{"id":21491,"date":"2019-03-12T21:48:14","date_gmt":"2019-03-12T21:48:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/ftf\/?post_type=first-things&#038;p=21491"},"modified":"2023-01-15T20:22:37","modified_gmt":"2023-01-15T20:22:37","slug":"quality-child-care-for-your-infant","status":"publish","type":"first-things","link":"https:\/\/www.ftf-stg.magnetry.com\/es\/first-things\/quality-child-care-for-your-infant\/","title":{"rendered":"Need quality child care for your infant?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/S5iKIHcUsVQ\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Leaving your baby in someone else\u2019s care is a hard thing to do for parents, whether it\u2019s with a relative or friend or in a child care program. But it\u2019s often a necessity.<\/p>\n<p>If formal child care is your best option, you\u2019re probably dealing with an extra level of worry and emotion as you entrust your baby to someone you may not really know.<\/p>\n<p>But take comfort \u2014 there are safe, nurturing programs providing child care for infants in communities across Arizona. They know how to care for your baby and support their healthy development, they\u2019re really good at it, and they love doing it.<\/p>\n<p>And when choosing quality child care for your infant, there are <strong>things you can look for and ask about<\/strong> to help you feel more confident in your decision:<\/p>\n<h2>1) Close, consistent relationships<\/h2>\n<p>Babies are born learning, and they learn and grow through nurturing relationships with the adults who care for them. In child care for infants, babies benefit from having caregivers who get to know them well. Close relationships develop over time, so when considering a program for your baby, ask how long the teachers have worked there \u2014 low staff turnover is good \u2014 and if caregivers regularly work with the same few babies. Consistency and continuity of care will help your baby feel safe and secure, and that\u2019s best for their healthy development and learning.<\/p>\n<h2>2) Responsive care<\/h2>\n<p>Having a close relationship with your baby allows a caregiver to read your baby\u2019s cues and respond promptly, appropriately and with love. Quality caregivers will soothe your crying baby and hold them when they need holding. They\u2019ll know when your baby is ready to be fed or, if they turn away when offered a bottle, to try again later. They\u2019ll also look for learning opportunities when your baby is awake, alert and ready to play. Your baby\u2019s day at the program may be scheduled, but the caregiver should have the flexibility to adapt, moment-to-moment, to your baby\u2019s individual needs. Small group sizes and consistent relationships are key to responsive child care for infants.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-21533 size-full alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ftf-stg.magnetry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/quality-child-care-infants-2.jpg\" alt=\"infant caregiver interacts with babies\" width=\"750\" height=\"393\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>3) Talk, exploration and play<\/h2>\n<p>Quality child care for babies involves much more than just caring for their physical needs. It\u2019s about interacting with your baby and providing lots of opportunities for exploration and activity throughout the day.<\/p>\n<p>Look for caregivers who talk and listen to the infants in their care. Back and forth \u201cconversations\u201d can happen during playtime, diaper changes, hand washing or anytime. Narrating activities, asking questions, singing lullabies and reading books with your baby helps them develop language skills and also builds a healthy attachment relationship.<\/p>\n<p>Quality caregivers will also offer your baby things to explore and experience, especially when your baby is ready to play, but also during times they need to be held. And babies should get time to play on their tummies, to help develop their core muscles and overall physical development. Some babies don\u2019t enjoy it, and it shouldn\u2019t be forced on them, but some tummy time should be offered to all babies when they\u2019re awake and alert.<\/p>\n<p>The Power of Tummy Time!<\/p>\n<p>Get experts tips on making tummy time a success for you and your baby.<\/p>\n<p>Act Now!<\/p>\n<h2>4) A nurturing environment<\/h2>\n<p>The infant room should be a safe, clean, calm place for your baby. There should be a variety of age-appropriate toys and books to play with. But the room shouldn\u2019t be so busy or cluttered to be overwhelming to their senses.<\/p>\n<p>Things to look for in the environment include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>No hidden areas or blind spots; babies should always be able to be seen<\/li>\n<li>Areas for calm and quiet<\/li>\n<li>Soft, soothing music<\/li>\n<li>Soft places for your baby to move and play<\/li>\n<li>A place for not-yet-mobile babies to be away from the crawlers<\/li>\n<li>Space for nursing moms<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>5) Safe, healthy practices<\/h2>\n<p>Safety comes first when considering child care for your infant. Quality programs have strong health and safety practices for things like hand washing, diapering, naps and feeding. For example:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Babies should always be supervised. <\/strong>They need their caregiver\u2019s awareness and attention.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Babies should be held while being fed. <\/strong>That&#8217;s to prevent choking or gagging, because they can\u2019t hold a bottle on their own, and to provide the opportunity for loving conversation and bonding.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Babies should always be placed on their backs to sleep<\/strong>, with no blankets or toys or any extra items in the crib.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Quality Matters in Child Care<\/p>\n<p>Quality child care helps young children learn, grow and thrive. Learn more and find programs in your Arizona community that participate in Quality First.<\/p>\n<p>Visit QualityFirstAZ.com<\/p>\n<h2>6) Communication and trust<\/h2>\n<p>In addition to developing a close relationship with your baby, quality child care programs will also develop a relationship with you. You should always feel welcome and be able to stop by to visit your child at any time.<\/p>\n<p>And your child\u2019s caregivers should share the details of your child\u2019s day with you \u2013 how they ate and slept, the activities they engaged in, etc. The best caregivers love what they do, and their understanding of your child and enthusiasm for caring for and interacting with them should come through in your conversations at drop off and pick up.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s what you\u2019re looking for most of all \u2014 a feeling of trust that comes with knowing they care about your child and are excited to spend the day together.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>THINGS YOU CAN DO<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Check out our <a href=\"https:\/\/qualityfirstaz.com\/quality-child-care-checklist\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">child care checklist<\/a> for more info on what to look for in quality child care.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftf-stg.magnetry.com\/resources\/quality-first\/\">Learn more about Quality First<\/a>, Arizona&#8217;s quality improvement and rating system for child care.<\/li>\n<li>Contact <a href=\"https:\/\/www.azccrr.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Child Care Resource &amp; Referral\u00a0<\/a>to get one-on-one help finding child care for your infant.<\/li>\n<li>Read <a href=\"https:\/\/www.naeyc.org\/our-work\/families\/what-you-want-to-see-infant-program\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201cWhat You Want to See in a High-Quality Infant Program\u201d<\/a> from the National Association for the Education of Young Children.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are quality child care programs in communities across Arizona, and there are things you can look for and ask about to help you feel more confident in your decision.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":21516,"template":"","tags":[68,74,92,93],"class_list":["post-21491","first-things","type-first-things","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-infants","tag-early-learning","tag-child-care","tag-quality-first"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.8 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Need quality child care for your infant? 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