xp: Daycare WWYD (long)

Nicole731

Posted this on Working Moms board but wanted to see what you guys thought....

DS currently is in a church daycare that costs me $115 per week. It will go down to $105 per week once he turns 18 months. When the new baby comes, the total for both kids will be $210 per week. DS is very happy there, all the teachers and kids love him, and he gets to socialize with kids his age which I think is really important. Plus they are very structured as far as lesson plans (as much as they can be with a 1 y/o) and they incorporate Bible and church teachings which I want for him. Daycare provides breakfast, milk, and snacks, and I have to bring his lunch.

My best friend of 15 years has an in-home daycare. She's worked with kids for years and years, and I definitely trust her. She's taken care of DS on a drop in basis when daycare was closed for plumbing problems and he loved being there.  She has offered to watch both kids once the baby is born for $165 per week, and DS for $90 per week if I switch him over before new baby comes. She has 3 kids plus her two kids as of now. There are only 2 kids around DS age, one is about 10 months old and the other is going to be 2 years old in July. She also does lesson plans including art work, story time, songs, etc. She provides all food including breakfast, lunch, and snacks so that would be even more of a savings for me.

So my question is...would you remove your kid from a daycare that he loves and is completely comfortable in, in which he gets to interact with several kids his own age, for the sake of saving more than $200 per month? My other concern is that if my friend or her own kids get sick, or have doctor's appointments, etc. she will close the daycare and I will be forced to find alternative child care. Or if she plans a vacation or something (which she did say she was going on one for a week next year). I'm so torn, but $200 a month is a lot of money to us at this point, especially once the new baby comes. WWYD?

Brewtowngrl

When I first read this I thought it sounded great, but I would not because of the number of kids.  After your baby is born that is 7 kids!  Way too many.  It is against the law here to have that many in a in-home with just one person.  Think about all the attention those little ones need besides having a newborn.  I also value the reliability of a center.  I am self employee so missing work means I am not making a penny that day.   

newportbride715

I am no expert, as I SAH, but you have to weigh your options. My first question would be: Are you completely comfortable doing business w/ a friend? I am a bit wary of this. But, if the extra $200/month is a huge lifestyle improvement for you, I understand if you are considering it. I don't feel comfortable giving an opinion other than to suggest really thinking about all that goes along with having a friend work for you.

And, eta that I agree w/ pp that it seems like a lot of kids for her to be responsible for.

618mom22boys

I would switch to save the money.  In the end that is why I becomes a SAHM it was 2 expensive for daycare to even justify working.   Maybe you can ask the former daycare if they could be a backup for DS.

franciscaz

I've gone through a lot of nannies (5 to be exact) and one thing I've noticed is my son is incredibly resilient.  He misses them for about 10 mins but than loves the new one just as much.  At this age (under 2) I would give it a try.  I think you would be surprised to see how well he does.

618mom22boys

Brewtowngrl:

When I first read this I thought it sounded great, but I would not because of the number of kids.  After your baby is born that is 7 kids!  Way too many.  It is against the law here to have that many in a in-home with just one person.  Think about all the attention those little ones need besides having a newborn.  I also value the reliability of a center.  I am self employee so missing work means I am not making a penny that day.   

 I didnt even think of this!  I also agree with this.

fIowerchild

No, I would not. It is MY opnion that  daycare centers, although more expensive, are far superior to in-home centers. They have more structure, more regulation, more oversight, more teachers (read: better care) and more interaction with other kids. My child may be the exception, but he's been in a center since 12 weeks. He is well adjusted, never whines when I leave him anywhere or with anyone, gets along great with other kids and has no stranger-fear. I attribute this to his daycare center experience. Every day they do crafts, read books, go outside and play, learn new skills. I don't see how one woman is going to be able to give this much attention to 7 children all at once - especially since the kids are of varying age and needs-levels.

mlc92404

I agree, unless she has someone helping her that is too many for one person.  There are laws against that, to protect the well being of the children.

franciscaz

618mom22boys:

Brewtowngrl:

When I first read this I thought it sounded great, but I would not because of the number of kids.  After your baby is born that is 7 kids!  Way too many.  It is against the law here to have that many in a in-home with just one person.  Think about all the attention those little ones need besides having a newborn.  I also value the reliability of a center.  I am self employee so missing work means I am not making a penny that day.   

