What did you like about it? DS (16 months old) is currently at an in home daycare and we LOVE his provider. But, she is moving in March. We're all set up to switch DS to a local church daycare at that time. In fact, we've already paid the registration fee. However, when we went to visit on Monday (weekly visits to help get him familiar and more comfortable), I just couldn't picture him there, for no reason in particular. I'm trying to figure out if my feelings are just because its so different than in in home (obviously) setting and we'd hoped not to put him in a center until at least 2, but ideally 3, or I was having second thoughts on this particular place. I think its more the first reason, but I just don't know.
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Well, after calling seven centers and two in-home providers, touring three centers and driving by another two centers, we're confident U-Gro is the right place for Shorty.
...
On to U-Gro. First of all, the facility -- on my way to work and only five minutes from home -- is AMAZING. It's only four years old, its got lots of windows for light, it's very spacious and it just seemed spic-and-span clean. And it has a state-of-the-art HUGE indoor play yard (only one like it in the area), so the kids have a great place to burn off steam on days when the weather is crappy. Susan, the director, and her entire staff were dressed kind of like nurses (those colorful nurse shirts), and she just oozed professionalism and compassion. Kind of like another Grandma. We toured at lunchtime, so we got to see the Bears (1 year olds) eating lunch. That was fun, to imagine Shorty sitting at the group table, mashing peas and throwing ham cubes with the rest of the kiddos practicing their pincer grips. The Ducks (2 year olds) were also eating lunch, and we laughed out loud when Jill, the assistant director, explained that the catch-all Bibs that the Bears wear for lunch are no longer tolerated by Ducks, so Ducks simply eat lunch half naked. We looked in on a couple of shirtless buggers smiling and laughing at their lunch table. This center is very breastmilk friendly (really, friendly to any special diet requests), and they are flexible enough to let kids be kids. For example, the day's structure has one nap in it for the Bears, after lunch, but if a kid is tired some other time, he can certainly lay down off to the side for an additional snooze. And Susan is very practical when it comes to assessing illness in children (doesn't automatically kick a kid out for two days because of a booger in his nose), and she looks at biting and discipline as opportunities for teaching, learning and growing. And she has a frame of The First Kiss on her wall (we have it in our living room). After our tour and sit-down with Susan, I just felt like this was the place. But I had one more tour to take.
...
Of course no place is perfect, so there are a couple of downsides to U-Gro: First of all, the cost. It's $110 for two days, but I think it's worth the extra $15 a day, as compared to daycare #1.
,,,
And U-Gro doesn't include any holiday weeks, so we have to pay the $110 52 weeks a year. Second quirky thing? They serve 2 percent milk to all the kiddos, rather than the whole milk I thought pediatricians recommend for 12 to 24 months. But I'll ask the pediatrician at Cayden's appointment later this month; if it's a big deal to Dr. Baker, I'll just provide Cayden's whole milk for the center.
Re: **ntnylizard**
Tecport -- it's the newest location.
Below I C&P'd paragraphs from my blog post:
Well, after calling seven centers and two in-home providers, touring three centers and driving by another two centers, we're confident U-Gro is the right place for Shorty.
...
On to U-Gro. First of all, the facility -- on my way to work and only five minutes from home -- is AMAZING. It's only four years old, its got lots of windows for light, it's very spacious and it just seemed spic-and-span clean. And it has a state-of-the-art HUGE indoor play yard (only one like it in the area), so the kids have a great place to burn off steam on days when the weather is crappy. Susan, the director, and her entire staff were dressed kind of like nurses (those colorful nurse shirts), and she just oozed professionalism and compassion. Kind of like another Grandma. We toured at lunchtime, so we got to see the Bears (1 year olds) eating lunch. That was fun, to imagine Shorty sitting at the group table, mashing peas and throwing ham cubes with the rest of the kiddos practicing their pincer grips. The Ducks (2 year olds) were also eating lunch, and we laughed out loud when Jill, the assistant director, explained that the catch-all Bibs that the Bears wear for lunch are no longer tolerated by Ducks, so Ducks simply eat lunch half naked. We looked in on a couple of shirtless buggers smiling and laughing at their lunch table. This center is very breastmilk friendly (really, friendly to any special diet requests), and they are flexible enough to let kids be kids. For example, the day's structure has one nap in it for the Bears, after lunch, but if a kid is tired some other time, he can certainly lay down off to the side for an additional snooze. And Susan is very practical when it comes to assessing illness in children (doesn't automatically kick a kid out for two days because of a booger in his nose), and she looks at biting and discipline as opportunities for teaching, learning and growing. And she has a frame of The First Kiss on her wall (we have it in our living room). After our tour and sit-down with Susan, I just felt like this was the place. But I had one more tour to take.
...
Of course no place is perfect, so there are a couple of downsides to U-Gro: First of all, the cost. It's $110 for two days, but I think it's worth the extra $15 a day, as compared to daycare #1.
,,,
And U-Gro doesn't include any holiday weeks, so we have to pay the $110 52 weeks a year. Second quirky thing? They serve 2 percent milk to all the kiddos, rather than the whole milk I thought pediatricians recommend for 12 to 24 months. But I'll ask the pediatrician at Cayden's appointment later this month; if it's a big deal to Dr. Baker, I'll just provide Cayden's whole milk for the center.