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WWYD re: Daycare
Ok, so, we have seen some horrendous daycares and some fine ones. None that I am super thrilled with.
I will break the ones we are considering down-
1. A Center. Two blocks from work. The ladies who work there have at least 12 ECE units, two of them have a bachelors and masters degrees in Early Childhood Education. It is $274/week. They take CDs. It is a center which is a huge selling point because of the cleanliness of it all - they sterilize all toys nightly and wash all things washable every two days, so they claim. There is a 4:1, teacher to student ratio.
2. A Licensed Home Daycare. Ran by a very old lady, her kids are 41 and 43 years old. Grandma type lady. Will work with us on pricing since K's daycare schedule is going to be all over the place. She won't have set hours. She has a degree in early childhood education and has been running her own home daycare for 27 years. Teacher:student ratio can go up to 6:1 but generally stays around 5:1. My gut is telling me that's too much. She is a ten min drive from my work. Accepts CDs. Is on a state funded food program, if K goes on formula it will be covered at daycare and once she starts solids, jarred food will be covered also. We won't need to take advantage of this though, since I plan on BFing for a year and making her food.
3. A Home Daycare. One of my old babysitters got laid off and then found out she was pregnant. She is 30 years old. She has a two year old and a 3 week old. K wouldn't start until Sept. 6 (I would have to find care in the meantime). She has 12 ECE units. She isn't licensed yet. She only takes on 2 kids, besides her own, 4:1 ratio. House is clean and baby proofed. $160/week. She is a 15 minute drive from my work. Accepts CDs. ETA - She is Infant CPR certified and was an EMT for 4 years.
Am I crazy to consider a home daycare? I want her to bond with the person taking care of her and centers generally have more turnover. I like the idea of her having one provider and in a homey environment. But most importantly I want her safe.
Whines...this is so effing hard. I am driving myself crazy here. Help me ladies. I need some different perspective.
TIA.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: WWYD re: Daycare
I totally understand your dilemma. I can't really explain why but #2 just doesn't sound like a good fit to me for some reason. It's great that #2 is licensed but I'm not too crazy about the ratio and older people tend to be stuck in their way of doing things and may not be as easy to consider your wishes when it comes to certain things.
#1 sounds fantastic, of course it's the more expensive one.
#3 is great money-wise but you'd just have to be comfortable with the fact that she isn't licensed (yet). For some people that's a big thing for others not so much, so it's just up to you if that's something that is a deal breaker for you. It's also a longer drive - That would be bad for me because I'm notorious for running late. I love that she only takes on 2 kids at a time and I totally understand you wanting to make this a long-term thing where K can bond with.
I can see why you're having a difficult time with this. If I had to choose, I'd go with either #1 or #3 .
for what its worth, I went to 5 different daycares when I was a kid. I have strong memories of all of them since it was 6 months to 10 years that I went. Here are my memories:
Daycare #1 was a center, like your first one listed. I loved it. I went there for several years and really bonded with the staff. Even the cook (Ms. Manzo). To this day, when I see Del Monte vegetables, I call them Ms. Manzo veggies since that's what she cooked with. Some of by best childhood friendships were formed there.
Daycare #2 - when one of my daycare friends switched centers, my parents switched me too. Not sure why. It was also a center but the kid:teacher ratio was too high and felt really lonely and hated it and cried. I Only went for 3 weeks.
Daycare #3 was a kid in my first grade classes mom. She had all the kids squishe din the living room and there was noone my age to play with except the kid who lived there and since he wasnt a daycare kid, he didnt have to stay in the living room. I cried and hated it. Lasted about 2 weeks.
Daycare #4 was a large chain center. They did field trips. I went afterschool till my mom got off work. The activites were fun, but I doubt Kiki will be remembering those just yet. I do remember that on the first day, a kid threw up on my shoes. It was really a lot of kids. Very hectic. I didn't hate it, I didn't love it.
Daycare #5 was another neighbor. Just me and her kid and one more. Way better than #3. But I was about 9 years old and really just wanted to do arts and crafts all afternoon and she let us.
I guess my point is, that eventhough #1 wasn't "homey" I still bonded with the staff and felt very confortable there. I think it depends on the personality of the staff and the ratio. If they are really "kid people" who do the job because they like kids, things should be great. If they are just doing the job becasue it's the only gig in town, then maybe they wont take the time to bond with Kiki.