 I didnt even think of this!  I also agree with this.

Me neither (advantage of a nanny you never worry about this).  Does she have an assistant?

Nicole731

No assistant, it is just her.

Another thing I was thinking about...DS gets sick a lot with daycare. Minor colds and things, but still avoidable illness. I think this would decrease quite a bit if he was in an environment with less children. There are pros and cons to both. This is tough!

Brewtowngrl

Nicole731:

No assistant, it is just her.

Another thing I was thinking about...DS gets sick a lot with daycare. Minor colds and things, but still avoidable illness. I think this would decrease quite a bit if he was in an environment with less children. There are pros and cons to both. This is tough!

More colds now means less later.  I don't think I would think twice about it.  There is no way I would send my newborn and 2 year old to someone with that many kids. If she dropped the 3 other kids then I might think about it.  It is also really hard to do business with friends.  I can see issues coming up that could ruin your friendship forever.    

 As I was writing this my daycare called and diagnosed DS with hand, foot, mouth.  I thought he was teething.   I love that they have that much more experience. 

mrsmikey

I wouldn't switch, for all the reasons mentioned above.  Too many kids, no backup if she's sick, doing business with a friend, etc.  And I'm a huge advocate of daycare centers, for all the reasons mentioned as well.  I know my DS is getting so much more out of his center than he would in someone's home.  $200 is alot of money, but unless it's just something that you can't afford (which is sounds like you can) then I would leave him.

teacherjess

Nicole731:

No assistant, it is just her.

Another thing I was thinking about...DS gets sick a lot with daycare. Minor colds and things, but still avoidable illness. I think this would decrease quite a bit if he was in an environment with less children. There are pros and cons to both. This is tough!

Don't think this. My DD is in an in-home daycare center and from October-April, there were maybe 3 weeks where she did not have a cold. She had four ear infections, brochiolitis, and at least ten different colds. It was unbelievable. We are moving her to a center. I'd stick with the center. Not worth the $200 to me, IMO.

kelly&marty

fIowerchild:

No, I would not. It is MY opnion that  daycare centers, although more expensive, are far superior to in-home centers. They have more structure, more regulation, more oversight, more teachers (read: better care) and more interaction with other kids. My child may be the exception, but he's been in a center since 12 weeks. He is well adjusted, never whines when I leave him anywhere or with anyone, gets along great with other kids and has no stranger-fear. I attribute this to his daycare center experience. Every day they do crafts, read books, go outside and play, learn new skills. I don't see how one woman is going to be able to give this much attention to 7 children all at once - especially since the kids are of varying age and needs-levels.

Ditto this! I've had DS in both, and I far prefer the Daycare center experience. Our in-home experience was with a friend who has one, and she was great, but it just isn't the same. I like that he's with kids his own age now, with far more supervision and structure. And they don't close at last minutes notice. It's worth the extra money, in my experience.

Also 1 provider and 7 kids? That's illegal in our state.

ms_mellor

That does seem like WAY too many kids for one person.  I know here the law is a certain number (I think the number changes with the age of the child) per person, plus their own (so their own kids are not counted in the final #...dumb I know).  So it may be perfectly legal, but I just don't think I'd be comfortable.

I also don't think that he'd be sick less in an in-home.  DD's only been in for two and a half months now, and she's been sick a few times.

I must stick up for my in-home provider though....I know I'm in the minority here, but I've got a great one.  She used to be a teacher, so she's very structured, and they go to playgroups, outings etc.  They are always so busy...so there are some really good in-home providers out there!