Tutor Time or KinderCare- Anyone send their kids there?

christinaramirez08 · May 2011

There is a Tutor Time and a KinderCre right down the street from my office, which is only 15 minutes from home, so the locations are perfect. I will be scheduling a time to meet with them to talk about the curriculum, cost, etc, but wanted to see if any of you ladies had any experience sending your kids there and how much you pay. I will have no choice but to send my LO to day care at 6 weeks. I do not qualify for FMLA and unfortunately we have a mortgage to pay and cannot survive on DH's salary alone.

I also feel more comfortable sending my LO to a daycare facility like these rather than an at home day care. Better sense of security for me.

Please let me know your thoughts and opinions.

BeccaMarie · May 2011

Both are national chains and generally well-respected centers.

That said, it COMPLETELY depends on the staff at your local center. Ask about their philosophies, routines, etc. and ask to meet the infant staff.

I know of great KinderCares and horrible ones. I am only familiar with one Tutor Time - they get great reviews for infants and horrible ones for older kids. But I am sure that there are other Tutor Times out there with opposite circumstances. It is all about who is operating the specific program you are looking at.

When you find the right place, you will know. Go with your gut feel.

christinaramirez08 · May 2011

BeccaMarie:

Both are national chains and generally well-respected centers.

That said, it COMPLETELY depends on the staff at your local center. Ask about their philosophies, routines, etc. and ask to meet the infant staff.

I know of great KinderCares and horrible ones. I am only familiar with one Tutor Time - they get great reviews for infants and horrible ones for older kids. But I am sure that there are other Tutor Times out there with opposite circumstances. It is all about who is operating the specific program you are looking at.

When you find the right place, you will know. Go with your gut feel.

Would you happen to know the cost per month for an infant? I was thinking around $500. Am I totally off?

BeccaMarie · May 2011

christinaramirez08:
BeccaMarie:

Both are national chains and generally well-respected centers.

That said, it COMPLETELY depends on the staff at your local center. Ask about their philosophies, routines, etc. and ask to meet the infant staff.

I know of great KinderCares and horrible ones. I am only familiar with one Tutor Time - they get great reviews for infants and horrible ones for older kids. But I am sure that there are other Tutor Times out there with opposite circumstances. It is all about who is operating the specific program you are looking at.

When you find the right place, you will know. Go with your gut feel.

Would you happen to know the cost per month for an infant? I was thinking around $500. Am I totally off?

Yes, you are.

It will somewhat depend on location of the country that you are in, but you will be very hard pressed to find a chain center that could survive on $500/month for infants.

Around here, centers are about $350/week for infants.

christinaramirez08 · May 2011

BeccaMarie:
christinaramirez08:
BeccaMarie:

Both are national chains and generally well-respected centers.

That said, it COMPLETELY depends on the staff at your local center. Ask about their philosophies, routines, etc. and ask to meet the infant staff.

I know of great KinderCares and horrible ones. I am only familiar with one Tutor Time - they get great reviews for infants and horrible ones for older kids. But I am sure that there are other Tutor Times out there with opposite circumstances. It is all about who is operating the specific program you are looking at.

When you find the right place, you will know. Go with your gut feel.

Would you happen to know the cost per month for an infant? I was thinking around $500. Am I totally off?

Yes, you are.

It will somewhat depend on location of the country that you are in, but you will be very hard pressed to find a chain center that could survive on $500/month for infants.

Around here, centers are about $350/week for infants.

Holy crap!!! Well, it looks like we'll be looking into at-home daycare then becase around here that costs around $450 a month. Thanks.

BeccaMarie · May 2011

christinaramirez08:
BeccaMarie:
christinaramirez08:
BeccaMarie:

Both are national chains and generally well-respected centers.

That said, it COMPLETELY depends on the staff at your local center. Ask about their philosophies, routines, etc. and ask to meet the infant staff.

I know of great KinderCares and horrible ones. I am only familiar with one Tutor Time - they get great reviews for infants and horrible ones for older kids. But I am sure that there are other Tutor Times out there with opposite circumstances. It is all about who is operating the specific program you are looking at.

When you find the right place, you will know. Go with your gut feel.

Would you happen to know the cost per month for an infant? I was thinking around $500. Am I totally off?

Yes, you are.

It will somewhat depend on location of the country that you are in, but you will be very hard pressed to find a chain center that could survive on $500/month for infants.

Around here, centers are about $350/week for infants.

Holy crap!!! Well, it looks like we'll be looking into at-home daycare then becase around here that costs around $450 a month. Thanks.

It doesn't hurt to call your local center and ask about tuition, but my gut is that even in a LCOL area, you likely won't hear a number less than $900/month for infants at a center. (other moms - correct me if I am wrong!)

To give you perspective, home daycare for an infant around here would be $600-$800/month, so there is a good chance that child care here costs more in general than where you live.

christinaramirez08 · May 2011

BeccaMarie:
christinaramirez08:
BeccaMarie:
christinaramirez08:
BeccaMarie:

Both are national chains and generally well-respected centers.

That said, it COMPLETELY depends on the staff at your local center. Ask about their philosophies, routines, etc. and ask to meet the infant staff.

