Choosing a daycare or preschool for our little ones is a big decision.
We’re not just looking for somewhere our kids can stay while we’re at work. We want a place where they’ll be safe, cared for, supported, and given opportunities to learn and grow.
And as working moms, there’s another piece to the puzzle: we need to feel comfortable with our decision, too.
Because it’s really hard to concentrate on a meeting, finish a project, or make it through a busy workday when we’re constantly wondering whether our kids are okay.
If you’re new to the child care search, the entire process can feel overwhelming.
I know it did for me.
When my son was born, I knew basically nothing about daycare, preschool, or child care in general. I didn’t know there were home-based and center-based programs. I didn’t know what questions I was supposed to ask during a tour. And I definitely wasn’t prepared for child care tuition to feel like a second mortgage.
So, like many new moms, I researched everything.
Eventually, I found a program that worked for our family, but getting there took a lot of time, research, tours, questions, and second-guessing.
If you’re currently staring at a list of daycare options wondering, How am I actually supposed to choose one?—start by figuring out what matters most to you and your family.
Here are 15 important things working moms should consider when choosing a daycare or preschool.
Why Choosing the Right Child Care Matters
The child care program we choose becomes a significant part of our children’s everyday lives.
During the first five years of life, children are constantly learning through their interactions with parents, caregivers, teachers, and the environment around them. That makes the quality of the care environment incredibly important.
But choosing the right child care setting isn’t only about our kids.
It matters for us, too.
For working moms—especially those juggling demanding schedules, long commutes, meetings, deadlines, and unpredictable workdays—knowing our children are somewhere safe and well cared for can give us much-needed peace of mind.
There’s no single child care program that will be perfect for every family. Your schedule, budget, commute, priorities, parenting preferences, and child’s needs will all influence your decision.
The goal is to find a program that works well for your child and your real life.
Here are 15 things to consider as you start narrowing down your options.
1. Teacher Engagement and Responsiveness
Teachers are at the heart of any child care program.
They’re the people comforting our kids when they’re upset, helping them through meals and naps, teaching them new skills, managing classroom routines, and keeping them safe throughout the day.
That’s why teacher warmth, responsiveness, and engagement were some of the biggest things I paid attention to during my own daycare search.
When you tour a program, don’t just listen to what the director tells you.
Watch the teachers.
Are they down on the floor interacting with the children?
Do they speak warmly to them?
Do they comfort children who are upset?
Do the kids seem comfortable approaching their teachers?
A beautiful facility is nice, but caring and engaged teachers matter so much more.
2. Quality Ratings
Many states and territories have quality rating and improvement systems for registered child care programs.
These systems can help families evaluate programs using factors such as:
- Licensure
- Accreditation
- Teacher qualifications
- Curriculum and learning plans
- Administrative policies
Quality ratings shouldn’t necessarily be the only thing you consider, but they can give you another useful piece of information when comparing programs.
Check your state or territory’s child care resources to see whether the programs you’re considering participate in a quality rating system.
3. Inspection Reports
This is one step I wouldn’t skip.
Inspection reports can reveal information that you may never hear during a polished daycare tour.
Depending on your state, reports may include information about licensing compliance, violations, incidents, and other issues discovered during inspections.
Before enrolling your child, take some time to look up the inspection history of the programs you’re seriously considering.
You’re already doing the work of researching child care. This extra step can give you a much fuller picture of the program you’re considering.
4. Cost
Then there’s the part every working parent loves talking about:
Daycare tuition.
I never fully understood what people meant when they said kids were expensive until I had one of my own.
Child care can take up a significant portion of a family’s monthly budget, so it helps to determine what you can realistically afford before falling in love with a particular program.
Ask about more than the advertised tuition rate, too.
Find out what’s included and whether there are additional expenses associated with the program.
The goal isn’t necessarily to find the cheapest daycare.
It’s to find the best combination of quality, affordability, and practicality for your family.
5. Location
A daycare can look amazing on paper and still make everyday life unnecessarily stressful if it adds a huge detour to your commute.
For working moms, location matters.
Think about how the daycare fits into the route between your home and workplace.
Also consider what would happen if you suddenly received a call saying your child had a fever and needed to be picked up.
Could you realistically get there?
Those extra 15 or 20 minutes in the car every morning and afternoon can add up quickly. A convenient location can mean less rushing and a little more time together at the end of the day.
6. Communication
Leaving our kids with someone else can be nerve-wracking—especially in the beginning.
We want to know how they’re doing.
Did they eat?
Did they nap?
Were they happy?
Did they have a rough morning?
That’s why communication was an important consideration for me when choosing child care.
Ask how teachers communicate with parents throughout the day.
