Choosing the best childcare option for your family can be an overwhelming task! There are dozens of choices in the Wooster area, and while it’s terrific to have many options, it’s challenging to weed through the differences and make a final decision.
In your research on local childcare, you may see options for home childcare. How is home childcare different from daycare, and which is the better option for your family?
What Is Daycare?
Daycares are usually larger entities, with classrooms divided by age. For instance, many daycares have classrooms divided into infant (0-12 months), toddler (12-24 months), two’s, three’s, pre-K, kindergarten, and school-aged children.
Depending on enrollment, classes may be larger or smaller, and school-aged classrooms may have various cutoffs.
By law and for safety, classrooms are limited to a specified ratio of children to teachers. Younger children (like infants and toddlers) need more assistance than older children, so fewer children are permitted in younger classrooms.
In Ohio, daycares have the following staff-to-child ratios:
- 6 weeks-12 months: 1 adult per 5 children
- 12-18 months: 1 adult per 6 children
- 18 months-2.5 years: 1 adult per 7 children
- 2.5-3 years: 1 adult per 8 children
- 3-4 years: 1 adult per 12 children
- 4-5 years: 1 adult per 14 children
- 6-11 years: 1 adult per 18 children
Teachers can provide the best childcare with these ratios. However, you can still have too many children per classroom, even with an adequate child-to-teacher ratio. For instance, a classroom may be large enough to contain 20 infants and four teachers, but it’s easy to see how this overwhelms children and teachers.
That’s why, in addition to child-to-teacher ratios, the state of Ohio caps the maximum classroom size:
- 6 weeks-12 months: 12
- 12-18 months: 12
- 18 months-2.5 years: 14
- 2.5-3 years: 16
- 3-4 years: 24
- 4-5 years: 18
- 6-11 years: 36
Additionally, ratios must be appropriate for the youngest child in the room. For instance, an hour before closing, a daycare may only have 10 children of varying ages remaining. If one of those children is an infant, the ratio must remain at 5:1 per the infant ratio requirements, and two teachers must be present.
What Is Home Childcare?
Not to be confused with hiring a private nanny to stay at your house, home childcare is when a licensed childcare provider watches other children in their own home.
Some providers care for children related to them, such as biological children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews, or step-children, at the same time as other children. This is a common way for stay-at-home parents to make extra income. However, the provider does not have to have biological children to run the small business out of their home.
Home childcare can be divided into two categories: Type A and Type B childcare homes.
Type A Childcare Homes
A provider cares for 7-12 children in their home. Each staff member can only care for six children at once, and no more than three children under age two.
Type B Childcare Homes
Providers can care for up to 6 children at once (but no more than three children under age two). This includes children under the age of six who are related to the provider.
While there’s a lot to consider when choosing childcare, we believe Care 4 Kids is a top option for childcare in Wooster. We strive to care for each child individually and help them reach their maximum potential. Contact us today for more information!