I know of great KinderCares and horrible ones. I am only familiar with one Tutor Time - they get great reviews for infants and horrible ones for older kids. But I am sure that there are other Tutor Times out there with opposite circumstances. It is all about who is operating the specific program you are looking at.

When you find the right place, you will know. Go with your gut feel.

Would you happen to know the cost per month for an infant? I was thinking around $500. Am I totally off?

Yes, you are.

It will somewhat depend on location of the country that you are in, but you will be very hard pressed to find a chain center that could survive on $500/month for infants.

Around here, centers are about $350/week for infants.

Holy crap!!! Well, it looks like we'll be looking into at-home daycare then becase around here that costs around $450 a month. Thanks.

It doesn't hurt to call your local center and ask about tuition, but my gut is that even in a LCOL area, you likely won't hear a number less than $900/month for infants at a center. (other moms - correct me if I am wrong!)

To give you perspective, home daycare for an infant around here would be $600-$800/month, so there is a good chance that child care here costs more in general than where you live.

Yes, your home daycare is definitely more than around here. I'm in Ventura County California, which is just north of LA County. My SIL pays around $450 a month and I would consider sending my LO their if these centers turn out to be too much.

thiswillbe · May 2011

Our kids were in a KinderCare daycare from 6 months to 10 months or so. We were reasonably happy with it. A lot of the "lesson plans" seemed likely to be BS for the parents' benefit (I didn't see much evidence that they were "working on" things with LOs), but at least they have that kind of an orientation.

KinderCares vary DRAMATICALLY, though (IMO). I toured a few where there is no chance I'd ever leave my kids in their care (even though the location was much closer to home/work). Once you visit several centers, you'll start to get a feel for things.

As far as cost, we were paying $3,000 a month for our twins (so $1,500/month each). That's pretty typical around here (and only slightly less than what we're paying for their current daycare, near work).

FloF9 · May 2011

My kids go to Kindercare and I was pretty pleased with them. The pricing varies with age. I believe the infants started at $185 per week then when they were age 2 it was like $175 and went down from there.

I have twins so they gave a 10% discount for the second one but still pricey.

shannm · May 2011

Like PP said, totally depends on the specific location.

We started at our kindercare at 6 weeks and have been there almost three years. We are very happy with the care that DS receives.

I recommend that during your tour, try to spend some time with the infant teachers. Make sure that you feel comfortable with them.

shannm · May 2011

Our infant room was 300/week when we started. Likely to be more now but not sure how much it went up.

vmm0016 · May 2011

When we checked them out it was $79 a day, so $395 a week but we live in a HCOL area.

shannm · June 2011

vmm0016:
When we checked them out it was $79 a day, so $395 a week but we live in a HCOL area.

I imagine that the weekly rate is a bit less than the daily rate*5.

historychick79 · June 2011

Just an fyi, we live in a LCOL area, and centers here start at $185/wk, going up to about $240/wk. Certified in-home generally runs about $125-$150/wk. We went with a local Jewish Community Center which happened to be both one of the best rated and lower cost; it's associated with United Way for some of their funding. You'll definitely get a good sense of what you're comfortable with once you visit a few places and see the facilities and staff/child interaction.

TraciKLC · June 2011

Hi, my name is Traci and I am from KinderCare. You may want to visit your local Center to determine if it's the right fit for your family. You will be able to ask questions and get a feel for the rooms. Our programs are developed by leading early childhood education experts who designed the curriculum to be interesting and educational. Our teachers are both engaged and nurturing, which is ideal for infants and older children.

Please email our team at crc@kindercare.com or call toll free at 1-855-515-4200 if you would like to set up a tour. The Center Director can also discuss pricing as well.

I wish you the very best in your search and I hope you find a solution that your family loves.

Regards,
Traci@KinderCare PS: I found our Decision Guide really helpful when I was looking for childcare prior to working here. The checklist on page two reminded me of all the questions to ask providers during the selection process. Best wishes! https://www.kindercare.com/uploadedFiles/Documents/decision-guide.pdf

vmm0016 · June 2011

shannm:
vmm0016:

When we checked them out it was $79 a day, so $395 a week but we live in a HCOL area.

I imagine that the weekly rate is a bit less than the daily rate*5.

I wish, at the center we checked out they didn't give you any break if you went full time or part time, we just couldn't afford their prices.

christinaramirez08 · June 2011

Thanks for eveyone's feedback. I found out that the local KinderCare center is $287 a week!!! That is by far way too much and I just can't afford that. Fortunately my SIL sent her DD to a woman that only charged her $400 a month. She is licensed and has a degree in child psychology and my SIL loves her and I definitely trust her judgment.

My SIL is goin to talk with her today about taking our baby (and about the cost) and if it sounds like she'll take my LO, DH and I will meet with her in the next couple of weeks.

giantsgirl55 · June 2011

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Tutor Time.... Jake has been going there since he was 4 months old. He comes home with weekly art projects, he gets sign language once a week and progress reports (crawling/walking ect.)...The teachers are awesome. To me it is so worth the extra money.

Our tutor time...for full days/infant care its $281 a week. They also have half days.

Tutor Time or KinderCare- Anyone send their kids there?

Re: Tutor Time or KinderCare- Anyone send their kids there?

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