What do you look for when finding daycare?

Well, I looked at the environment (I picked a home based daycare, not a commercial one) to make sure everything is clean, asked for references, certificates (first aid etc), found out what is done with the kids on a day to basis as far as teaching letters/numbers/songs etc. I also really loved that my daycare provider used to be a pediatric nurse. Oh, and make sure you can drop in unexpectedly if you so desire.

Part of it though was just good ole intuition. I liked her from the start, and now (over a year and a half later) I know I made the right decision, my son LOVES her, and she loves him right back!

Your gut feel should tell you a lot about the place. Every parent has different preferences about the kind of care their kid gets. Personally, I want him to have plenty of time to play outside (in a nice yard with grass and lots of toys), good food with lots of fruits and veggies, and openly affectionate and happy caregivers. The place should be clean and should have a low ratio of teachers to kids. They should sing and read and do art/crafts and lots of other fun activities on a regular basis. And VERY important is that the daycare should have a culture of naturally partnering with the parents to take care of the kids - I should be able to drop in at any time, hang out for as long as I want, and communication should be honestly and eagerly shared so that if there are any problems/hiccups (like kids often have) I'll be included in the solution. This should be a place where he blossoms even more than he would in my care.