If you're thinking of relocating to Chapel Hill, or if you are considering child care for your young children, here's some top tips on where to look for daycare in Orange County, NC - including Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Hillsborough.
How Much Does Child Care Cost near Chapel Hill?
Of course you can call each center in Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Hillsborough to find out what their rates are, but other parents may have already done that for you.
The Chapel Hill/Carrboro Mother's Club
The Chapel Hill/Carrboro Mother's Club is a community website offering information on preschools and child care centers in the Chatham and Orange county areas, including Chapel Hill, Pittsboro, Carrboro, and Durham.
Each area preschool is reviewed by members of the club, and information on rates, application fees, hours, and dates of operation are included.
Not every child care center is included, and there is a focus on preschools. A quick check shows a price range of $715 to $1103 per month for a 3 year old in a full day program.
Are there referrals available?
The Child Care Services Association
The Child Care Services Association offers information on daycare for Chatham County.
Go to their Referral Form page, and enter your contact information, to get references and other information on child care centers in the Chapel Hill area.
How do I know about the quality of a child care center? Which preschool is best for my child?
Now that you have an idea of how much child care is going to cost, and what types of centers and preschools are available, you're probably wondering how to get a feel for the quality of each Chatham County center.
North Carolina ranks and inspects each facility, and assigns a rating based on a set of standards.
And if you'd like to see the score and rating of any particular child care center, it's easy.
The Child Care Facility Search Site allows parents to search by specific center, by city, by zip code, and by county. Very helpful if you want to find child care in a particular zip code, and the summary page shows the star rating of each center.
The Star Rated System
All licensed child care in North Carolina (except some religious schools) is rated using a "Star System". Each facility is rated on three standards. Recently, compliance history has become mandantory, so the star system now focuses mainly on education and standards.
- Staff Education
- Program Standards
- Compliance History
A center can be rated anywhere from zero to five stars. The star rating results from a combination of scores, so a higher rating at one school does not necessarily mean that they have a higher level of staff education, for instance - they may have higher program standards instead.
Staff Education
Staff education is rated partially by the following:
Program Standards
Here are some of the things each child care facility is rated by:
- Sufficient space for activities
- Variety of play materials
- Clean and comfortable play area
- Adults and children
- Children with other children
- Children with activities and materials
To find out more about the North Carolina Star Rated License Program, click here. The NC Division of Child Devlopment offers a lot of helpful advice, and explains a great deal about the star system and how it works.
You may also be interested in:
Triangle Area Market Reports - How's The Real Estate Market in Raleigh?
Shopping in the Raleigh Area - What Kind of Shopping Is There?
Raleigh Relocation Package - All About the Raleigh Area!
Which Part of the Triangle is Cheapest to Live? Property Tax Guide
Finding Your New Home in the Raleigh Area
Stanton Homes makes it easy! We'll guide you through the entire process - select from thousands of different floor plans, and hundreds of different locations, with a focus on new custom homes in the upper $100s to the $500s. Custom design build options available too!
Call 919-278-8070 or visit www.StantonHomes.com to find out more about new homes in the Raleigh area today.
 |
 |
 |
 |
Articles copyright Stanton Homes 2006-2011. Unauthorized use is not permitted. Provided for informational purposes only, no claims are made by Stanton Homes regarding the validity of any statements. Please note: all listing information per MLS, and current as of posting date. Information subject to change. Stanton Homes does not make claims to ownership of any lot listings, but can work with homebuyers to purchase available lots and build. Home plans to be approved on an individual basis, subject to neighborhood restrictive covenants and lot restrictions. Ask for further information regarding any community, lot or floor plan. Photos represent typical homes and details of each neighborhood, to help highlight different options available in the Raleigh/Triangle area. No claim of ownership is made to homes or land pictured.
Yep - Great info as always! I also think the N&O has a Mom2Mom Website so you can sometimes find info there.
Another great place to find child care is online, at Care.com. Lots of sitters, and they do free background checks. Very user-friendly website, with lots of good tips too.
Eleanor - Thanks for the tip! Sometimes the personal referral sites are the best...
I take it you are near Fort Bragg? My best friend was in 82nd Airborn.
Ronald - Raleigh is about 60 miles from Fort Bragg, and many families either find a halfway point, or stay in the area once their service is done. It's a great place to live! If you come this way, you'll want to check out the 82nd Airborne museum on the base.
I haven't been to the museum, but I was at the base about 20 years ago when my best friend was stationed there. Someday maybe I'll be back through that area.