3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Answers every possible childcare question, 2004-06-18
I agree with other reviewers. This is a very helpful guide to choosing childcare, whether you are looking for childcare for a baby, a toddler, a preschooler, or a grade schooler. The author covers both in-home and out-of-home childcare options -- everything from family daycare to childcare centers to nannies and babysitters. I also thoroughly recommend Choosing Childcare for Dummies, another book by Ann Douglas (the author of The Unofficial Guide to Childcare) as well as The Nanny Book by Susan Carlton and Coco Myers (for parents who are considering hiring a nanny).
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Very comprehensive guide to selecting daycare, 2002-02-06
There is not a whole lot of helpful information out there when evaluating childcare choices. I found this book to be a wonderful source of information about all daycare options. It really tells the pros and cons and was very comprehensive. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for childcare!
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
A smart person's guide to choosing childcare, 1999-10-27
If you're the kind of person who likes to research things thoroughly, this is the book for you. It's far more comprehensive than any other childcare book on the market, covering important issues that most other books ignore, like how to prevent problems in your relationship with your childcare provider (whether a nanny or a member of the daycare center staff) and how to troubleshoot any difficulties that happen to arise. There are also tons of great checklists and valuable resources (e.g. a list of caregiver-child ratios for various ages and for each state; lists of the most useful childcare web sites; the inside scoop on what to pay your childcare provider; and more). I think this book should be required reading for every working parent in America!
8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
A big disappointment, 1999-10-25
Why is it so difficult to find a book that is succinct and gets to the point quickly? I could not believe how much useless information was in this book, burying the information I was really looking for.I am an intelligent working mother. I want answers quickly. I don't have time to wade through so much stuff that is irrelevant to me. Who has time to read all this stuff? It seemed like the author kept adding more "stuff" so the book would be longer. Some chapters... like returning to work while breastfeeding... were completely irrelevant to the topic of locating childcare.
What I did like about this book was that it made me feel "normal" about the feelings I am having. However, there was way too much of that kind of stuff in a book that I hoped would be a more hands-on guide that would help me understand all my childcare options and guide me through the minefield of locating somebody I could trust.
I'm still waiting for the "official" guide to childcare!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
A terrific, comprehensive book that tells it like it is., 1999-05-20
Having this book on hand is like having a sympathetic, understanding friend who knows everything there is to know about finding and keeping the best care for your child, how you and your child feel about all the childcare issues, and what you need to do to prevent trouble -- and to fix it all those times you can't prevent it! The appendixes are especially helpful, with their lists of organizations, books, websites, important documents and relevant statistics. I would recommend it highly for parents, caregivers and childcare professionals.