Of all the difficult choices parents have to make, finding the right childcare may be the hardest one of all. In 2005, 57 percent of children ages 3 to 5 were enrolled in early childhood care and education programs, including daycare, nursery school and preschool, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

When Mom and Dad have to go back to work, who can they trust to take care of their baby? How can they find the right daycare? Should they consider in-home care with an au pair or a nanny? What is right for one family may not be right for another, and parents need to consider the myriad issues that go into finding just the right environment for their children, inside or outside of the home.

Sara Fisher recently went back to work after the birth of her son. An employee communications consultant for a PR firm and syndicated columnist, Fisher decided that a nanny was right for her son and family. "Finding a nanny is like dating; you get set up by friends of friends and ask around for the perfect match," she says. "Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't."

After watching friends have varying degrees of success with nanny placement agencies, Fisher decided to try to find a match over the Internet. So far, her methods have been working out very well. "You can talk to references or watch them interact with your child, but when finding my nannies, I trusted my gut," she says. "You don't know until you try it. Give yourself some time before you go back to work to test the nanny out when you're at home just to teach and watch how your nanny operates."

But some parents may not be able to trust their gut, especially if they have never made a decision about childcare before.

Content on this site is not a substitute for professional medical or healthcare advice, diagnosis or treatment, and may not be used for such purposes. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical question or condition. Reliance on information presented on this site is at your own risk. This site contains the opinions and views of other users. Given the interactive nature of this site, we cannot endorse, guarantee, or be responsible for the accuracy, efficacy, or veracity of any content generated by our users.