You definitely have to visit a few, ideally talk to some references, etc. but it can be a wonderful option and actually cheaper. I was the opposite - I only wanted a home daycare and didn’t want a center at all. Centers felt too… industrial? Centers have advantages like many provide preschool options for 3s and 4s and they also are able to remain open even if a teacher gets sick. But I prefer the small size of our home daycare - max 6 kids. (Which also means less germs.) She is open early enough for me, a high school teacher, and provides meals, too. Some centers do, some don’t. Some homes do, some don’t. She’s basically family to us now. My son has been with her 2.5 years. Now, home daycares won’t have the bells and whistles like apps and cameras and Face ID technology at pick up though lol.