No matter how much we’d prefer to keep our children home with us while they’re young, there is a growing need for quality child care. After all, to keep them fed and clothed, being a part of the workforce is essential. If you’re almost ready to return to work and want to be aware of your child care options, then take a look at the variety below. You’re sure to find the options are more flexible than you think.

Home-Based Child Care

Home-based childcare is becoming more and more popular in Australian households. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in 2017, 22.2 percent of families with children in child care prefer the more informal home-based setting. Home-based care can typically consist of either a nanny, friend, or family member caring for your child or children in a home environment.

For some people, this option is not only affordable but more convenient. If you’re not within proximity to a care facility, home-based care requires less travel which is beneficial for both you and your children.

Family Day Care

Family day care, which falls under the informal child care umbrella, is also growing in popularity. Rather than drop your children off at a facility, they can form close relationships and bonds with approved carers and a small group of children. Typically, family day care is located at a carer’s home where they benefit from home comforts. For some families, this option is a preference because children receive beneficial one-on-one time for more extended periods.

Centre-Based Child Care

Centre-based child care can be a preschool or kindergarten with trained staff and structured programmes. Often, parents prefer this option because it enables their children to get a head-start with education, structure, and relationships with children and adults before starting school. What’s more, they benefit from fun and educational activities and critical social engagement from a young age.

Centre-based child care facilities also offer learning milestones which help parents to understand where their child is developmentally. The benefit of this is being able to pick up problems earlier rather than later.

Occasional Day Care

If you work part-time and can spend more time with your children, then occasional child care can often be a valid option as well. Occasional day care can incorporate all kinds of child care but on an infrequent basis. You may get help from a friend or family member, or you may even enlist the aid of a nanny or babysitter.

Child care is primarily for children up to the age of five, but you may also benefit from holiday programmes and after-school care as well. When you’re ready to head back into the workforce, weigh up the pros and cons of each child care option.