Finding a good day care-where to look, what questions to ask?

aekuiper

So our daughter has been staying with an in-home Nanny while we are both at work, and we have been paying handsomely for it. We are trying to save for a house and considering day care, but we are scared of most of them and have heard numerous horror stories that has us wanting to keep our Nanny right where she is. Any suggestions for where to look for reviews/complaints, and where to find a good questionnaire to take with me if I find one I might like?

maelily15

Your local childcare assistance resource office should have listings of licensed daycare providers. In our state, to be licensed with them, they have to pass a background check and be fingerprinted as well as have CPR and first aid training. A lot of the licensed daycares with the childcare assistance office are also vetted by DCFS. You don't have to be needy to go get information on who will be safest for your child. That's how I found the home daycare that my daughter goes to. It's open second shift and she only charges $25 per day if you pay out of pocket. Most centers pricing varies on location but they were averaging $150 per week regardless of how many hours your child attends. The childcare resource office here also had a list of questions to ask also. But the most important thing to do is to follow your gut. Also remember that at this age, some children have separation anxiety. It will be hard on all involved. Good luck!

Amber Woods

Ask about their ratio of child to sitter. In NV it is 4 to 1 for infants and then it goes up to like 8 to 1 once they are 9 months or something like that. Also, do they keep a good feeding schedule, diaper changing schedule, training and background checks for the sitters. Is it an open door policy where you can walk in at anytime. Maybe find a spot that has cameras so you can check on your baby throughout the day. Also, my daycare will charge me per week the full price even if I don't bring him in one day. Some places have flexible pricing. So ask about that as well. Make sure your Baby is up to date on all shots as they will want shot records. My son has adapted to daycare quite well and loves the babies and all the adults that care for him. They have 2 primary care givers and then subs that come in when they are busy to help maintain their requires ratio. Be prepared for them to get sick more. For the 1st couple months me and baby were sick almost every week. It has tapered down now tho.

JAP09-02

I loved having my kids in a center. I felt like there were more checks and balances because someone else was always watching. They also had cameras recording every room. The environment was structured and offered an educational curriculum. I'm also a big believer in socializing children early on. That said, I stay home now & really worry that my DS will be the child with separation anxiety at preschool because he is with me all.the.time.

Anyway, I agree with finding a daycare that is state licensed. I would suspect you'd be able to find any complaints filed against them by contacting the licensing board or possibly even their website. Other things to consider are secured entry/pick up procedure, do they provide meals/snack or are you responsible for your own, how is nap time handled, do lead teachers have degrees, what kind of activities are provided, how much outdoor time do the children get, how do they handle severe weather situations, and are they open holidays. I definitely agree you'll get a vibe from each place. Good luck with your search!

yellowdaisies84

I'm an Early Childhood Educator, and this might be an off-the-wall suggestion but I wonder if you can call your local college that offers Early Childhood Education and ask one of the teachers for a recommendation. Not sure if you'd get anywhere with it, but ECE teachers have had students in co-op placements in daycares all over the city/town for years. They have the inside scoop on the best ones and the not so great ones. I live in Ontario, Canada so things are a little bit different but for a start your daycare should have ECEs working there, should be definitely licensed, and also preferably 'non-profit' at least that's what's best here.

You can post here any questions you have and I can give you my opinion on different centres you consider. 

Ask about the ratio for sure. Here's what you want to hear: for babies, the ratio is one caregiver for every three children if a group has 6 infants, 1 for every 4 if a group has 8 babies.

lmk115

Have you considered doing a nanny share? That way you could keep your nanny. I drop my son off at a colleagues house that lives right near my work. She has a 2 year old. I love that the little girl plays with my son and "takes care of him". Of course that means finding a family to do it with. It's saves us both money, she has the convenience of it being at her home and I have it near my work, which is great since my work is 40 minutes from home. We also both save money, but the nanny is still paid very well, so works hard. Ours even does some of her laundry and dishes while the babies sleep.

yellowdaisies84

lmk115 said:

Have you considered doing a nanny share? That way you could keep your nanny. I drop my son off at a colleagues house that lives right near my work. She has a 2 year old. I love that the little girl plays with my son and "takes care of him". Of course that means finding a family to do it with. It's saves us both money, she has the convenience of it being at her home and I have it near my work, which is great since my work is 40 minutes from home. We also both save money, but the nanny is still paid very well, so works hard. Ours even does some of her laundry and dishes while the babies sleep.

This is a great idea. (I worked as a nanny before I had my baby.) The more one-to-one attention you can give your baby the better! The lower the ratio the better in any childcare situation.