into your home. You also have to consider that if there is a serious outbreak of head lice or any contagious disease, there’s a chance that the daycare facility might shut down for a few days in an effort to stop the spread, which might put you in a tight spot trying to find alternative child care. Of course, you could find yourself in the same position if your nanny is ever too sick to watch your child, while daycares have enough staff that having one caregiver get sick wouldn’t be an issue.

Reputation

One of the best ways to find quality care is through the reviews of other parents. You can either scroll through the reviews online for different facilities or directly ask other parents what daycare facilities of nannies they’ve used in the past that they either recommend or would warn against. Asking someone you trust, like a friend or a coworker, is likely to bring your more peace of mind than a positive review from a stranger on the internet–plus, you can ask them more detailed questions that reviews might not cover, like the cleanliness of the facility or the friendliness of the staff.

Certification

The absolute most important thing to consider when looking at nannies or daycare facilities is certification. All daycares have specific legal requirements that they must meet to be able to operate. This includes the appropriate licensing, proper staffing requirements, and health and safety policies that meet the standards for the state of Illinois. Thankfully, if you’re looking around the village of Schaumburg, there are plenty of nearby daycare facilities, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to find one that meets all of these requirements. If a daycare center is not up to date on any of the state’s legal requirements for childcare facilities, and your child is injured as a result of their negligence, you should hire a personal injury lawyer and file a lawsuit against the facility. Your lawsuit could protect other children from suffering at the hands of irresponsible caregivers.