Are you on the hunt for a childcare centre in your area that's also close to your other child's school? When you've got more than one child across both primary school and childcare, the school run suddenly becomes a much bigger task than when they both attended the same service. Rather than driving all over town to drop off and pick up your kids from different locations, it can help to find a childcare service near your child's school.
To help make your life easier, we've pulled together a guide to make finding child care centre both simple and convenient so your school run is as seamless as possible.
Why location matters
If you've got a child in primary school or early childhood education service and another in childcare, your daily commute can be incredibly inconvenient if the two are located in opposite directions. Whether you work from home, the office or you're a stay-at-home parent, finding a childcare service near the school can make a huge difference in saving you time during the school drop off and pick up, especially when you factor in all the other after-hours activities you've got to ferry your little ones to and from throughout the week.
How to choose the best childcare
Finding the right childcare centre that's in a convenient location for you is one of the most important factors to consider when choosing a provider, especially if you've got school-aged children to factor in too. But there are also a number of other important elements to consider when finding the right childcare service near a school. Here are a few other pointers to think about when choosing a childcare service.
Do your research
When it comes to finding childcare near you, it pays to do your research. Not all childcare services are the same, so it's well worth considering the different types of childcare (such as family day care services, long day care, school hours care, etc.) available in your local area. If you're struggling to decide which type of childcare will suit your family best, take our childcare compass quiz to help narrow down the options.
You might also want to take the time to ask your friends and family for their recommendations too. Nothing beats word of mouth. With this in mind, take the time to read the reviews of any potential childcare services that you're considering to see what other people think of them too.
Consider the needs of your child
While you want to make sure that the childcare service is convenient to your child's school and for you, it's also important to make sure that it caters to the needs of your child who'll be attending it. Does your child have any special needs or requirements and will the childcare service be able to cater to them?
Create a shortlist
As you're researching the different childcare options in your area you can start to create a shortlist of potential options that you'd like to find out more about.
At this stage, it can be worth reaching out to the childcare providers to learn more about their programs, availability, fees and drop off and collection times. Trying to remember the right questions to ask can be tricky when you have someone on the phone, so to make the process easier here are a few questions that are worth asking:
- What are your days and hours of operation?
- Do they currently have availability for new enrolments? If not, what is the current wait time and is there a fee to join the waitlist?
- What are their fees? Are there any additional costs that should be considered?
- How do they support children with special needs and requirements?
- Do they offer approved national quality standard education programs like kindergarten or preschool?
- What qualifications and education do their staff hold?
Use this information to help you narrow down your list.
Visit your top childcare picks
Once you've narrowed down your top local childcare services, it's time to visit the service and inspect the facilities. This gives you an opportunity to meet the staff for yourself and get a feel for the environment. It's also another great opportunity to ask any other questions you have in mind and see whether or not you feel the service would be a good fit for your child. If you have the chance to visit more than one childcare service, you'll be better positioned to compare them before arriving at your final decision.
Just be sure to make an appointment with the childcare provider so that someone's on hand to show you around and answer any questions you may have. Not sure what to ask? Check out our checklist for childcare centre tours to give you an idea of what to keep your eyes peeled for while you're visiting the service. While this checklist is intended for childcare centres, many of the points apply to other types of childcare services too.
Visiting the service itself might also help you to figure out whether it's close enough to your other child's school to make for a convenient commute.
Make your decision
The last step is to make your final decision. Choose a childcare service that meets your needs, is close to the school and is a good fit for your child. Once you've made your decision, you can reach out to the childcare provider to start the enrolment process.
Taking the time to research and carefully consider the different childcare options can help you to find a service that's not only convenient but also provides a safe and nurturing environment for your child.
Use the Care for Kids childcare search tool
Have you been tasked with finding childcare in my area? We've got the perfect tool for you! Our childcare search function has been designed to help you in finding childcare near me.
Our search tool allows you to find the right childcare service in three simple steps:
Search for a full range of local childcare options in your area. You can even filter the list of results based on the type of childcare if you're after a specific service,
Compare the options based on a number of different factors, including reviews, ratings, fees, availability and service profiles, and
Connect with your shortlisted childcare service providers via email or phone
