It’s Never Too Early to Shop for Child Care Space : Long Waiting Lines Develop; Help Is Offered in Choosing

Some of the kids waiting to get their hands on crayons, sand and other messy stuff at a popular day care center in Newport Beach are a mite young. To be more specific: They haven’t been born yet.

“I have fetuses on my waiting list. The first time it happened, I died laughing,” said Rita R. Jamieson, director of the Assistance League of Newport Beach Child Day Care Center.

But now, Jamieson said, she realizes that it’s never too early to begin shopping for day care. Not when there are long waiting lists at day care centers throughout Orange County.

There’s a simple supply-and-demand explanation: There are more children than day care openings. And during the summer, some parents face an even tougher dilemma finding a good place for children who otherwise would be in classes during the school year, child care experts said.

Worsens in Summer

“Definitely, the situation is worsened during the summer months. A school-age kid who could use some supervision ends up staying home during the summer. It’s sad. But sometimes the parents don’t have any choice,” said Diana Kirk, program supervisor for the Children’s Home Society of California in Santa Ana.

In searching for a child’s day home, shopping early is only one suggestion for finding good care--offered in many forms and at varied prices throughout the county.

The Children’s Home Society can be the first step. As Orange County’s resource and referral program, the Children’s Home Society can match parents’ need, preference and pocketbook to the appropriate licensed child care facility, program manager Lisa Carpenter said.

But a lot of the work is left up to the parents themselves if they want quality care, Jamieson said. That means “educating themselves” as to what a good school is, she explained.

“Parents should be looking for a developmental school. Children learn by touching, tasting, doing--not by lectures. Even adults find it difficult to sit through lectures,” Jamieson said.

While questions answered over the phone can help, it’s better to visit schools, Jamieson said. “Any school that doesn’t let parents look around is questionable,” she said.

Things to Check Out

When visiting schools, Jamieson said, parents should look for several things, including:

- A comfortable environment, for both the teachers and children. “Are the children comfortable and happy? There may be a crier, but that’s OK. . . . How comfortable are the teachers? If they’re wearing high heels and fancy dresses, forget it.”

- Different activities to challenge thinking, stimulate creativity and develop physical and social skills. “Is the child doing things? Are there choices or are they all doing the same projects at once? We’re not all interested in the same things. A child needs to have choices.”

- A flexible curriculum with “lots of free playtime” and a room filled with the tools, and sounds, of creativity--crayons, woodworking tools, hammering and pounding.

- Nutritious meals and snacks. “For birthdays, we let a child pick a favorite fruit or cheese” and avoid sugary cakes.

Sheri A. Senter, child care administrator of the Step by Step Early Learning Enrichment Center in Newport Beach, said the interaction between the parent, the child and the teachers also is crucial.

“When you visit a care giver, listen to the environment to see if staff speak to children positively, with respect, encourage developmental appropriateness and utilize positive behavior techniques. Environmental sounds must be filled with joy and laughter,” she wrote in the June, 1985, Orange County Parent.

According to a leaflet put out by the Children’s Home Society on choosing child care, other questions that parents should ask include:

- How many children are there per teacher? (Count them.)

- What experience does the care giver have?

- Are music, art, cooking, science and language development included in the program? Is the children’s artwork displayed? Will there be field trips?

- Is the facility safe, clean and free of health hazards? (Look for sharp edges on furniture, sufficient heat, light and ventilation, safe climbing equipment and covered wall sockets. Check that all medicines, detergents and poisons are out of reach.)

- Is there adequate space, both indoors and outdoors, for both active and quiet play? Is there ample crawling space for infants?

- Is there a place for children to take naps? A place to isolate a sick child?

Ignoring the responsibility of selecting proper day care could be dangerous, officials said.

“Probably one of the worst things (parents) are doing is taking chances. They are leaving their children with older children who may not be responsible,” said Carol Hatch, executive director of the Orange County Commission on the Status of Women.

Cost is a major reason many parents opt to leave their children with older children or with adults who are not licensed as family day care homes.

Infant Care Costs

In Orange County, it costs an average $59 weekly for part-time care and $87 for full-time care of an infant younger than 2 at a day care center, Carpenter said. Figures for care in private homes licensed by the state typically run about the same as day care centers, Carpenter said.

For preschoolers, ages 2 to 5, the average cost runs from $39 weekly for part-time care to $87 for full-time care. The average cost of after-school care for a child 5 and older is $38 a week during the school year, according to figures compiled by the Children’s Home Society. The average cost during the summer is between $55 and $60, Kirk said.

There are 586 licensed centers in Orange County--or an equivalent of 33,346 licensed spaces. There are 2,095 licensed family homes, with a capacity of 12,222, according to May, 1985, figures from the state Department of Social Services. And, there are 4,486 children on Orange County waiting lists, Kirk said.

Most of the waiting lists are for day care centers located in crowded areas with few child care facilities, the more popular day care centers and those subsidized by the government, Kirk said.

For example, Jamieson said there are usually 400 to 600 children on the waiting list for the Newport Beach day care center, which charges low-income parents on a sliding scale. Kirk said there are 3,616 spaces in Orange County for lower-cost, subsidized child care, but all are filled and approximately 3,000 more children are on waiting lists.