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Working Moms
lbw05
member
Have you ever switched daycares? And some other questions...
lbw05
member
in Working Moms
Our son has been going to this daycare 4 days per week since he was 9
weeks old. He is now 11.5 months old (ignore the picture in the siggy,
I haven't had time to update!) It's a big center with 2 infant rooms, 2
toddler rooms, and they go all the way up to school age. It's a local
chain, they have about 10 locations in our area.
The main problem- it is becoming a monthly struggle to afford our daycare- we are cutting it so close each month after we pay our bills. If we LOVED the daycare he's at, we would cut more and find a way to make it work. But we only LIKE it. We loved it in the beginning, his two teachers were so great, we bonded with them and really felt like they cared, did stuff with him, etc. Now those teachers are gone and there is a constant flow of teachers in and out, and the one consistent teacher he has is a young woman who barely talks, seriously, why is this woman working with kids, she has no outer personality whatsoever. Whatever, no big deal. It's just little things that are adding up. They barely ever fill out the "what we did today" portion of his infant daily note...I understand if here or there, they have a crazy day, the babies are off and they just don't have time to fill in everyone's sheet, fine. But it's very rare that it's all filled out. I'm sorry, that just bothers me. And just little things that have been adding up.
So we've begun the process of looking for an in-home daycare. They are so much easier to afford, and we're also hoping for a little more individual attention, yet also having a few other babies to play with so he gets the socialization bonus. Unfortunately, we've already asked our friends and family and coworkers, no one knows of anyone that does this. Even a friend of a friend would be a little better than a perfect stranger.
My question is, is there any way to do a background check online of people? How did you go about looking into the person that takes care of your little one? How did you get over the whole "this person is a stranger and could be a psycho" thing? I would love some thoughts on this, this is so hard!!
The main problem- it is becoming a monthly struggle to afford our daycare- we are cutting it so close each month after we pay our bills. If we LOVED the daycare he's at, we would cut more and find a way to make it work. But we only LIKE it. We loved it in the beginning, his two teachers were so great, we bonded with them and really felt like they cared, did stuff with him, etc. Now those teachers are gone and there is a constant flow of teachers in and out, and the one consistent teacher he has is a young woman who barely talks, seriously, why is this woman working with kids, she has no outer personality whatsoever. Whatever, no big deal. It's just little things that are adding up. They barely ever fill out the "what we did today" portion of his infant daily note...I understand if here or there, they have a crazy day, the babies are off and they just don't have time to fill in everyone's sheet, fine. But it's very rare that it's all filled out. I'm sorry, that just bothers me. And just little things that have been adding up.
So we've begun the process of looking for an in-home daycare. They are so much easier to afford, and we're also hoping for a little more individual attention, yet also having a few other babies to play with so he gets the socialization bonus. Unfortunately, we've already asked our friends and family and coworkers, no one knows of anyone that does this. Even a friend of a friend would be a little better than a perfect stranger.
My question is, is there any way to do a background check online of people? How did you go about looking into the person that takes care of your little one? How did you get over the whole "this person is a stranger and could be a psycho" thing? I would love some thoughts on this, this is so hard!!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Have you ever switched daycares? And some other questions...
My DS goes to a daycare center. But I know that here in Florida the Dept of Children and Families has a website that lists all certified daycare centers and in home centers. They also display their inspection reports. You can try visiting your State's DCF website for similar information.
Good Luck!
DS goes to in in-home daycare. She is licensed by the state, and they take care of the criminal background check. I feel like the biggest part of choosing a daycare provider is "going with your gut," so I'd contact your state/county/town to get a list of licensed providers. Then I'd call to see which ones have openings, then I'd visit the ones I was interested in. If there was a really stand-out candidate, I'd ask for references (both current kids and those who have "graduated"), and go from there.
We were REALLY lucky and found a wonderful provider. DS has thrived with her and loves going to play with his friends every day.
I just saw that you are in Boston. Check out this link:
https://www2.childcarecircuit.org/parents/childcare-search.html
We sent DD to a SAHM for about a year. She was not licensed (DD was the only baby she watched), so we had to do all the legwork on our own.
We paid for a background check. It was about $100. Well worth the peace of mind.
For everything else, first of all, we had fewer issues there because DD had been with a nanny previously. It was initially hard for me to get over the fact that DD would be alone with one person all day, but since I worked from home, I was able to monitor the situation, and it didn't take me long to fully trust our nanny. That made it easier when we switched to the SAHM -- I had already gotten over the "OMG! There's no oversight!" issue.
And also, I just kept my eyes open. I usually spent 15-20 mins chatting with the provider in the morning. I watched her kids, and how they acted. I dropped in unexpectedly a few times and saw what was going on. I watched DD for any signs of potential problems. And so on. My "mommy sense" was always turned on.
Again, that is for unlicensed care. For licensed providers, they're subject to most of the same rules/regulations as a center (background checks, drop-in visits from licensing inspectors, etc.). And there are other parents who are monitoring what's going on too. So you don't have to do quite as much legwork on your own... but remember, nothing replaces that "mommy sense."
Mommy to DD1 (June 2007), DS (January 2010), DD2 (July 2012), and The Next One (EDD 3/31/2015)
My daughter is on her 4th daycare and we moved from the last one because it was just too expensive and we couldn't swing it anymore. I would keep looking at other centers and see if there is one you like. Maybe there is a cheaper one, that you like the teachers more, and it's right around the corner! Just go to as many centers as you can and see if there is one that is a better fit for you. I would suggest sitting in with the classroom for a day or even just 2-3 hours and see if you really like and and see if your son likes it too. Also, maybe talk to the director, hopefully anonymously, and see if she can do anything about the daily report card. That would bother me too. Maybe you aren't the only person that has complained.
GL and keep us posted!
Stop in at random times during the day, get to know them, ask for references / call the references
Look someone up on facebook. Some of these in home providers are on there all day. I'm not sure how they can watch 6-8 kids and do that...
We have not switched but I too am from MA and this year alone spent 18,000 for infant care and she only goes 3 days a week! Outrageous I know but I love the center and the teachers.
However, JUST found out that #2 is on the way and would love to keep my job for the benefits and also because I love what I do but I cannot clear like 200 bucks a month to have two kids in daycare!
What part of MA are you from?