Once your child is enrolled in a home daycare, daycare center, or preschool, you need to be aware of the provider and the children. If the provider always seems unhappy, exhausted and overwhelmed at the end of the day, you might want to ask her about it.

Relationships between daycare providers and parents aren’t always the most comfortable. Sometimes they can get downright frosty. Oftentimes this is because the provider and the parent have different ideas about childcare. Hopefully it is something that can be resolved. The parent’s relationship with the daycare provider is important. If you don’t have an honest relationship with the person who is taking care of your child, you can’t trust that person to work with you when something goes wrong.

You must take action promptly when you suspect abuse or neglect. It’s something none of us wants to even consider, but you need to be on the lookout for red flags.

Here are some signs of trouble:

• The provider never has time to talk to you.
• Child is shuffled out the door when you drive up.  You should always pick them up inside.
• You should be allowed to visit your child at any time. You should not be discouraged from seeing your child.
• Change in your child’s behavior—any sort of dramatic behavioral change.
• Your child starts using inappropriate words.
• Showing an unusual interest in people’s private parts.
• Any talk of secrets or keeping anything from anyone.
• An excessive fear of going to daycare.
• An excessive amount of scrapes, cuts, and bruises.

Talk to other parents, they may be stumbling onto something you do not know about yet.

Parenting is hard enough without having to worry about your child while you are at work. But no matter the great references or reputation, if you feel that something is not right, listen to your gut. It’s better that you be an overprotective parent than to have a bad situation continue.