Start your child-care search by talking about it with everyone you know: friends, coworkers, other moms at the playground, your pediatrician. If you're looking for private care, consider going through an agency that does background checks. Also check with your employer; some companies offer worksite or near-site child care, and even more offer resource and referral services.

Once you have a list of child-care options in your area, the trick is to figure out which option best suits your child and family. "The question every mom must ask herself is, 'Does this person really care about my child?' " says Linda Smith, executive director of the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (www.childcareaware.org), a nonprofit advocacy and training organization with referral centers in every state. "The only way to learn this is by spending time at the facility and/or with the caregiver."

Consider three big factors when looking for care: your child's temperament and social needs and the facility's academic standards. "Most important is to make sure your child has caring, nurturing trained people caring for her," says Deborah Phillips, PhD, chair of psychology and codirector of the Center for Research on Children at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. "Ask teachers and caregivers targeted questions to get an idea of how well your child will fit into a particular place. For example, to find out if a teacher works well with timid children, say, 'My child tends to be shy around others at first. How would you help her to socialize?' To get a sense of how flexible a teacher is, ask something like 'If my son is having a bad day and doesn't want to follow the routine, how would you handle that?' The right child-care setting and people can help your child make friends, learn the things he needs to know for school and develop into the person he's destined to be."

INFORMATION, PLEASE

LICENSING To find a state licensing agency, go to the state government's website or check with the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education (http://nrc.uchsc.edu or 800-598-KIDS).

ACCREDITATION National Association for Family Child Care (www.nafcc.org, 801-269-9338) accredits family-based child care.

National Association for the Education of Young Children (www.naeyc.org, 800-424-2460) accredits day-care and preschool programs.

National Early Childhood Program Accreditation Commission (www.necpa.net, 800-505-9878) accredits early-education programs.

GENERAL CHILD CARE For more help picking care:

American Academy of Pediatrics (www.healthy childcare.org)

NACCRRA (www.childcare aware.org)

National Child Care Information Center (www.nccic.org, 800-616-2242)

Zero to Three (www.zerotothree.org)