- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
Minnesota Babies
ETweet
member
Center vs. Home Day Care - Your thoughts?
ETweet
member
First time mom here and we're starting to check out the day care scene. Holy information overload! It seems like people have very strong opinions either way about centers vs. home day care. We're trying to piece this all together to make a good decision for our baby who is due in August.
So what is your take on centers or home day cares? Do you have a preference? What are some of the pros and cons that you considered?
Also, just as an added bonus, if you have any recommendations in the Plymouth, Wayzata, or Minnetonka area please let me know.
Thanks in advance!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Center vs. Home Day Care - Your thoughts?
We started at a center and are now doing in-home. At the time we were getting a really good deal on a center about 5 miles out of the way from work, but it was worth it for the $111 we saved every week. I liked the feel of the center, it was a newer one so very clean and open, bright lights, not a lot of clutter like other centers.
I didn't like the center because I had to provide EVERYTHING, diapers, wipes, formula, diaper rash cream, two pairs of extra clothes, bottles, pacifier (I would have done that anyway)...it was just a lot on our already tight budget to buy two of everything to have at daycare.
The other downfall was that they were nazi's when it came to sickness, and for some strange reason, my kid always seemed to get sick at 3:30pm all the time...go figure then he had to be out for 24 hours so he couldn't come the next day. I think of the one year we were there he was only in daycare for 2 weeks out of every month. He was sent home for "excessive pooping", only to find out that "excessive" was more then twice a day, he got sent home with a "fever" of 99 degrees to which we had to have our physician fax them documentation stating that they could not exclude for that temp...they weren't real happy.
At the first of the year we switched to an in home in our neighborhood, and couldn't be happier, she's absolutely the nicest lady ever, she provides the wipes, is on the food program, and other things, but most of all I actually think my son is loved, and not just a number.
Its a tough decision and it took us a while to get to where we are, but I am super happy we cut the cord on the center based care and went in-home. Our son is even happier now.
I am a toddler teacher at a daycare and your comment was interesting. I know a lot of people want to save money, but did you think that your diapers and other supplies would be provided in the cost at the center? At our center, we provide all of the wipes, baby food, cereal, and solid food lunches. It is the responsibility of the parents to provide their own formula or breast milk and diapers. If I was bringing my own child to a day care I would want MY choice of formula and MY choice of diapers. That's just me though
Also, about being sick..."excessive pooping" is a sanitation issue. If a child has a virus and is having more than 2 uncontainable "blow-outs" then they need to go home. And yes, we usually figure out a child has a fever at around lunchtime or after nap because the Tylenol that the parents gave their child to mask their fever is starting to wear off. It's amazing how often that happens. If your child has a temp, they need to go home. Having sick children at the center only gets other children and the staff sick. How are we supposed to teach your children if we are sick because you felt the need to bring your sick child to school? To think that the center is trying to "get rid" of your kid the next day is asinine.
It's your child so what made you think that daycare would provide all that stuff for your child? In my search for a daycare I found only one center that actually included formula/food. We would have to provide the rest. I think it's common for in-home centers to provide formula/food because they are on a program. The funny thing is, for the cost savings on the food/formula and it was a little like $50 cheaper a week, we went with the more expensive center that didn't provide anything because we had peace of mind there. That and my niece went to the same one so we knew everyone there and they knew my family. My daughter is LOVED. When I dropped her off this morning her teacher was like "come here Addy so I can play with you" like she missed her and was so excited to see her and you know what my daughter smiles and gets excited when she sees her too! The pros to a center is she get's to interact with more kids. If a teachers sick, I don't have to miss a day of work or scramble for back up care, more teachers around to care for DD and play with her. I agree with PP on the diaper blowouts and the fever. You know you would get mad if you found out a child was there sick near your child and didn't go home. I think 99 degree temperature was a little premature because babies tend to run warmer than we do but I don't know that centers policy either.
There are a whole slew of things that I take issue with your response but the two that are the biggest I've bolded.
