Daycare has come a long way from the babysitting jobs of the ’60s and ’70s that paid around fifty cents an hour. Local teenagers and older children of friends made good babysitters back then. All they had to do was serve the kids an easy dinner, clean up afterward, and play with them for a while before tucking them into bed. Most of the session took place on Friday or Saturday nights, allowing parents to enjoy a night out.

Today, daycare means so much more.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 65 percent of women with children ages six and younger work outside the home. For single-parent households and in families where both husband and wife work full time, access to quality childcare is essential. If relatives or grandparents are not available or unable to intervene, continuing childcare is sometimes the only option.

There are several options available today. Many corporate employers have begun adding on-site child care, in-home caregivers are available, and full or part-time day care centers are located in nearly every area. Some centers focus on younger children, from newborns to toddlers, while others welcome children of any age. Some facilities offer “walk-in” child care, an affordable option for high-quality, short-term care.

Schools, gyms, organizations, and churches now offer events like Parent Nights Out. Some communities organize child care cooperatives. Nannies are also an alternative, however a more expensive one, as it usually means full-time in-home care by a person who may or may not reside with you. Babysitters can be male or female; however, “mannys” are becoming more and more popular.

As children grow, their day care needs change: a babysitter for the newborn, walk-in care for the toddler, an on-site educational daycare for preschoolers, and after-school activities for those five and older. . Summer needs may vary from those during the school year and parents can change programs or have children attend camp for a break from the regular routine.

Many day care centers are becoming highly structured learning centers and offer a wide range of activities. Simple arts and crafts projects are still available, but the addition of early learning programs has become popular as research shows children respond to academics at a younger age. Parents today want their young children to begin developing skills that were previously not taught until much later.

Supplementary extracurricular activities such as gymnastics, ballet, and martial arts are offered at some centers for an additional fee. Instructors come to the center weekly to provide on-site instruction. This works well for those parents who are short on time and can’t fit weekly lessons into their already busy schedules.

While printed flyers or newsletters have worked well in the past, many centers on websites that even include weekly menus are successful in keeping today’s parents up to date on activities and events taking place. Emailing update requests about your child’s behavior is easy and improves the likelihood of getting a quick response.

Learn about the options available to you in your city. Take a look at them and ask lots of questions. Good communication between the provider and the parents is critical to a successful day care situation for your children. Take the time to know that your children are safe and happy, and you will all have a better day.