Are you a working mother? According to the national organization Zero to Three, 62% of American mothers with infants work. If you're one of the many working moms in America, take a look at what you need to know about infant care outside the home.

1. Is Daycare Safe for an Infant?

In most cases, the answer is yes. While you might hear horror stories on the news, a quality child care center provides a safe, secure, and healthy space for infants to grow and thrive. Licensed daycares must meet strict local or state standards. The overall or general goal of licensing standards is to ensure child safety during the daycare day.

Specific standards vary by state, but typically include child-staff ratios, supervision, staff educational/experiential requirements, building safety, immunization (for children and staff), nutrition, and ongoing staff training.

2. How Much Attention Is Given to Each Infant?

At home, your infant gets all of your attention. But the other infants in your child's "class" may leave you wondering how much attention is given to each baby. Again, licensing standards regulate staff to child ratios. This means a licensed center has a maximum number of children who any one staff member can care for at one time. Infant rooms typically have a lower adult-child ratio than classrooms for preschoolers or older children. While the specific ratio varies by licensing area, all help to increase the likelihood of individual care.

If you have concerns about your child feeling loved or important during the daycare day, you don't have to worry. Quality infant care services emphasize giving children the attention and nurturing they need.

3. Does the Daycare Day Have a Set Schedule?

While daycare centers won't all follow the same schedule, a high-quality program will create a set routine for your baby and the rest of the children in their classroom. This includes time to eat, nap, and play. Classrooms for younger infants may allow individual children to dictate their schedules. This means they will follow your baby's hunger and sleep cues or use a pre-set schedule you provide.

4. What Types of Play Activities Do Daycares Offer?

Unlike preschoolers, infants in child care won't have a full curriculum of content-rich activities. Even though your two-month-old won't create collages, finger paint, and explore a classroom science center, they will still have plenty of meaningful learning opportunities. In most centers, these include sensory, motor, and early literacy-based play.

From a safety and care to a daily schedule and learning-based play, you, like many other parents, have questions about child care. If you have specific questions about the center's infant program or what to expect from the care-level they offer, contact local services such as Kids  Country Club. The more information you have, the more comfortable you'll feel.