The first one, yes i did expect that at least SOMETHING would be provided for the amount I was paying a week, especially since I was supporting the needs of every other kid in the room as well. I find it incredibly hard to believe that my kid was going through a box of diapers once a week unless my diapers for MY KID were being used on other kids who'd run out over the course of the day and their parents hadn't brought any in. Like I said I am not financially stable enough to provide bottles (as in the actual bottles), and food (yes I had to provide my own food), formula (I understand this and yes I would provide my own, because I'd want him on what I had him on).
As far as the second statement, I find that incredibly accusatory and angering that you would even consider that I as a parent would do that. I don't even medicate my child unless his pedi says to do so, or if the fever is over 103.5. In one year at the center I spent over $350 dollars in co-pays taking my kid to the doctor every time they sent him home to make sure he wasn't sick with something. We even went to a specialist at UMP to find out if his "excessive pooping" was due to something more serious...the result??? He just poops a lot, he never had a blow out at daycare, the kid just poops 3 times a day, he's regular. sometimes they're soft, sometimes they're hard, but one things certain they're certainly regular.
I do know other parents do that because my son got Hand, Foot, and Mouth from an undiagnosed child at the center, he also got pink eye from a parent who decided to sneak their kid into the center. I find it incredibly frustrating, and even more frustrating that every single time this happened, I had to have my pedi fax a form to them telling them that he was indeed ok, and that they were nuts to exclude for some of the things they excluded.
There are a whole slew of things that I take issue with your response but the two that are the biggest I've bolded.
The first one, yes i did expect that at least SOMETHING would be provided for the amount I was paying a week, especially since I was supporting the needs of every other kid in the room as well. I find it incredibly hard to believe that my kid was going through a box of diapers once a week unless my diapers for MY KID were being used on other kids who'd run out over the course of the day and their parents hadn't brought any in. Like I said I am not financially stable enough to provide bottles (as in the actual bottles), and food (yes I had to provide my own food), formula (I understand this and yes I would provide my own, because I'd want him on what I had him on).
As far as the second statement, I find that incredibly accusatory and angering that you would even consider that I as a parent would do that. I don't even medicate my child unless his pedi says to do so, or if the fever is over 103.5. In one year at the center I spent over $350 dollars in co-pays taking my kid to the doctor every time they sent him home to make sure he wasn't sick with something. We even went to a specialist at UMP to find out if his "excessive pooping" was due to something more serious...the result??? He just poops a lot, he never had a blow out at daycare, the kid just poops 3 times a day, he's regular. sometimes they're soft, sometimes they're hard, but one things certain they're certainly regular.
I do know other parents do that because my son got Hand, Foot, and Mouth from an undiagnosed child at the center, he also got pink eye from a parent who decided to sneak their kid into the center. I find it incredibly frustrating, and even more frustrating that every single time this happened, I had to have my pedi fax a form to them telling them that he was indeed ok, and that they were nuts to exclude for some of the things they excluded.
Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like a total B*tch, but the things I mentioned here were only half of the issues we dealt with with the center, and it just wasn't worth it. peace of mind or not that center was over the top, and I am glad the stress is gone.
His in home provider is a much better setting, there is only four of them, and they are all between 14 months 22 months, so he really gets to play with his age group. She provides only an all natural/organic diet (due to food allergies), and followes my rules for no juice, which wasn't the case at the center. She lives 8 doors down from us, and we get together outside of daycare as well. I love, love, love my new provider! And she's never been sick either, and gives us a months notice if she needs to take a day off, which is fine becaue grandma is always more then willing to take DS.
Janell, I'm usually behind you... But you just posted that you can't afford food for your kid...
I'm sorry about that, but that isn't a daycare's problem.. They have their policies and their tuition. You knew what was included/offered when you enrolled.
I am glad that you found a care situation that better fits your family's needs.
A Little Bird and a Monkey Butt
Different environments are right for different families.
