Childcare - is it really an "American Hell?"

Hands down, the most stressful part of being a parent for me is figuring out what to do with my kids when I go to work. I don't know why this is more stressful for me than it is for M, or even that it is. Maybe I just talk about it more. Actually, I obsess over it. I will freely admit that. I talk about it with my friends all the time. For the most part, we're talking about making sure that our kids are learning and growing and being treated right and treating their peers decently, but sometimes the conversation does go into the "are the kids physically safe" territory.

This article in the New Republic on American child care is going to get a lot of buzz. Warning before you read it...there's a fire and little kids die. I heard an interview with the author on Fresh Air today, and he admits that the story is worst case scenario and extremely rare. But what is really scary to me is the lack of regulation and oversight in the daycare industry as a whole. I trust that the accredited child care center my daughter goes to is staffed by people without criminal records. I trust that their building is up to code and they have rehearsed disaster procedures. But really, I don't have a clue about how Laurel's days pass, except from what she tells me, and what the teachers tell me. Honestly, it's a little difficult to piece together a story that makes sense when you are dealing with a 3 year old's complaints about her day and a 2 minute conversation over deafening noise with the child care worker. And when you drop off your nonverbal infant, you really have no idea what's going on.

We really lucked out with getting an opening when we did. Because we only have one car, we needed a daycare either within walking distance, or with long enough hours so that I could do both drop off and pick up. Our last daycare opened at 6:30 and the morning rush with me trying to punch in at school by 7:00am was stressful every single day. Laurel cried at drop off for the entire school year. Not fun.

So, these things make me feel better about our current place...
Word of mouth - lots of people in our neighborhood send their kids there and love it. Lots of moms of older kids also gave it a good recommendation. Staff turnover is low.
Google search - a quick google search didn't reveal any scary news stories, so that's good, right?
Random, unannounced visits - I did this sort of accidentally once she was enrolled, because my work schedule varies, but it did allow me to see exactly how things go outside of drop-off and pick-up

But ultimately, we had to consider....
Who had a spot open when I landed a job
Monthly tuition
Hours of operation

....just like the moms in the New Republic article. When you have to work, you have to take what's available.

I'm curious about what other parents feel about childcare options? Do you feel awesome about the place you leave your kids? How much of a financial hardship is it? What would you love to see in your "ideal" childcare situation? Anyone use an au pair or nanny?