Child care question

cynnichinny13

I've been looking in to a bunch of day cares in our area. I found one in home day care that seems nice but I'm not sure if that's really the route I want to take. Any input on classroom day care vs in home would be great. TIA

kmm2150

Everything pp said. DD is in a center and we love it. If her teacher has an emergency it doesn't affect us. There is plenty of back up, if a child were to get sick or a teacher just needs help I don't worry about something going wrong. I also like that at one, she's already doing preschool like things in a classroom setting.

lazysusan

we did both an in-home and center.  Here are my thoughts on both

In-home:

Our in-home was licensed and she had an assistant which helped.  If she was sick she had a sub.  She rarely closed but there were a few occasions.  She was just as regulated as a center with random inspections.  She followed a preschool curriculum.  I liked that my 2 boys were together and that there were many ages.  This seemed more natural to me.  they got a ton of individual attention.  I really loved her.  My oldest started struggling with impulsive behaviors as he got to school age, and she had less resources to deal with this.

 Center

It seems more structured overall especially getting my youngest ready for school.  It seems to have more turnover.  There is more flexibility with my school age child on vacations.  

 

There are pluses and minuses to both...  Who is more important than where...

 

lindsay.lou

We use a center and we're very happy with it. We chose a center for

1. Security/Accountability. Over a dozen teachers in the building leaves less room for negligence IMO. I know with 100 certainty that "friends" aren't popping by, etc.

2. Environment. 100 babyproofed. I don't have to worry about my kid digging something out of the couch cushions. Also, no mixed ages was a BIG thing for me. If you have all ages in the room, you have to trust your caregiver will not turn her back for ONE second. A three year old could seriously injure a three MONTH old in two seconds.

bumpuser260585

DS is in a center. I second everything the PPs said, plus they get hot meals for breakfast and lunch, then an afternoon snack. They have to follow a guideline for so many veggies and fruits a day. Plus they have a cook, so I know ds is being watched while meals are being prepared and cleaned up.
DS absolutely loves his DC providers. He has switched from the infant to one.year old room, and now to the two year old room and he has to hug every teacher every day when we walk past their rooms.

monkiem

I think it all also depends on the state you live in, as well as the rules in that state.

We chose an in-home daycare, and we've done it twice - we had to change because we moved too far to make it worth it.  In CT, for in-home daycares to be licensed and certified, they have to submit files and paperwork on a yearly basis.  They get random drop-in inspections by the Health Department.  They are monitored just as closely, if not more so, than centers because of the room for mistakes with only one provider.  

Alec LOVES his current DCP.  She's wonderful.  He's one of 4 boys she has, and it's literally one little family outside of our own for him. I didn't like the institutionalized setting that the centers in our area were, they were incredibly expensive, and I'm just not that worrying type of parent. 

MrsWindyCity

We used a center until he was 2 and now he's at a Montessori. I won't rehash what everyone said because everyone has already stated the reasons we felt better about a center, including reliability, curriculum and similar ages together, and having more than 1 set of eyes on my child.

A huge bonus (and I know we're totally lucky) of both our center and school is that they get their lunches catered by a place that makes local, organic, balanced lunches. I LOVE that. 

fancynewbeesly

We have an in-home, and we love it.

She is more selective about who she takes--I believe it is just teacher's kids/grandchildren

She is very flexible, and lets Reese go one day a week. We pay per day, and can give advance notice if we need more days (someone is sick, etc). She provides breakfast and lunch if we chose at no extra cost.

Due to Reese's allergies we bring our own lunch.

I think next year she will be going two days a week. 

FrickandFrack

We started out taking DS1 to a center and switched to an inhome when we were expecting DS2. I loved the structure of the center but really love the personalization of the home daycare. The important thing is you have to be comfortable sending your child to either one.