For us personally, I have have a hard time ever seriously considering a home daycare.
There are many reasons, but here are a handful:
- Reliability. Our center will never call us at 6:00 am to say, "I'm sorry, I'm sick today and daycare is closed" - every friend that I have that uses in-home care has had that happen (in some form or another)
- Availability. Our center is open 6:30-6:30, with an extremely limited number of days that they are closed during the year. Not that I leave dd there for 12 hours a day, but the flexibility in times is great. Most in-home care providers have much more limited hours, and take vacations during the year.
- Safety/Security:
I hear way, way more stories of abuse in the news (physical, verbal, sexual) coming out of in-home providers vs. center providers. And parents always say that they 'never saw it coming'. The higher rate of occurrence is likely because there are fewer adults in in-home situations, and as such, less accountability and more opportunity to get away with something.
Often times in in-home care, there is only one provider present. Should an emergency come up, I would not be comfortable that one adult with 10 kids would be adequate. My DD was hurt at daycare a few months back, to the point that she passed out and needed to go to the hospital. It was a complete accident, and could've happened anywhere. As it was, her teacher was able to address my DD's needs, and stay with her until DH could get there. At the same time, the director came in and tended to the other kids in the class. If she were in in-home care, either my DD or the other kids would have been neglected in that situation.
Just due to the nature of the environments, I think it is much more likely that an inappropriate person/object would be introduced to my LO in in-home care vs. center care. For example, I would find it completely reasonable that in someone's own private home, they might have alcohol, lighters, and any number of other things that I wouldn't want my DD to have access to. Now obviously, those things wouldn't be stored in the care area, but they are still present, which creates higher risk. The chances of similar items being present in a center are more decreased (imho). I heard a story from a co-worker, about their child finding pot at daycare. The child napped in a pack-and-play in the provider's teenage daughter's bedroom. Child climbed out of pack-and-play during nap time, dug into girl's backpack and found the pot. LO was fine, but I just can't see that happening in my center.
Age appropriate activities: In a mixed-age group, at some point the needs of different age groups just won't mesh. A baby might need a bottle in the middle of circle time. Or a school ager might want to do an activity with pieces too small for the toddlers to be exposed to.
Center based care is built around age groups with similar needs. In our setting, my DD has access to age appropriate art, stories, meals, etc, without having to hear, "sorry, you aren't old enough for that" or "you'll have to wait for baby..." Not that it isn't good for a child to learn patience, but I think that trait can be nurtured in other ways.
Anyway, there are some thoughts on why I STRONGLY prefer center care. In the end though, you need to pick what fits best for your family. The best advice I can give is to 'go with your gut'
(And FWIW, going off another post, our center provides food, formula, wipes, bottles etc. We provide diapers, butt cream and a change of clothes)
A Little Bird and a Monkey Butt
There are ups and downs to both. And it all comes down to finding out what is the best match for your family.
I have worked at both an in-home daycare and a daycare center. Between the two I worked at, I would choose the center. But I now have my own child enrolled in a home-daycare. Here are some differences, I'm sure I will cover some that have already been covered. This will probably be long.
-Price. Usually a pretty significant difference. I find that centers usually cost double the price of a home daycare.
-Environment. Centers usually have a lot more supervision and are a lot more structured. You can kind of take solace in the fact that there is someone supervising your child's teacher. Now, depending on the center... they might hire some shitty teachers, which I've seen. But there are a lot more rules to follow and they actually have someone to answer to. Where a home daycare provider owns a business and they can run it their way.
-Ratio. Centers usually have better ratios. State ratio for infants is 1:4. Home daycares can have more kids per adult. Usually there are age limits and requirements (i.e. you can have 3 babies and 4 preschoolers). Different in homes are allowed different ratios. Make sure you check and see what they are licensed for. Centers are usually really strict on these ratios and are really careful to make sure that they are following the rules.
