Daycare question
Ok ladies...need your opinions please.
We have a spot reserved at a chain daycare where the ratio is 1:4 for infants. We like it, it is nice, clean and the teachers are good.
I just worry that DD will not get as much attention as at a inhome daycare. Since most of the other infants are at the older end, towards 12 months. So they are mobile, etc.
We found and interviewed an in home person, she is background cleared as well as her DH, she only watches 2 other kids and her son who is in 2nd grade. The other kids are siblings and the one will be going to school in the fall so it would just be my DD and a 14month old boy during the day. She would have her son and the other girl before and after school. The only issue is that she walks the kids to school (4 blocks roughly) but would be driving them if/when the weather is bad. So she would be driving my DD.
Thoughts...opinions....uggg, I am SO nervous and upset about going back to work but I have to and I start in like 2 weeks...so I have to make my final decision.
Re: Daycare question
My parents are both teachers and I was in childcare my whole childhood. My parents did tons of research, but every in-home experience I had was awful, and every center experience I had was great. The centers were much more learning focused, and the in-home people tried to get away with more. When I was 3 I told my parents that the in-home provider had been putting my baby brother in the playpen to cry for very long periods, and also that she was going outside to take smoke breaks a lot, and my parents were not told that she smoked. Then when I was 6, at a different in-home place down the street from my house, I was mad at my brother so I ran home and sat outside my house for 3 hours, and the provider never came to get me or told my parents. I also had an experience where the in-home person's teenage son took us for a drive (no carseat) and was driving through the neighborhood going as fast as he could.
I'll never use an in-home place because of all the bad experiences I had. I loved the childcare centers that I went to.
There are a lot of strong opinions on in-home vs center on this board. No one can tell you what situation will work best for you and your family.
But I WILL tell you that your infant will get plenty of attention in a center with a 1:4 ratio. I promise you that. That particular fear of yours is unfounded.
There are 1 or 2 others that are under 6 months, but most of them are crawling and some of them walk. Usually, if they aren't being fed or changed, the small ones are laying on the play mat and the bigger ones are around the room playing.
Driving my child in a car is a deal breaker for me.
My DS was in an in-home from 4 to 18 months. While it was a great situation at the time, I personally would go with a center. We moved him to a center when he was 18 months b/c I wanted him to be around more kids and have more education. Plus our provider was getting on our nerves and had begun to take off all the time (and brought in subs, which we did know).
My DD has been in the center with her brother since she was 12 weeks. It has been great. She's just about 18 months now. When she was in the Infants I room, the ratio was 1:3 and/or 1:4. Although the caregiver is always changing a diaper, comforting a baby, etc., they still get plenty of attention.
The 1:4 ratio is very normal for centers in the infant room. Both my kids were in a center and got tons of attention. Babies do not all eat and sleep at the same time so the teachers often have babies sleeping while others are awake and all the kids are not always there either.
At my center, the main infant room is broken into 3 areas by half walls. The main part of the room is where the high chairs are adn then there is a carpeted area for the non-moving babies to play. They have bouncy seats, swings and a bunch of toys for tummy time and play mats. The 2nd part is for the mobile babies and they have toys that are designed for babies on the move. The 3rd part is the crib room. We also have a Busy Baby room for the kids 12 to 18 months. The kids are together in the morning and end of day when the numbers are really low but for the most part are not all together.
The kids get tons of attention. There is often more staff there than the really needed based on the 1:4 ratio, the management staff often stop into the room to check things out and help when needed and other staff often go into the room on their breaks to hold and cuddle the babies. The staff is great and often will be feeding 2 of the younger kids at once while other kids are napping or playing. They don't use the swings or bouncys too much. The teachers are assigned up to 4 kids per day but they often help each other out so every kid is given a ton of attention each day.
Trust me, my youngest has always been a huge cuddler (still is at age 2) and there were many days when one of the diretors would hold her and walk around the center doing her other work and checking on classrooms and my DD loved it. She still, as a matter of fact, loves one of the directors that did this alot and on most mornings, go right to her when I drop off and hangs out no matter what room she is (the director takes her to her room after a few mins and she is fine and happy - better than when I drop her off directly to her own room - she needs her fix!!!).
I have never been in a home setting but with only 1 teacher and no back-up, it seems to me that the potential to not get attention is greater with only 1 person there with more than 1 or 2 kids.