Toddler spending a lot of time in Infants room (Long)

RibbitGrl930

For the past couple of months, DH and I have noticed Jake seems to be spending a LOT of time in the Infants room, despite having transitioned to the Toddlers room full-time at 14 months. For example, some of his communication sheets indicate he was moved over to the Infants room for the day as early as 9:00 (he is usually dropped off around 7:30 or 8:00) and was there until pick-up. The communication sheets also indicate by teacher initials who changed his diaper or gave him his meal or snack. Going back, it seems at least one per week contain mostly Infant room teachers' initials (and I know these are the dedicated Infants teachers, not floaters). I also dismissed my concern that I have picked him up in the infant room nearly every day because I get there so close to closing, and the closing Infants teacher likes him so much, she probably volunteers to take him so the Toddlers teacher can clean up). However, I picked him up much earlier on Friday, and the Toddlers teacher was in the Toddlers room with four kids while Jake was in the Infants room. I'm pretty sure the ratio for that age range in the center is at least 5:1, so I didn't see that as the reason. Basically, in the past month or so, I can count on one hand the number of times I have picked him up in the Toddlers room.

this has been a slight concern of ours because Jake is developmentally delayed in speech and gross motor skills, for which he will ge getting therapy to address, and I know it has been suggested that kids are motivated to explore certain movements or behaviors by seeing other kids do them. Now, I am in no way, shape, or form blaming DC for his delays. We are just concerned that this may be the reason he is being moved frequently (he's the least developed of the toddlers, so it makes sense to move him to be with the infants), and we would really like for him to be around his peers who are progressing on track, so that he observes the behaviors appropriate for his age group.

I would like to speak with his teacher or the director to find out why this is happening, but it's occurring to me that this may be a common daycare practice, that other kids may be shuffled around as well and I, of course, just would 't know about it. Anybody here see this a lot in their daycares or work in a daycare that would do this? What are the main reasons? Would it be okay for me to request that, if children must be shuffled due to ratios, Jake remain in the Toddlers room as much as possible? Or is that out of bounds?

TLDR version: 19-month-old spending a lot of DC time in Infants room, possibly due to develpmental delays. Parents would like him to be around properly-developing kids his own age. Is this a common practice? If so, why? Are parents within reason to request he be moved as little as possible?

MamaAllison

You are well within your rights to ask why it's happening and if you don't like the reason, demand it changes. I'm a very laid back daycare mom but this is something I'd speak up about especially if you feel (and I agree with you) that being around older kids would help your little guy with his development.

MommyAtty

At the center I worked in when I was in college, a lot of kids were moved around to allow teachers to leave early (thus saving on the hourly employees, to be frank). And we did normally move the kids who were closest developmentally to kids they would be hanging out with. BUT, this was only the last hour of the day, and if a parent asked that it not happen, that would have been respected when at all possible. And it would have been "half the 2s are going to the new toddler room and half are going to the 3s." Not, we are only moving one kid. That seems odd to me. I would ask.

74dragonfly

Yeah this isn't ok. He needs to have a stable place with his peers. My DD daycare never moved her once she was in a certain room. Id ask. I'd also say you don't want him moved to baby room.

MamaMD

My LO recently transitioned to the toddler room at around 16 months.  She does spend some time in the older infant room though, more in the first few weeks she was in the toddler room, less now.  I was told this has to do with ratios and that they will sometimes move the younger toddlers back to the older infant room if they have less infants that day or more toddlers etc.  However, I was also told that by law they can't be in the infant room after 18 months so I know this is a limited situation for us.  I wonder if there is a similar law in your state (important to know since your LO is 19 months)?  Also, I think you should definitely say something to the director and make your preference known if you don't want him to be in the infant room.

MickeyM04

I guess I would want to know the ages of the kids in the infant room.  When we were looking at DCs, some had a young infant room and an older infant room (like the DC we are at now--there's a 6 week - 8 month room, and a 9 month - 18 month room), and others kept all kids up to 18 months together and then at 18 months they got moved into the toddler room.  It would definitely bother me if my 19 month old was spending most of his day with kids 8 months of age and younger.  If he was spending most of his day with kids 18 months and younger, that would probably not bother me in the least.  

Typically at our DC, the babies aged 6 weeks to 18 months are all together for about an hour in the morning until the teacher for the 9 - 18 month room arrives, and then in the afternoon they are back together for about an hour between 5:30 and 6:30.  The kids 18months - 35 months are all together for an hour in the morning until the 18-24 month teacher arrives, and then they split off from the 2 year olds.  The kids 36 months and up are all together in the morning for that same hour.  At the end of the day, for the last hour, everyone over 18 months gets lumped together until pick-up.  It does seem super strange to me that your DS is spending most of the day (week?) with the infants, rather than just an hour here or there.  That being said, again, I wonder what aged kids he is with.  If he's close in age to the infants, and they are having some sort of staffing issue, that would be an easy explanation.

Either way, I would just ask one of his regular teachers or the director why he seems to be spending an inordinate amount of time in the infant room.  And if it bothers you, I would ask if you can have him in the room he's supposed to be in whenever staffing allows.

Beevol

My guess is that they are moving him in part because of his developmental delays and in part due to staffing issues. Each state is different, but in my state, the ratio is set at 4:1 for children under 2 years and then higher for children over 2. If your state is similar and the 1-2 yr old room was under staffed, it would make sense for them to move the child most able to deal with it to the baby room (a highly verbal or physically advanced toddler could begin acting out with younger kids/babies). 

That being said, this isn't a one time/no sub or only for an hour or two sort of thing. You are paying them for your kid to be in the toddler room and they need to staff it appropriately. If it's not a staffing issue and they are moving him because that fits their philosophy (ie that they think he is better off with kids more developmentally similar), then you need to decide if you are comfortable with that philosophy and if not, then maybe you need to find a new center. 

I'd set a meeting to talk with the Director.

RibbitGrl930

Thanks for the responses, ladies! I haven't spoken with the director yet as our family's been on a time crunch in the afternoons the past couple of days, but I get off work earlier on Friday, so I'll go in earlier and speak with her. I appreciate you guys taking the time to contribute your perspectives, and they all make sense. In the past, this director has been very reasonable and easy to work with, so, unless there is a rigid state guideline she states is driving the moves, then I have confidence a conversation with her will result in something that will work all around.