-Age differences. In a center, your child will likely move to different classrooms as s/he ages. There are baby rooms and toddler rooms and preschool rooms. So your child will be with other kids in the same age range, but teachers will change after a certain period of time (at my center, 6 months was the shortest period of time a child was in a certain room). Some parents like that, other parents like them to be with a variety of kids in different age groups. It's all up to what you are comfortable with.
-Licensing. In MN, it is required that anyone watching kids from more than one family needs to be licensed. There are still some in-homes that are not licensed. I would NEVER recommend going to one. I just don't trust it. And centers are generally all licensed.
-All licensed facilities in MN are supposed to be enrolled in the food program and teachers are supposed to take classes about nutrition and proper feeding. I also would not go to one that is not enrolled in the food program. You will find it extremely rare to find a daycare in this area that does not provide food.
-Supplies. All daycares I have worked at or had my child enrolled in are required to supply diapers, wipes, ointments, extra clothes, and breastmilk. The home daycare I worked in required the parents to bring formula. The center provided formula, as long as you were willing to use their brand. Anything else that was desired was supposed to be brought in.
-Parents wishes. I felt that my wishes were more carefully taken into consideration at the center. As a teacher, I also was very careful to stick to what the parents wanted. At a center, you can go to the director if a teacher is doing something you don't like. At a home daycare, there really isn't much recourse. The home daycares I've had experience with usually will not rock babies to sleep. At the center, we rocked babies to sleep, which was more comforting to me. But some didn't prefer that. I'm sure there are in-homes out there that are willing to do that. I did not find many in my search. The first home daycare I worked at, the provider was very adamant about what she felt was right for the kids. So parents directions weren't really acknowledged. Like I said, that depends on the personality of the caregiver, but it wasn't for me.
-Curriculum. Centers generally have more structured art and learning. At the center I worked at, we had lesson plans in every room. All children got to participate in things like art projects, which were even done for little babies. I don't know if DS got much out of it, but it was fun to get cute little art projects. Projects were done on occasion at the home daycares, but it wasn't structured as much. And there was definitely learning at the home daycares, but it just wasn't in a curricular format.
-Field trips. The first home daycare I worked at, we took a lot of field trips. It was really fun. We didn't do any for the center, because it was just way too hard. We'd take walks around the neighborhood in the buggy, but nothing too far away. So the upside is that home daycares have a little more freedom to do that. And some do and some don't, you just have to ask.
-Flexibility. When it comes to hours and such, centers are not usually very flexible. You sign up for a set schedule, and if you don't show up or want to switch, you usually still have to pay for those days you weren't there. It makes sense because they still have to hold the spot for you... but I've found that home daycares can be more flexible when it comes to that. On the other side, daycare centers usually have longer hours. So if you are an early drop-off or a late picker-upper... then you have it a little better.
-Sick policies. The state of Minnesota has guidelines for when a child needs to be sent home. 2 loose stools a day, fever over 100, vomitting more than once, rashes, etc. Some daycares choose to be more strict on it, if they allow more than the state allows, I would avoid them. Because not only is your child allowed to come there sick, but other children are allowed to come there sick. Either way, ask for the illness policy up front before you enroll and ask them how they enforce it.
So that's all I can think of right now. I realize it's long, but I hope it was helpful. In my honest opinion, I like centers better. But the cost is very off-putting, which is why my son is not a center right now. But I think that people can find really good home daycares that go well with their families.
I worked at a center in Plymouth, and I know a bit about the other centers in the area. If you have any questions, send me a PM, I'd rather not mention any names on the board. I also interviewed a bunch of home daycares in the area and if you have any questions about those, I can see if I interviewed them and help out there too.
FWIW, my center (and almost every center in my center's chain) offer flex scheduling. I tell them on Tuesday what days DD will be there the next week. I can change the schedule up weekly and I only pay for the days that we schedule.
A Little Bird and a Monkey Butt
We went with an in-home day care. Our day care provided wipes (which you bought on your turn), formula (of your choice), and food once they were old enough. All we needed to supply was diapers which we did cloth so it was given.
