DPSS Online

You can ask a few preliminary questions over the phone (fees charged and ages of children accepted), but you won't really get a sense of what a Child Care Center or Family Child Care Home is like until you go there and meet the staff and director.  Look, listen and ask. Pay attention to how the child care provider responds to your questions.

Positive word-of-mouth is a powerful endorsement.  Ask each child care facility for a list of past and present references - and call them.  While you may run into a bit of a bias (child care providers aren't likely to refer you to people who weren't happy with them), nothing is more convincing than hearing how other parents rate their child care.  Call your local California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Community Care Licensing Division (CCLD) office to ask to review the licensed provider's file.

When you call references, ask specific questions (don't ask if they like the Center; ask what exactly they like about it and what they don't). If their child is no longer there, ask why.  You may also want to call the State's Better Business Bureau and CDSS' CCLD office to see if any complaints have been filed against the child care facility.

Come back and visit for a while with your child.  You'll want to see how he/she and the child care provider interact and if your child seems comfortable in the environment.