** Daycare Moms **

FSUSammy

Hey ladies. Mikey has been going to daycare for almost a year now. A friend of mine whose daughter is exactly 3 weeks older than him also goes to daycare and she just seems SOOOOO advanced. Not sure what exactly they teach them but she says a ton of words that she learned at daycare and she even tries to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star which is super cute. I know all kids are different and all daycares are different. It seems like at ours Mikey just plays all day long. I've stopped in when they were reading but all of the kids had a book they were looking at while the teacher was reading to them. After seeing my friend's daughter it really got me thinking if he should be learning anything at daycare at his age. So that's the purpose of this post to see what everyone's kids are being "taught" at daycare at this age.

Phillywife

DS's daycare is an early learning center. They have a lesson plans for each week/month. I have to say he does surprise me with stuff he learns but it isn't anything different to me than my neices and nephews that were babysat.

fcflroida

It's mostly play all day till they are over 18months at our daycare. Remember  at this stage girls  talk more then boys and boys have better motor skills. It's nothing to worry about. Just read more to him at night and on the weekends if it bothers you

pea-kay

mine aren't really taught anything in the infant room. when they move up to the next room (which won't be for a while) they'll start learning. i do wish they were learning now, but for what i pay (not much, but all we can afford) i can't really complain. sigh.

jessica1080

Our DD isn't really taught anything at daycare.  She is still in the infant room though so maybe it will be different when she moves up?!?  I need to look into this!  Good post!

MrsAmers

I think it is more about a difference in development than about a difference in the daycare.  DD had a language explosion at 18 months and is now speaking in sentences.  But she's the second youngest in her class and has better vocabulary than many of the other kids in her group.

It's just like learning to crawl, walk, etc.  Kids learn on their own schedule.  You can provide a good learning environment by reading books and talking to kids a lot, but how and when they start talking is an individual thing.

As long as the teachers are talking to the kids throughout the day (talking about what they're doing, what they're eating, singing to them, etc) I wouldn't be overly concerned with a "curriculum".   

marrieddddd

Your DS is still in the infant room, right? I think the toddler rooms tend to be more structured, but if it's not, you might want to shop around. I think I remember a post where you said DS wasn't moved to the toddler room yet because he wasn't walking. We looked at several daycares for DD, who just started yesterday at 14 1/2 months. Some of them were based on age only, others were based on development only, etc-- I was not putting her in an infant room at 14 months. I really thought she needed the stimulation of the 1-2 yo room, even if she had needed help still with feeding or walking, etc (as it turns out she is walking well and feeding herself well, but I wasn't sure where she would be with those things when I was looking a few months ago). If they try to delay him moving up to the toddler room soon, I would fight that or look elsewhere. He probably isn't getting as much out of the infant room as he could be at this point.

MamaNikki

DS will be 20 months old on the 12th, and he just moved up to a new room at daycare yesterday.  They gave us a tentative 'schedule' that they follow each day, and it's mostly play all day with about 45 mintues set aside in the morning for 'cirriculum.'  When I read that out loud to my DH last night, it made me laugh.  Just the thought of my baby having a 'cirriculum.'  So cute and funny.  I believe it's pretty much just coloring and painting and such.  I know they do have flash cards and reading time too.  Some days when I get to pick DS up early, they are all sitting around in the late afternoon all looking at books by themselves or sitting around the teacher doing flash cards.  Our daycare also sends home workbooks about what they're learning about (some recent ones: utensils, grocery stores, household items. etc.) and there are posters and things on the walls in their room that coordinate with the workbooks.

After I typed all this out, it kinda sounds like a lot, but it's really pretty much still just play all day at this age.  Like PP said, I believe they say girls tend to be a bit more verbal first.

I try not to worry too much about it, but just use the time I have with DS at home to play and talk and sing and read with him.  IMO, that's the way they learn these things the best. 

FSUSammy

marrieddddd:

Your DS is still in the infant room, right? I think the toddler rooms tend to be more structured, but if it's not, you might want to shop around. I think I remember a post where you said DS wasn't moved to the toddler room yet because he wasn't walking. We looked at several daycares for DD, who just started yesterday at 14 1/2 months. Some of them were based on age only, others were based on development only, etc-- I was not putting her in an infant room at 14 months. I really thought she needed the stimulation of the 1-2 yo room, even if she had needed help still with feeding or walking, etc (as it turns out she is walking well and feeding herself well, but I wasn't sure where she would be with those things when I was looking a few months ago). If they try to delay him moving up to the toddler room soon, I would fight that or look elsewhere. He probably isn't getting as much out of the infant room as he could be at this point.

 

Yup that's correct. That's kinda why I wanted to see what others were "learning" to compare what he is/isn't getting out of his room so that I could question it. I'm going to talk to the director to find out what they "learn" in the toddler room so that I can find out if its just going to be continuous play in there too or what. I have already given thought on putting him at another daycare closer to home, there is actually a montessori school that I really have my eye on but I need to just go and check them out but he wouldn't be able to go there until he's 2. 

happy-honey

I am wondering if it is a little bit because girl's learn quicker than boys.  At DD's daycare they teach her words, signs, animal sounds, and she has been attempting to sing "Row, Row Your Boat" for months now.  However the boys who are close in age to her don't talk or sign yet and a couple don't walk so they seem to be focused on different skills with them.