All of your options sound really great. I don't think you can make a bad choice here. You really reaserched and set up some good choices.
This almost exactly!
I have had some really bad experiences with at home daycares so I would never leave my child in one. That being said, not all are bad. My grandmother ran one and it was wonderful, but they just make me really nervous. I personally loved the center I sent Rowen to. Yes, they do have a higher turnover but for us that wasn't a huge deal. It helped him to become much more outgoing and isn't terribly shy around new people. I loved that there were kids of all ages and he was in a class with kids his age. That way he got to spend time with kids of different ages and learn how to relate to them but he also got to do age appropriate things in his classroom. One of the reasons I loved his center is because of their schedule. And he also learned so much. They always had art time, story time, outside time, and he learned his colors, letters, shapes, ect. I know K is still pretty young but if you are planning on keeping her there awhile it is something I would think about.
Sorry so long...
Oh my. This decision scares me to death for our baby.
IMO, # 2 is out. I just feel like it's the least ideal of the places.
I like # 1 because it somehow seems structured to me. As long as the place seems safe to you, I like the idea of lots of kids for Kiki to play with.
# 3, the fact that she's not licensed doesn't scare me, as long as you know she is following legal protocal. As well as, as long as she knows CPR and all of that good stuff. Honestly, if I had a trusted family member to watch baby, I'd do that...and they wouldn't necessarily be licensed. Would there be much difference?
Such a tough decision. Good luck Ash!
Katy and Brett ~ Runaway Bay, Jamaica ~ October 4, 2008
We're thinking of moving her to a center when she is about two. The center we are considering separates all kids under 1 from the rest. So she still wouldn't get the socialization with the other kids. She wouldn't start going in the over 1 room until 11 months. That's when the learning and strict scheduling begins.
I agree with all of this! I loved my time working at a daycare center that sounds a lot like your option #1. I was a toddler room teacher and LOVED those kids. Even after I left, I stayed in touch with some parents and still babysit some of them on the side, as well as their siblings that have been born since then. And actually, at my center there wasn't a high turnover at all. Most of the women had been there for years and their kids went there too.
BUT, I know the $ thing can be an issue, so for that reason I think #3 sounds like a good option as well. My only thought is maybe you could ask her to get CPR/First Aid certified before Kiki starts. Who knows, if the classes don't cost too much, you could offer to help pay since you'd be spending much less weekly than at a center.
You've done a lot of research, good luck making a choice!
Id probably choose 1. It sounds similar to what my children go to. I also think 3 is a good option, especially since you know the caregiver and trust her.
It's a federal program run through the USDA. Usually it's based on the provider's income and is a subsidy to allow them to purchase/provide food at a free or reduced rate for the children in their center/home.
Here's a link that explains it: https://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/care/CACFP/aboutcacfp.htm
This section in particular makes me think that maybe the provider lives in a qualifying area, or charges so little that she still qualifies based on income.
"Tier I day care homes are those that are located in low-income areas, or those in which the provider?s household income is at or below 185 percent of the Federal income poverty guidelines. Sponsoring organizations may use elementary school free and reduced price enrollment data or census block group data to determine which areas are low-income."
ETA: I obviously don't know this lady so she could be getting assistance from a completely different program. Who knows what's out there!
A friend of mine did this with her now 5 year old. The problem came up with the smaller at home day care because the woman started taking care of her grandkids also which threw in favoritism. She also had limited interaction with other kids (just limits of what's there) and so she wasn't as socialized as her parents would have liked in hind sight. Seeing that experience has made me consider doing the more structured bigger center like you listed in #1 when the time comes. Some other friends of mine did that from day one (of day care) and have been very happy with the progress their girls have made both socially and educationally. Obviously price is an issue, but if money isn't an issue I'd head to #1 personally. #3 is a nice idea but I could see it being a problem from a social aspect just because she's limits herself to the number of kids she knows she can handle which I admire. Wish more people would do that.
Pretty much this. If you can afford it do it. The big thing for us was the all the home DC's I called required 3-4 weeks paid vacation so not only are you out the money those weeks but you also have to use your vacation time whenever they want to go on vacation. I know there are good home DC's out there, but all the horror stories just stick to me.
~Kimberly & Eric~ April 21, 2008 ~Tensing Pen ~ Negril, Jamaica ~ My Blog: One Sunset at a Time