WWYD? Choosing a new daycare/preschool... (long)
flyer23
member
Ugh, I hate the child care search...
So, DD is with a sitter right now. Who we love. But part of the reason we chose her originally was because she was watching another baby and we wanted DD to have some social interaction. The other baby's mom got laid off a few months ago, so it's just been DD for a while, and we think she'd really enjoy being around other kids. So we started searching for a part-time daycare/preschool option for her.
Then, our sitter told us that she's pregnant, so we need to find full-time care for DD starting sometime in June.
We've found three great options. One is a daycare center, Bright Horizons (a national chain). The other two are Montessori schools -- they're only half day, but they offer extended care before/after, for working parents.
One thing I love about the Montessori schools is that they have a wonderful, well-thought-out academic program, whereas I'm unsure whether Bright Horizons' program is as good. Then again, how much academics does DD need at 19 months of age? Then again, she won't be 19 months old forever... LOL. This is why I'm having trouble deciding.
I also like that the Montessori schools allow you to provide lunch -- the nutrition (or lack thereof) of daycare lunches has been one of my major hang-ups with moving DD into one. Then again, Bright Horizons' menu doesn't seem too bad, compared to other schools in the area.
Bright Horizons and one of the Montessori schools are similar in cost and about the same distance from our house. The other Montessori school is further away, but also significantly cheaper -- about $650/month vs. $850/month.
One nice thing about Bright Horizons is that they have immediate openings, so we could start DD two days a week now (and keep her with her current sitter the rest of the week), then transition to full-time in June. Neither Montessori school can start DD before May, which is not a problem, but we'd really love her to start getting that social interaction ASAP, if possible.
I will say, my gut is telling me that Bright Horizons is the place to go. It seems like they have the right balance between academics and fun (although I am concerned that they have a full-day structured program, while the Montessori schools are clearly divided between academics in the morning and less structured time in the afternoon), and I like being able to start DD now. But will I regret that choice when DD gets older and needs a more structured academic program? (Yeah, I know, I can always move her into a Montessori school later if I feel like BH isn't meeting her needs!)
Anyway, that was long and rambling, but I'd love to hear any thoughts -- especially from anyone who has experience with Montessori vs. traditional preschool, or who has faced that daycare vs. preschool decision.
Mommy to DD1 (June 2007), DS (January 2010), DD2 (July 2012), and The Next One (EDD 3/31/2015)
Re: WWYD? Choosing a new daycare/preschool... (long)
Have you researched Montessori's philosophy of education? Montessori is not a very structured education. I would look into it and make sure you agree with their philosophy. The kids learn mostly through exploration, not actual "lessons".
Go with your gut -- it's worth everything!
DD -- 5YO
DS -- 3YO
I've done some research on it and have talked quite a bit with the directors at both schools. What I meant by it being "structured" is that there is there is a well-thought-out progression in the activities and materials as the kids grow. When I visited the schools, I would see, say, a puzzle in the beginner room, and then a similar puzzle in the pre-primary room that was just a little more complex or advanced to accommodate the more advanced student using it. Stuff like that. The curriculum just seemed very well put together.
I'm well aware that the days themselves are not structured, at least not in the sense of "lessons" in the traditional sense. I don't disagree with that philosophy. I don't know yet how DD learns best. But my parents say that DD reminds them a lot of me as a baby, and I started in Montessori at about this age and did really well with it, so that gives me a hint.
I have visited all three schools. I think that the gut feeling I'm getting from BH is that it's more like... well, a daycare. Whereas the Montessori schools are more like schools. And I feel like my baby is not ready for school. But maybe I'm not giving her enough credit.
Thanks for listening. It helps to talk through it with others and get an outside perspective
Mommy to DD1 (June 2007), DS (January 2010), DD2 (July 2012), and The Next One (EDD 3/31/2015)
My DS goes to Bright Horizons (we are in WA state) and we are very happy with them. They have an education based curriculum and DS is flourishing! BH is the most expensive childcare program around here and highly coveted. We have been thinking the montessori route ourselves because it's cheaper but then we decided he is doing so well there, we don't want to move him. I find it a good balance of play and education. It also depends on the actual facility your child is at.
Oh, and the food, it's much more balanced and exposes DS to stuff I wouldn't make. They have tofu and fish on the menu once a week each. They use organic products whenever possible and the kids have hormone free milk. I was anti-center for my childcare but they have changed my view on this whole-heartedly.
Good luck!
My DD is in Bright Horizons, too! We've been very happy with the curriculum. The teachers are required to post the week's lesson plan on the bulleting board outside the room, so I know that it's well balanced. I've taught grades K, 4, 6 and 7, so I'm aware of what a balanced curriculum looks like. My mom also had a very favorable impression of the center, and she's a director of a head start center in DC. The staff is wonderful, the kids have great exposure to a wide variety of activities, and I'm perfectly happy w/ the variety on the menu as well.
Here's an example: around Christmas, one of the lessons was about gingerbread men (DD is in the toddler room). They read the book, decorated gingerbread men (paper, w/ different decorations for a sensory activity), ate gingerbread men as a snack, and decorated a large cardboard gingerbread house as a class project (also w/ a variety of materials like dry pasta and pom poms). The classroom has different boards for math, language arts, and science. I have plenty more examples of how the teachers focus on curriculum but also support the kids in free play.
I can also say I support montessori education for younger students. The idea behind montessori is to guide student choices. In other words, teachers put out a variety of choices, but students are still engaging in educational activities (as opposed to the entire class doing one guided activity together). Honestly, as a former teacher, I feel that montessori can be great when kids are younger, but it's not for everyone as kids get older. That's just my opinion. Let us know if you have any other questions about BH- we're huge fans.
I don't have personal experience with Montessori schools, or Bright Horizons, but based on what you said here (your gut feeling) and what the other posters said, if I were in your position I would go with BH. I understand your concerns about structured vs. "free" time, but even with a full day "structured" program I'm sure that toddlers get plenty of time for free play. Also, I think it would be very beneficial to be able to start her now and have her go a couple days a week to ease into the transition. We're only a few days in to bringing my 21 month old to a daycare center (versus the home daycare she's always went to) and I can already see that it's benefiting her and she's enjoying it. I really don't feel like kids need a super structured program until they hit kindergarten, but if you feel like BH isn't meeting your needs down the road you can always re-evaluate then.
I think I'm going to dispatch DH off to all three of them, and go with whichever he likes best
I think all three are great options, so we really can't go wrong. Nice position to be in.
But unless he really doesn't like BH (which is unlikely, because BH was his top daycare center choice originally, until we found our current sitter), I'm going to press to start her 2 days/week in BH now. I think one of the Montessori schools doesn't usually run a waitlist and the other isn't accepting applications for next school year until March or April anyway, so we should be able to give BH a shot and still switch to one of the other places if it doesn't work out.
Mommy to DD1 (June 2007), DS (January 2010), DD2 (July 2012), and The Next One (EDD 3/31/2015)