Child care is very expensive, but there is some tax relief available to help with that burden.

Terms like "Class A," "Class B" or "NAEYC-accredited" provide you, the consumer, with information regarding a child-care program’s operating credentials.

It is important to ask about all the policies a child-care center may have in place, and if they are fulfilling all requirements mandated by state law.

Policies that exclude sick children from child-care centers may seem like a hassle to a working parent with a sick child, but those policies are put in place to protect other children, says LSU AgCenter expert Cheri Gioe.