Daycare Expectations?

sehudson821

Hi ladies! I'm a FTM and I'm currently looking at a few daycare centers for next school year. (DS is being cared for at home by my grandmother until I start summer break.) I've realized that I have no clue what to expect when I go into these places except whether or not it is clean and the teacher/child ratio. Help me come up with some realistic expectations and questions to ask when I go in, please! He will be 7 months at the time he'd be starting daycare.

For example, what should the teachers be doing when I visit? Sitting and supervising, interacting with the children, both?

SandFHasse

Teacher/child ratio I think depends on what state you are in. I know an infant room in AZ has a 6 to 1 ratio. Teachers should be interacting with the kids.

Ask them their ratios and if they have a daily routine for the kids. Find out if they do sensory play with them.

amt0312

Having worked in a day care center, I would definitely want to see teachers interacting with the babies. Ask about the schedule that they have for the day. They should have "lesson plans" posted. Are the teachers certified in early childhood development? This can be a degree or just a certificate depending on your state. Also, the ratios are pretty important and what do they do at the end of the day when there are only just a couple of babies left. Do they blend in the toddlers with the babies? The center I worked at did that in order to close some of the rooms early so they didn't have to pay teachers to stay until the end of the day. This is good for the center, but can be tough for the teachers who now have to watch infants and toddlers at the same time and can be somewhat unsafe. Toddlers (12-24months) aren't good listeners and can be rambunctious with infants. 

Also, if the center has ratios that are under the state minimum, that's usually a good sign. In NC, the ratio for infants was 1:5 with a max of 9 babies in one room with 2 teachers. That's a lot of babies! While it wasn't difficult to make sure the environment was safe for that many babies, we weren't able to do a lot of activities with them because we were just changing diapers/feeding and making sure no one got hurt. That was the extent of what we could do.

Make sure the cribs they use look safe and that your child will have his/her own dedicated crib. Also, the general condition of the room is a good thing to look at. 

Roses87

In my area infant teacher size is 1 to 4. I use to work in a daycare that was 1 to 4. At times one baby may cry while you attended to another. 1 to 6 is crazy for babies. I would be worried LO would not get proper care.

tootsscott

1:6 is insane. At my daycare it is 1:3 with a max of 9 babies in a room and 3 staff. Toddlers are 1:5 and preschool is 1:8.

I'm a bitch when it comes to daycare stuff and am really picky. I go as far to associate staff who wear yoga pants and are sloppily dressed to not being able to properly care for my child. ECE's want to be considered professionals, then work a little harder to look like it. Jeans without holes is not a hard standard to stick to

I would ask what their discipline methods are... And I would observe for longer than you feel is necessary. ECE's can put on a happy face for a while, and tell you what they do in certain situations, but it's important to see how they respond to a child who gives them a hard time!

CopperT0p

I'm not sure if it's the same in your area, but in Ontario the DCP provides all food (unless baby has a special dietary concern).  So I would ask them for a copy of their meal plan and make sure it is in line with your expectations.  I would also observe them during a meal time to see how they handle it to make sure the kids are getting supervised appropriately during meal times.  They shouldn't be piling tons of food on each high chair and the food needs to be appropriate size for the age of the child.  

I would also as how they handle giving bottles or sippy cups since each baby will be on either their own formula or BM.  Do they have a refridgerator you can store baby's bottles of BM.  Do they make the formula if that's what you send or do you send formula ready to serve?  DS1 started daycare at 1 year so he was on a combination of pumped BM and cows milk so I don't know what is best for FF babies at daycare.  

I would also inspect their outdoor facilities and ask about how much time they spend outside.  What type of play equipment do they have? How do they keep the non-walking babies occupied and safe as well as walking babies?  Is there lots of shade? What type of weather conditions would limit their outdoor time? 

worleygirl

In my state (OK) you can go online and see recent violations and outcome of the inquiry. I found that very helpful. With DS we had a place picked out and last minute my Mommy instinct kicked in and we changed. I've been at the same place for nearly 5 years now. I had to accept a few bumps in the road and a few teachers I didn't love but overall his school is an extension of our family.

sehudson821

Thanks everyone!! I appreciate your help

housewifebecomesher

esd said:

We chose our center based on how I felt there. I was comfortable with the teachers I spoke with and the environment there. At lot of it is mommy instinct.

This! Also ask about how often they sanitize, if they share cribs, how often they clean crib sheets, what is provided versus what you bring, and if they are willing to go by your baby's schedule instead of a set one. Good luck!

erika_sue

tootsscott said:

1:6 is insane. At my daycare it is 1:3 with a max of 9 babies in a room and 3 staff. Toddlers are 1:5 and preschool is 1:8. I'm a bitch when it comes to daycare stuff and am really picky. I go as far to associate staff who wear yoga pants and are sloppily dressed to not being able to properly care for my child. ECE's want to be considered professionals, then work a little harder to look like it. Jeans without holes is not a hard standard to stick to I would ask what their discipline methods are... And I would observe for longer than you feel is necessary. ECE's can put on a happy face for a while, and tell you what they do in certain situations, but it's important to see how they respond to a child who gives them a hard time!

I respectfully disagree with the bolded. Preschool and older, absolutely. You are a teacher, you should dress as such. However, in the infant room, when I'm literally on my knees half the day, and have snot, baby food, spit up, and many other unknown substances wiped on me constantly, I don't want to be messing up my jeans. I can crawl and chase after your child much more efficiently when I'm comfy.

tootsscott

@erika_sue. Jeggings could probably accomplish a more appropriate look while still being comfortable!