We liked the smallness of it ad our daughter being very picky eater we would go no other way.
The big sister, and Momma 30 weeks along with baby sister
Food Blog, Family and Baby Blog
We chose a center based daycare. We haven't started yet - we're due in June. But the center based daycare was easier for me to choose. For some reason I felt better having multiple teachers and multiple rooms - and an entire building designed specifically for kids. I was nervous about trying to interview in-home daycare providers and being sure I was choosing correctly. I felt like having so many other parents' opinions available helped.
Cost-wise I would have loved to have chosen an in-home daycare. But right now, my comfort level is higher in a center.
I really like that the center records the diaper changes, naps, feeding times/amounts, etc. I like knowing what she is doing each day.
(FWIW: we have to provide breast milk/formula, pacifiers, bottles, diapers, extra clothes, etc. As baby gets older they will provide snacks, but we will need to provide the daily lunch/breakfast. This was slightly different at other centers we visited but they also charged more)
Becca, this really isn't the case at most centers. My SIL goes to a center in the area and they are very inflexible with her rotating work schedule, if she changes days or times she still has to pay for that day (I know this because there have been a couple times I've had to pinch hit for her and watch her son because they couldn't take him the day she needed it).
Our center wouldn't allow it either because of staffing issues, they always hovered right at the "capacity" and didn't want to have to pay an extra person for a schedule change. Our center ONLY allowed 10 hours of care a day and we had to pay extra if we were more then 15 minutes late on the 10 hours...I found that to be rather inflexible as well...
At that time I couldn't barely afford food for my kid. I was unemployed for 14 months (8 of them with DS). We were barely making ends meet on one income and my unemployment benefits. Never once did my son go hungry because if it was a choice between me eating and him, he ate. But it was very hard sometimes having to spend the money on two of everything when we really needed that money to go towards other things.
The center at that time was what we could make work because I got called back to work on a moments notice (like got a job offer on Tuesday and started work that same Thursday). I wasn't expecting it to happen that fast, and in that situation the center was the only option because I only had 2 days to find care for an 8month old...which is extremely hard when searching for an in-home who can only take 2 babies.
I'm sorry it sounded the way it did, I think there was one poster who said that their center provided wipes, and a couple other things and they provided formula and diapers. That would have been acceptable to me, but to have to shop for two complete house'se (so to speak). just wasn't feasible.
Did I read it right.. you are not financially stable enough to provide the bottles (as in the containers that hold the formula?) If you don't have $10 to buy a few bottles or even the cheap ones my daughter liked at $2.99 for 3 then you should probably not have had a kid. The money you pay pays for the teachers/supplies/rent probably etc. I also have to provide my own EVERYTHING. I don't buy extra's I just send her with the stuff we buy and when I need to get more I do. It would be the same if I was home with her. They provide nothing for the infants until they get older then they provide there snacks not there meals.
The second thing-you would be AMAZED at how many parents give there kids tylenol for a fever to mask it so they can send them to daycare and not have to take the day off work. Just like you said above... a parent hid the fact that there kid had pink eye. It happens. A lot of this is because employers don't understand. That's no excuse but I get it, I guess. I am glad I work for a good employer who understands and is very flexible. I am also glad that my daughter has never had anything majorly wrong with her or run a fever so we have not had to deal with it. But she's only 6 months old. It's bound to happen. I understand your problems with the center and I would have brought it up to the director. But you got him out and are not having any problems so who cares now.
I have done 2 homes and love both of them. I like that I am picking who is watching my child, not relying on the center to do this.
It is very important to me that the person who is watching in the room will not max out their license. I think Hennepin County is around 9 children per adult, which is too much to me. I am comfortable with 4-5, and only 1 infant.
I also have really good back up, so if you get the sick calls you can still bring your child somewhere. I don't think anyone who doesn't have backup should consider a home.
