Contrary to what your mother or your best friend may say, there is not one perfect answer for everyone’s child care needs. Each child—and each family—has a unique set of needs, and every child care provider will have something different to offer. It takes careful thought and time to find the perfect match, but the decision is a whole lot simpler once you consider the basic pros and cons of each option. Read on to discover which choice might be right for you.

Child Care Centers
A child care center can have anywhere from twelve to hundreds of children. They must meet certain requirements and be licensed by the state. Teachers in a child care center must have some basic child development training, and many centers hire only teachers with college degrees in Early Childhood Education. While training is a plus, it’s the interactions with children, enthusiasm of the teacher and age appropriate activities that you will want to see when you visit each center. The environment, both indoors and out, is designed especially for children, and because a center usually groups children by age, they are able to offer learning experiences that meet your child’s developmental level.

On the downside, child care centers can have high staff turnover rates as well as higher exposure to germs and illnesses (because of the greater number of children). They also tend to be a little pricier. Quality varies greatly, so go and visit the ones you’re interested in before committing to one.

Family Day Care
Child care providers who care for children in their homes are called family day care providers. They may have anywhere from two to fourteen children, depending on the type of license held. And yes, the state does require them to be licensed, so be sure to confirm that they are. Many people prefer a home setting for their children, especially for infants and toddlers. While there are no training requirements for in-home providers (beyond first aid and CPR), you can find providers with college training or degrees in Early Childhood Education. Be sure to ask about a caregiver’s background and experience.

Most often children of various ages are combined in a family day care home. While this has a family feel, it is more difficult for children to have access to age-appropriate toys and activities. Small Legos that will enhance a 4-year-old’s fine motor skills are a choking hazard for the one-year-old also in the home. And while you have just one caregiver for your child to bond with, if she gets sick or goes on vacation, you’ll need a back-up plan. Family day care rates tend to be lower than many centers’ since they don’t have the overhead a center does.

Nannies
While nannies were once for the rich and famous, more and more people are finding nannies offer convenience and care at affordable rates. A nanny comes to your home to care for your children. This can be especially cost-effective if you have two or more children, since a center or family day care home will charge you per child. You can hand-select the person you want to care for your child, so her training, temperament and skills will be just what you need.

A nanny often picks kids up from school and takes them to music lessons or soccer practice, so if you work night or weekend hours, or travel for your job, a nanny may be just what you need. Centers and family day care providers usually offer weekday hours only. You will need to trust this person implicitly since you are entrusting them with your children and your home. There are several local nanny agencies and Web sites that can do the necessary background checks and initial screenings for you.

Child Care Co-ops
With the current economy, some moms forced to work part-time are finding that many centers do not offer part-time schedules. Or stay-at-home moms just don’t have the extra dollars in their budgets for a sitter to provide some much needed “mom-me time.” So, resourceful moms are teaming up with friends to create child care co-ops. Many are as informal as switching off child care days each week, and others involve many families and require organization and planning.

Among the “pros” co-ops provide: they don’t cost you any money, your child gets to interact with other kids, and you get some time to yourself for work or play. If you need just a few hours a week and trust the parents you’d be sharing care duties with, this could work for you.

One more tip from moms who’ve been there and done this: co-op child care arrangements tend to work best when everyone swapping is on the same page, from the very beginning. In other words, if you’re all about organic snacks and TV-free zones, you and your McDonald’s-loving neighbor might want to think twice before jumping into an agreement. And no matter how compatible you are, determine guidelines and schedules up front.

Drop-In Care
The other option for occasional care is one of the local drop-in centers now available. These are licensed by the state like a regular child care center. The difference is they are open evening and weekend hours, and you don’t need a set schedule, you can just “drop-in.” This saves you from having to find a caregiver, and if you use it often enough, your kids will become comfortable there—they may even look forward to going. Several local drop-in spots offer regular parents’ survival nights with themed entertainment and organized activities for the kids.

The down side is there will probably be different children there every time, and the caregivers may vary as well. Not perfect for a child who needs predictability, but it does allow you last-minute arrangements when the sitter cancels on date

Finding Help
Each county has a resource and referral line that can tell you of available care options in your part of town. They also have information on child care subsidy programs; there are a plethora of these with varying requirements, so be sure to ask lots of questions.