We’ve spent the past few weeks focusing on how to choose the best school for your little one, and we realize that finding the best child care for your kids is just as difficult and just as important.
Below are just a few of the resources available in the area. We’d love to hear how you found your child care provider!
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The Wisconsin State Journal recently published an article about Madison’s new Child Care Center online rating system.
The rating system, called YoungStar, is the Wisconsin Department of Children & Families’ (DCF) new five-star quality rating and improvement system for child care in Wisconsin. According to the website:
YoungStar will improve child care throughout the state, make it easier for parents to choose the best child care for their kids, and link child care provider quality to payments from the Wisconsin Shares program.
YoungStar sets a five-star rating system for child care providers based on education, learning environment, business practices and the health and well being of children. Through this rating system the state will address several key issues in Wisconsin’s child care system. It will:
– Improve the overall quality of child care
– Create a clear, understandable tool for parents to choose quality child care
– Create incentives for providers to improve services, particularly for low-income children
– Establish a connection between child care quality and the rate of Wisconsin Shares payments
– Help prevent fraud in the Wisconsin Shares system
With YoungStar, you can search for a child care provider based on: name, location, and/or star rating.
Have any of you used this new program to find a child care provider? Or were you surprised at how many stars your current provider received?
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We at RM have also recently heard about Peace of Mind Nannies.
Peace of Mind Nannies was founded in 2010 in Madison by Ashley Jacobs.
According to the website: Our nanny agency provides full-time, part-time, live-in, live-out, summer care, after school, weekend, or even just for a night out! From house managers to mother’s helpers and everything in between, we can be the missing piece in your families’ Peace of Mind!
If you’re interested, Peace of Mind Nannies is currently looking for families and hiring nannies.
Have any of you found your nanny through this or another local service?
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Edited to add: RM reader Jenifer recommended Satellite Family Child Care’s FREE referral listing on our Facebook page.
According to the website: Satellite offers city accreditation to child care providers who care for children in their homes in the Madison, Wisconsin, area. We support our providers with one-on-one consultation, free continuing education, equipment loans, support groups, respite care, and more. Satellite also provides child care referrals and parenting resources for families with young children.
Raising Madison 