How to decide btw in-home day care and a day care center?

Heather6907

Hello. I am 10 weeks along, due at the end of May and plan to need childcare starting in September 2009 for a 3-month old. I was wondering why some people choose in-home day care and others choose day care centers. But I have no idea where to begin. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Feb3

The only way to know is to visit a bunch of them.  I thought I would want a center over in-home, but I didn't like the centers I visited in our area.  On the other hand, I found an in-home daycare that I loved.  But it could have easily worked out the other way around.  I'd say don't rule anything out before you see them in person.  It just depends on what's available in your area.

bridetobe0jb

My #1 concern is safety and I feel that centers provide significantly more oversight, especially if they have cameras.  If you find the right one with a smaller class size and good teachers they can get tons of personal attention.  We were very lucky with her first daycare. 

Shahbmoon

From my own experience I chose a center because:

1. Someone else was always there to hold the provider accountable i.e. the Director/Asst Director, other staff, other parents coming in and out, etc.
2. The Center has much more to lose if it doesn't comply with the rules as they are much more likely to be visited by the state than an in home provider
3. I wanted my daughter to be around kids her own age for developmental reasons.  The thought of a baby learning to crawl on the floor with toddlers and preschoolers running around made me nervous.
4. Newborns are LABOR INTENSIVE.  If they have several children the same age, they get in the groove of care.

 

JRMommy

We only considered centers.  I like the supervision.  Also, at a center (at least the ones we looked at) they are more like a school than a babysitter.  Even as tiny infants they work on things every day.  I get periodic progress reports on where they are vs where they should be developmentally.  I love that!

And in my area, there is very little price difference between centers and in-home.  Centers are also much more regulated than in-home.

Pesky

Visit them, like pp suggested.  As for me, in-home providers did not offer the hours I needed.  And I preferred the flexibility offered by a center in the event of illness.  Plus the security of a center -- at an in-home, I knew the provider would be vetted but what about the provider's daughter's troubled boyfriend or something? 

Luckystar2

Shahbmoon:

From my own experience I chose a center because:

1. Someone else was always there to hold the provider accountable i.e. the Director/Asst Director, other staff, other parents coming in and out, etc.
2. The Center has much more to lose if it doesn't comply with the rules as they are much more likely to be visited by the state than an in home provider
3. I wanted my daughter to be around kids her own age for developmental reasons.  The thought of a baby learning to crawl on the floor with toddlers and preschoolers running around made me nervous.
4. Newborns are LABOR INTENSIVE.  If they have several children the same age, they get in the groove of care.

 

Ditto on all points!

I'd also add that there is more concern with backup care for an in home provider. What if your provider is sick? Or wants to take vacation?  A lot do have backups but thats definitely something that needs discussed, and you need to feel comfortable with their backup.  At our center they are only closed for major holidays (ones we are already off for anyways).

We just didn't feel comfortable with in home settings.  A center is just a much better fit for us. 

beenbizzy

I totally agree with Feb3 that you shouldn't rule either out before at least making a few phone calls.  Visit with the director or provider.  Letyour feelings tell you if you want to spend the time to visit.  You can get a lot of questions answered on the phone like cost, waiting list, deposit, staff ratio, how are emergencies handled (theirs and yours).

With that said, we went with a center for all of the reasons stated by everyone else, but also because of the stability and no tv.  By stability, I mean that if an in-home provider doesn't have a back up and has an emergency, you need a place for your child to go, or you take the day off.  It is great that DS has so many people to love him and so many friends. 

Good luck. 

luvmagoldn

I chose in home because I needed two spots for the same age group (which are damn hard to find anywhere) and wanted a smaller group size for my boys.  As twins I already feel they have to vie for attention and wanted to mitigate that as much as possible.

Price certainly was a factor as well but I absolutely would not have let that be my sole determining factor.  I checked my state's social services website and reviewed past inspection reports (I only considered licensed providers) which eliminated a lot of people right off the bat.  I also looked for a structured program.  Someone who worked alone with the tv on all day was not going to cut it.  My provider has two full time assistants and another provider who comes in when she is on vacation to allow for continuity.

Our situation has worked out great for us.  Our provider exposes the boys to so many activities and experiences.  Much as I loved our au pair and the care she gave the boys, I was really looking for more structure and a small group environment when they passed the 15 month mark.

Check out all options and see what you think. Only you will know what is best for your family.  Good luck!

_junebaby_

i'm currently exploring in-home daycare options. our family has had such wonderful experiences with this arrangement (my mother did this for me, my sister, and my brother), as we have made life-long family friends with the women who cared for us. if you can find somebody you trust, i think this is the best way to go!

livinitup

I visited both extensively... and chose the one I liked the best.

Maybride2

We only looked at centers, we didn't even consider an in-home.

I agree with all of the points already made about it.  Our center provids us the accountability that we need to feel comfortable.  There's no way that an in-home could provide this for us. 

And honestly - even before becoming pregnant, I was exposed (through friends, mostly) to in-home daycares..........and I was never impressed with them.  The fact that I - a friend of a family member of the daycare - was in the home during the day and had access to these people's kids without the parent's consent or knowledge, totally turned me off to the idea.  And most of the time, the TV was on.  

Our center feels more like a school than simply a babysitter - ever since he was 4 months old, he's been doing arts and crafts and such (as much as an infant can do!).  I feel like his center is able to do much more age-appropriate stuff with him.  And I never have to worry about my provider getting sick or taking a vacation........they've been closed twice in the last year for non-holiday reasons - once for a staff training and once due to not having power from a storm.