I know that not every center offers flex. And in 'our' chain, it is only offered when a room isn't at capacity. (because obviously they will take a FT kid over a PT kid)
I was just pointing out that if that is a concern for someone wanting center-based care, there are definitely options out there.
A Little Bird and a Monkey Butt
I don't even know why I am responding to this since its obvious you didn't even read my posts. Its not like I am some stupid person who just threw caution to the wind and got pregnant....nor did I ever think I was going to lose my job when I was 15 weeks pregnant.
My kids are in a home daycare. We could not afford the cost to send our kids to a center. They wanted more than twice as much as what we pay at our home daycare.
Also, I wanted my kids to be together all day (ages 4 and 13 months). I knew at a center they would be separated from each other because of their ages, but I want them together all day.
Also, one thing I would probably really like about a center is the fact that they are open pretty much all the time. If someone is sick, they center stays open. My first DCP was never sick and didn't have young children. Our second one (our first quit doing daycare) who we were with only for 5 months, was constantly calling to tell us her kids were sick or she needed a day off. That combined with our own kids being sick meant too many days off work, so we had to find new daycare. Our third one (and hopefully final one!) has been great. On the other hand, I like that my kids are being taken care of by the same person all day and they are bonding with her. At a center, I'd be afraid that they'd have too many different teachers. For my son (age 4) that's okay, but my daughter is 13 months and I want the same person to take care of her each day.
If you are open to either, I'd probably visit them and see what you think. I had called around to centers, but once they told me the price for a preschooler and infant it was just way too much (even going 3 days a week!).
I send diapers and breast milk. Food and wipes are provided. With our last two we had to provide wipes too but our new DCP said she uses wipes for everything so she just buys them in bulk.
And, wow...some of you really got away from the point of this thread. Telling someone they shouldn't have a kid because of something they said in this thread about what is or isn't sent to daycare? Geesh. Be nice!
I missed the post where she said she was unemployed when she was 15 weeks pregnant so I will be a big girl and apologize for that. That wasn't in her original post.
I actually think this is a really good policy.
Having seen kids who had to be at daycare for over ten hours a day... it's really not fair to the kids. That is a long time to not be at home. They reach a point where they just want their parents. Ten hour days can be fine for adults, but they are really not great for kids. Kids hit a wall at a certain point, and they get tired, they get bored (no matter what you do to try and avoid that), they either throw tantrums or just sit there and don't do anything.
And if you think about it, toddlers need 10-12 hours of sleep. If they are at daycare for over 10 hours a day... that's not a lot of time at home.
Also, if you get a late charge for getting there 15 minutes after close, that makes sense. The teacher has to stay 15 minutes (more, probably, because she has to close the room) after close too. And if she is right at 40 hours, then the daycare has to pay her time and a half for overtime.
We use a center. It's a small independently owned place attached to a church in our neighborhood. They provide wipes, formula (if you want to use their brand), and all the food. We provide diapers, and when my daughter was an infant, we sent breastmilk bottles for her each day.
I can't speak to what the experience is like at larger corporate/chain daycare centers, but I have never felt like my child is just a number at our center. Because it's small, we know all the staff, and we see the director walking around and talking to the kids and parents every day. Even the staff who teach the older kids know my daughter's name.
I like our center because while it is a very personalized and nuturing experience, we also have a professional relationship there. Like the above posters said, our center never calls in sick or has personal issues that cause them to close on short notice. We have never had a problem there, but if we did, there's an assistant director, a director, and an owner we could go to. They've been going through an accreditation process for over a year, and have had tons of inspections and policy updates as a result, so I know they are following all the statues and laws that they need to be following.
However, I would never say that in-home daycares are bad. I went to several when I was growing up. If we had found an in-home provider that worked for us, we would have looked at that option as well. Both scenarios have their advantages.
Ladies, thank you so much for responding. The information was so helpful! There are so many things that I would not have considered on my own. We have a lot to consider now but with your help I know I'll find the right fit for our little one!