HUMAN RESOURCES at MIT
Child Care Centers

Overview | Assess Your Needs | Become Familiar with the Options
Child Care Centers | Family Child Care | In-home Care
Know the Key Correlates of Quality | Develop a Search Strategy

Child care centers offer care in group settings with planned activities. Center staff are trained and supervised, and several staff will generally be involved in the care of each child during the day. Centers are open all weekdays except in severe weather or pre-announced closings for holidays or vacation weeks. Many centers offer enrollment options including full-day or part-day, and full- week or part-week; parents select a schedule and pay for a specific time slot. Centers generally can offer less flexibility in schedules, and do not provide care for mildly ill children.

Centers are licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) to provide care for specific age groups that may include infants (children under 15 months), and/or toddlers (15 months to 2 years 8 months), and/or preschoolers (2 years 9 months to 6 years). Children may be grouped by age or in mixed-age groupings. Massachusetts regulations require that centers meet or exceed the following levels for staff:child ratio and group size:

Mandated Staff : Child Ratios for child care centers in Massachusetts
AGE RATIO GROUP SIZE
Infants (0-14 months) 1 staff/3 infants or 2 staff/7 infants no more than 7
Toddlers 15 months-2.8 years 1 staff/4 toddlers or 2 staff/9 toddlers no more than 9

Preschoolers (2.9 - 7 yrs, full day)

 1 staff/10 preschoolers no more than 20

Preschoolers (2.9 - 7 yrs, half day)

 1 staff/12 preschoolers no more than 24

Kindergarten (4.9 - 7 yrs)

 1 staff/15 preschoolers no more than 30

Center brochures may use similar words to describe their programs, but in actuality do vary a great deal with respect to philosophy, program activities and structure, staff:child ratio (beyond the minimum), staff qualifications and turnover, degree of parent participation, size, schedule flexibility allowed, etc. Some centers have received accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC); these accreditation standards go beyond those established by the ECC. Although centers that apply for and receive accreditation are generally committed to high quality practice and go through a highly useful period of self-study, accredited programs are not necessarily better than those that have not yet applied for accreditation.

Program costs also vary, with tuition for full-time care in Cambridge generally ranging from $1,100 to $1,900 per month for infants; $900 to $1500 for toddlers; and $650 to $1,400 for preschoolers. Higher prices are associated with the younger age groups due to the higher staff:child ratios. Generally speaking, center tuitions are set at a level that will just cover center costs, with staff salaries and benefits typically accounting for 70% to 80% of center budgets. Even at such high tuitions, centers struggle to maintain adequate compensation levels to recruit and retain high quality, trained staff. Sources of financial assistance for child care are limited; they are described in Saving Money on Child Care Expenses.

Some preschool programs are not required to be licensed by ECC, as they are regulated by other agencies. These include Head Start programs, which are federally sponsored preschools offering free and low-cost programs to low-income families, and preschool classrooms operated by public schools, often serving children with diagnosed special needs in integrated settings together with typical (non-special needs) students. Some private and parochial schools also operate preschool programs, under Department of Education regulations.

Centers are more likely to have openings to enroll new children during the summer months or in the beginning of September. As waiting lists can be long, especially for infant and toddler groups, an early search is strongly advised. If possible, schedule visits in the fall a year ahead of your child’s enrollment, or before mid-spring; it is usually possible to apply a year or more in advance. Application fees for individual centers tend to be modest ($20 to $25), while fees for child care systems (companies or organizations managing multiple centers) tend to be more significant ($100 or more). Application fees serve to hold your space on the wait list without either guaranteeing you a space or committing you to enrolling your child when a space becomes available. For those entering the process later in the academic year, some openings generally do exist into the spring and summer.

There are many centers in the Boston area, including several that are close to MIT. The Center for Work, Family and Personal Life can provide you with lists of centers in any community in Massachusetts.

For information on child care centers located at MIT, visit MIT Child Care Centers.