You need to do what you feel is best for your situation - but since you asked, I gave you my thoughts!  Good luck!

mrshutch

I had the same concerns as PP's about in-home and was very pleasantly surprised to find a provider I loved. I think the key was that she had experience working at centers (understood safety, rules, regulations), plus she was working toward her ECE degree (so she loved trying out new activities and engaging the kids), plus she had kids of her own (she wasn't just doing this for the money, she was fully invested in looking out the all of the kids' well-being). Only one of her kids was home during the day- at first I wondered if Taylor would receive enough attention- but quickly realized that all 4 toddlers received equal attention.

 

Definitely visit all of your options (I found both centers and in-homes I was not all all comfortable with). Also make sure the in-home is licensed- there was a post the other day on this board about what to look for and everyone had great lists.  We've since switched to a center that we also love- it just made more sense as DD was getting older.

flyer23

Initially, we went with neither -- we found a nanny share, which was fantastic. Personally, when DD was little, I felt it was really important for her to bond with just one caregiver. I didn't like that daycare centers had multiple teachers in and out all day long. Also, I didn't feel like she could get enough 1:1 attention in a room with three other little babies. Our nanny watched DD along with a 2-year-old and her own 4-year-old daughter. The older girls were old enough that they could play on their own if the nanny needed to attend to DD, and they loved playing with her as well. DD lit up when she saw them. It was so cute.

We moved out of state shortly before DD's birthday, and now take her to a stay-at-home mom who watches her during the day. There are no other small kids there during the day (the mom's school-age kids are there after school) -- there was another boy, but his mom got laid off a few months ago. We settled on her after a very long search where we mostly looked at daycare centers. At that age, most centers were looking to put DD into the toddler room, and we felt it was just too much for her -- she wasn't ready to go down to one nap a day, she wasn't ready to be totally off the bottle, etc. Especially in the midst of a big move across two time zones. Our current provider was much more flexible, and DD really needed that.

Now that she's a little older and more settled, we're thinking about putting her in a daycare center or preschool to give her exposure to more things... but those are the reasons why we picked in-home care over daycare centers.

SBMBride406

I have to say that we chose a daycare when I was about 20 weeks pregnant and was still very clueless about babies in general and what my baby would need in particular. Luckily, we chose an in-home daycare with only 2 other children...my son was premature and has a weak immune system (contracted bacterial meninigits at 6 weeks old) so it was recommended by his drs that we not put him in traditional daycare (too many germs).

The moral of the story is your needs/wants for daycare may change/evolve after the baby gets here, so I would look at a number of different places so you know your options when baby arrives.

MrsSledge

I had to choose between an in home provider in my neighborhood, and a center about a mile away.  I chose the center for the hours, tuition, and staffing.  The in-home provider was just one caregiver, and DD would have been the only one there during the day (4 school age kids), sounds great, but I started getting scared about what would happen if she (provider) got frustrated with DD.  The daycare center is relative small, and the director is constantly checking on the rooms to make sure everything is alright. If something caused a teacher at the DC to come to the end of her rope, the director or another staff member was close by.

 

reb2377

My DS just started today at an in-home day care.  The woman is a friend of a friend so we know her.  She has a 6 year old daughter who is in school during the day and she is also watching a 2 1/2 year old little girl.  I like that he will get more one on one attention and I also like that it has a more comfortable feeling since he is at her house.  I would look into all of your options and then decide which you feel most comfortable with.

SarahFin

I didn't have an in-home person that I could trust.  Plus, I knew that the center would always be accountable.  I'd prefer that he goes to a place that is more like a school with caring teachers, than to someone's home. 

funday

we do in home care with one of my bf's.  Her daughter is 8 months older than my son, so I feel comfortable with him having a playmate and someone to "tag" along with.  I encourage her to take him out to Mommy and me music classes, gymboree classes and such because I feel that it is good for him.  Plus, I work 3 days a week and only need her for 2 of them at most.

She's been fantastic with my son who does have special needs (crazy severe food allergies and lots of gi problems).  The downside, I have to find alternate coverage ALOT.  It's very hard to find someone else to watch your child on a whim.   When her child is sick, I need to find somewhere else for my son to go.  If she is sick, I need to find somewhere else.  She's had 2 miscarriages (and having been through them myself, I understand time needed off from life), family visiting from out of state, vacation herself, and is now taking 2 weeks off at Christmas to visit her family.  Out of 27 days in the next 3 months that I needed coverage for, she can help me out 16 of them.  That leaves me without childcare for 11 days that I need to work.  

Just my 2 cents

Jaylea

You have to get out there and visit providers and go from there.

I looked at both centers and in-homes. There were some of each that I wouldn't put a dog in, let alone a child.

We chose an in-home that's run like a center. There are only 11 children total, some part time (I've never seen more than 7 at one time), with 2-3 providers at all times. It's a locked facility, just like a center, so it's secure.  There's no tv. They are fed homemade, all organic and nutritionally balanced meals, and the provider NAEYC accredited (most centers in my area are not). I actually prefer the spread of ages (0-4) because DD learns a lot from both the older and younger children. I never worried about her being trampled by older kids, etc. because there are precautions in place to prevent that.  It's not any cheaper than a center, but we pay it because it's quality care.

There are a lot of misconceptions about in-home providers. Sure, some park the kids in front of a TV all day, but some provide wonderful developmental settings for the children they care for. In my state the licensing requirements are stringent and they're checked in on.

Truly, you just have to see what's out there, and then check into them thoroughly.  And trust your instincts.