Childcare

• Consider what age you require daycare from. This includes when you and your partner may return to work or other commitments, and how many days you require care for. 

• ​The general rule is to ask for sooner / more days as you can always revise down. Most people recommend just getting on the list and working from there. 

• Depending on your situation, you may find it useful to look for care that is near your home / the primary carers home or work (or somewhere between the two)

• Childcare is expensive. It's good to do some research on the day rate of the childcare provider (including discounts for multiple days / siblings etc). Do your research on any funding available (funding from government, pre-tax incentives from employers etc.). Everything helps here!

Most website will outline what the child's day will look like (per age group). Think about what's important to you - for us it was the following:

• Whether there was a mix of indoor / outdoor activities

• Whether there was variation in the activities (e.g. cooking / painting / excursions for older kids)

• Opening hours and days (particularly to work in with your schedule)

• It's usually best if friends / contacts already have children at the provider - they can tell you how they find it, however also look at google reviews and any external ratings as a guide

Most places have scheduled open days / tours. I've included a list of questions to ask below, but generally recommend checking that the children look happy, the place looks clean, and the educators are friendly and welcoming.