Identification should include types of childcare and features of childcare options, including

• child day centers (e.g., commercial, faith-based, employer-sponsored, licensed and regulated vs. unlicensed and unregulated)
• family day home providers
• in-home childcare (e.g., childcare provided in the home by a provider who does not live in the home)
• preschool programs, including Head Start, Early Head Start, Virginia Preschool Initiative
• parent cooperative schools
• school-age childcare programs, including self-care child and family, friend, or neighbor arrangements
• stay-at-home parents. 

Teacher Resources:

• Child Care VA, Virginia Department of Education (VDOE)
• Child Care and Early Learning Options
• Finding Child Care, Child Care VA
• Providers, Program Types, Child Care VA
• Virginia Quality Birth to Five (VQB5), Find a Child Care Provider, VDOE

Process/Skill Questions:

Thinking

• Why are childcare services in such high demand? Why should parents be concerned about childcare options?
• Which do you believe are better prepared for first grade in public school: "child day center kids" or "stay-at-home kids"?
• What options do working parents have if they do not want to consider paid childcare services?

Communication

• Where do individuals acquire beliefs and attitudes about non-parental childcare?
• How can stay-at-home parents be supportive of families where both parents are working?
• How can dual wage earner families be supportive of stay-at-home parents?

Leadership

• What types of childcare are most frequently used?
• How is the use of childcare similar to or different from the use of childcare 25 years ago? What factors have influenced these trends?
• What are the consequences of quality childcare options for parents, children, and society?

Management

• What decisions do parents have to make to put their child in the care of a childcare provider?
• What factors determine the age and ability of a child who may be left at home alone after school?
• What information does a caregiver need to know about a child and his or her parents before accepting responsibility for the child?