Imagine being four-years-old and losing your favorite stuffed animal and familiar routines because your home was destroyed by a flood. You watch your parents cry and keep asking, “When can we go home? I want my stuffed tiger.” You do not exactly understand what is happening, but you are sad and scared.

Finding the right child care provider for your family is a personal choice, and not one that can be outsourced very easily. Child Care Aware® of America Executive Director Lynette Fraga, PhD, spoke with Scott MacFarlane of NBC Washington about some specific questions parents can ask, ways to assess your unique family needs and how to understand and develop an ongoing relationship with your child care provider. Watch the clip below.

All parents want their children to be able to read, write and speak well, but it won't happen overnight. Literacy starts at birth and grows over many years.

Todo padre quiere que sus hijos sepan leer, escribir y hablar bien. Pero esto no sucederá de la noche a la mañana. El alfabetismo comienza con el nacimiento de su hijo y va creciendo.

Eating and exercise habits are learned. Children aren't born knowing what is "good" for them. Children watch and do what their parents and siblings do. They want to eat what everyone else eats, and want to do what they see their family members doing. By helping children choose and learn to love healthy foods and exercise, parents provide the foundation for lifelong fitness.

Los hábitos relacionados con la alimentación y el ejercicio se aprenden. Los niños no nacen sabiendo lo que es “bueno” para ellos. Los niños observan y hacen lo que hacen sus padres y sus hermanos. Quieren comer lo que todos los demás comen, y quieren hacer lo que ven hacer a los otros miembros de la familia.