Daycare for 1 yr +

erambr

What types of things should you look for in a daycare for babies older than 1 year?  I'm wondering if my DD current daycare is going to still work for us when she gets to this age.  Do you think it would be inappropriate to ask if I can spend a day with daycare so I can see what goes on?

beenbizzy

I think spending a day at daycare would be extremely boring.  I would feel bad watching and not helping, but if I help I wouldn't want to step over boundaries.  Plus, your DD may not play like normal.  If you have questions, I'd talk to the provider or director.  Are there other kids over one year, or are they all babies?  Do they have more space for the older babies and more toys that are developmentally appropriate?

Taylor44

I certainly think it is a good idea to review your DC each time they move to another age level or there is a change with the staff.  I don't know if I would spend a day at the DC, but you could ask for a tour to refresh your memory of the activities of the other rooms.  The biggest changes at my DC when they move to the 1+ age groups are food, the DC provides the food, including juice, rather than the parent; naps, the child is expected to take one nap during the designated time rather then on their own schedule; playtime, the children go outside to play twice a day.  Since my son is approaching the age to move to the next room, I am touring other DC to compare to my current DC.  Just because my current DC was my first choice for infant care does not mean it is still the best choice for toddler care.

bridetobe0jb

I looked at outside play, the typical schedule and what they actually feed them.  My current school makes sure to serve milk and fresh fruit, etc.  I'm not into force feeding education, but I want some kind of learning going on.  My current daycare provides the list of what they do each day (i.e. manipulatives, music/song, language, etc)

mrsnewlywed2005

i don't think it's inappropriate to spend a day there, but your dd may not act normal w/ u around.  maybe spend a couple of hours there to get a feel for what's going on?  

this is how dd's daily schedule looks like:  breakfast, outside play, circle time (songs and storytime), arts & crafts (puzzles, fingerpaints, dot drawings, stickers, etc.), free play, lunch, nap, outside play, then depending on the day, either circle time again or more arts & crafts.

jlw2505

I don't know that spending a whole day there would be beneficial.  My daycare has a daily schedule and they have weekly plans so I know what the theme is, what projects they will be doing and things like that.  I would talk to the director about your concerns and ask about what goes on day to day in the room.  You can also talk to the teachers directly.

OhioUBride

we have a transition meeting in between each age group and the new teacher goes over the daily routine, what changes from classroom to classroom, feeding, naps, outside play, etc. 

You could stop in to see what the new room has going on - might be interesting to see what development type toys they have - see if you can review a daily schedule, etc.  Might want to ask if there are certain milestones that must be met to move onto the next room....