You want a program where communication feels open, responsive, and consistent, so you aren’t sitting at your desk wondering what’s happening.
7. Reviews and Reputation
Other parents can be a valuable source of information.
During my daycare search, I read online reviews, asked questions in parenting groups, talked to other parents, and paid attention to the overall reputation of each program.
Of course, reviews are subjective.
One parent’s dream daycare might be another parent’s nightmare.
Instead of focusing too heavily on one glowing—or terrible—review, look for patterns.
The overall tone of what parents are saying can tell you a lot.
8. Cleanliness and General Appearance
Kids are messy.
A classroom full of toddlers is probably never going to look like a perfectly staged catalog photo, and that’s okay.
Messiness and cleanliness are two different things.
When touring a daycare, pay attention to the condition of the classrooms, bathrooms, eating areas, toys, floors, and other shared spaces.
Dirt, mold, significant stains, or obvious signs of poor maintenance would immediately concern me.
How a facility is maintained can tell you something about its management, procedures, and attention to detail.
9. Classroom Ratios
Teacher-to-child ratios are another important factor to consider.
Ratios help ensure that children receive appropriate supervision and care, and requirements generally vary based on children’s ages.
During your tour, ask what the classroom ratios are.
Then look around and see whether those ratios appear to be followed in practice.
Consistently overcrowded classrooms or too few teachers may be a sign of staffing or safety concerns.
10. Classroom Spaces and Childproofing
Don’t just peek through the classroom door.
Take a good look at the actual environment where your child would spend the day.
Consider things like:
- Are toys appropriate for the children’s ages?
- Are outlets covered?
- Are cabinets and drawers secured when necessary?
- Are doors childproofed?
- Are potentially dangerous items inaccessible?
- Does the classroom appear thoughtfully arranged for young children?
Small details can tell you a lot about how seriously a program takes safety.
11. Outdoor Play Space
Children need opportunities to move, run, climb, explore, and play.
Outdoor time can be an important part of the daycare or preschool day, so take a look at the program’s outdoor space during your tour.
Is the playground well maintained?
Does the equipment look appropriate for the children using it?
Is the area secure?
And, importantly, how are children supervised while they’re outside?
A safe outdoor environment gives children another space to play and develop their gross motor skills.
12. Security
Security should be high on your list of questions.
Ask how parents and visitors enter the building.
Are exterior doors secured?
Does the program use a code or another controlled entry system?
How does the daycare handle pickup if someone other than a parent arrives?
There should be clear procedures for determining who is—and isn’t—authorized to pick up your child.
You want to feel confident that strangers can’t simply walk into the building and children can’t easily get out.
13. Emergency and Health Protocols
Nobody wants to think about emergencies, but we absolutely need to know how a child care program would handle one.
Ask about procedures for allergies, illnesses, injuries, emergency medications, CPR, and first aid.
You should understand how teachers identify children with allergies and other important health needs and what happens if an emergency occurs.
These questions may be especially important for families whose children require consistent health monitoring or access to emergency medication.
14. Educational Philosophy
You may start hearing terms like Montessori, Reggio Emilia, HighScope, play-based learning, and developmentally appropriate practice while researching child care.
These philosophies help shape how children are taught, how classrooms are organized, and what their everyday learning experiences look like.
You don’t necessarily need to become an early-childhood-education expert before choosing a daycare.
But it’s worth understanding the basic philosophy behind a program and asking yourself:
Does this approach align with what I want for my child?
15. Enrichment Programs and Electives
Enrichment programs aren’t necessarily a requirement for high-quality child care, but they can be a nice bonus—especially for busy families.
Depending on the program, children may have access to activities such as:
Art • Dance • Yoga • STEM • Cooking • Karate
For working parents, having some of these activities available during the regular daycare day can also be incredibly convenient.
Instead of squeezing another activity into an already packed evening or weekend schedule, your child may get to explore different interests while they’re already at daycare.
The Takeaway: Choose the Care That Works for Your Family
There are a lot of things to think about when choosing child care.
And when you’re a working mom already juggling pregnancy, maternity leave, returning to work, your career, and everything happening at home, researching daycare can feel like one more enormous project on your plate.
Try not to evaluate everything at once.
Start with your non-negotiables.
Maybe your biggest priorities are warm teachers, strong safety procedures, a short commute, and a program that fits your budget.
Another family’s list may look completely different.
That’s okay.
Use quality ratings and inspection reports. Tour the programs. Ask questions. Watch how teachers interact with children. Pay attention to the things that make you feel comfortable—and the things that don’t.
Ultimately, you’re looking for a child care setting where your child can be safe, supported, cared for, and happy while you’re at work.
And when you find that?
You can walk into your workday with a little more confidence knowing your little one is in good hands.
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