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daycare options - would love perspectives/advice
Wanted to see if I could get some thoughts on daycare. I'm planning to go back to work March 1 and have a couple options. For reference, we live off of Rt 7 near the Trader Joes. Hubby works in Herndon and I'm a consultant so not sure where I'll be working when I go back.
Option 1: JCC on Little River Turnpike. Pros: we were impressed with the facilities, like the idea of having DS in a Jewish center, seems like they have great programming. Cons: it's inconvenient to our home and work, and could add significant time to our commutes.
Option 2: In-home in Pimmit Hills (near our house). Mabel Morales if anyone has heard of her or has feedback. Pros: much more convenient, quite a bit cheaper, I've seen a couple good reviews here and on DCUM. Cons: may not be as "educational" or stimulating as the JCC, DH is worried about language development with the DCPs not having English as the first language (not as big a concern of mine - I see it as a benefit that DS may pick up some Spanish...). I didn't love the layout - the napping area was kind of hidden and there's a big TV (which she says they don't watch much...)
I guess it comes down to the Center vs. In-Home debate... but in this case the in-home is much more convenient. In some ways I think it's a no-brainer to go with the place in the neighborhood (would we be happier and better parents if we don't add to our commute?) but we really liked the JCC. Would love to get perspectives from people that have been through similar thought processes. Thanks in advance!
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Re: daycare options - would love perspectives/advice
If those are you only 2 options, I would go with #1, but I think that it will become really miserable as time goes on. As your DS gets more active especially, you won't want to have to add on the commute. You'll want to spend fun time with him!
I'm of the opinion that you want to LOVE a daycare situation before you start, because there will always be something later that you don't like. A TV at a daycare would be a deal breaker for me. That's a personal preference, so it doesn't have to be for you. Re English as a second language, that really would not bother me at all as long as you can communicate with her. Really, he will learn English just fine and maybe Spanish too! (I actually really wanted DD to have a Spanish speaking nanny. It didn't work out that way, but that was my preference.) Also, have you confirmed that the in-home is licensed, etc.? I am personally very leery of in-home daycares, even though I know there are some very good ones out there. I wouldn't consider one that wasn't licensed.
I don't love either choice. The commute will suck, and commuting with a baby who is not a "good baby" or a good car rider can add a lot of stress. Location location location
I don't love option 2 either b/c of the TV...what does "don't watch much" mean? what is "much" to her? TV is not recommended for babies under age 2 and I would be really wary of her putting a newborn in front of a TV (which tends to stimulate, rather than relax, babies). How many kids does she have? The nap area does not sound great, either.
The other issues such as a language are not a big deal to me. Keep looking is my advice. Good luck!
Thanks for the quick responses. A few additional data points -
- the in-home is licensed by the state... I don't think I'd consider one that wasn't licensed. I'm not sure exactly how many kids she has - I thikn 9-10 with two assistants
- I agree about the commute... I want to make the JCC work but I don't know that we can because of the location. I also had the "extra hour" figure in my head which is pretty ridiculous. I do have a prius which could make 66 more palatable but ugh.
- it's weird but there just aren't that many options that I can find around Tysons - so while I'd love to keep looking I'm not sure how. We're too late on the centers in Tysons (and turned off by the $500 to get on the "priority waitlist" at Tysons Corner Childrens Center). I am open to suggestions :-) - we may explore a nanny or nanny-share... which are expensive and have their own drawbacks...
I can't believe how tough this is...
does the JCC have a preschool component?
Could you potentially do in-home for the first 2 years (or so) & then move to the JCC when your child would be absorbing more of the educational component/potential religious instruction? In my opinion (which others on this board disagree w/ & I respect their point of view), in the beginning babies just need cuddles &, as they get a little older (approaching 1 year), having older kids (like 2-3 yo) around to mimic & learn from is a great thing. At least, this is one of the main reasons why we went with in-home. We'll put Sprout into a preschool or center w/ preschool "curriculum" later.
Are there no other in-homes near you you could check out?
$500 sounds like a steal if it will guarantee you a space and you like the center. I would pay that in a heartbeat.
We have a nanny share and have been thrilled with the arrangement, but the key is having a great family and a great nanny. It IS expensive. It's about twice what we would have paid for a center. That's why I say, $500 may be worth it. But for the flexibility it gives us, it's been worth it.
Kastle - I actually agree with your perspective that the "educational" component isn't as important at the beginning. Your suggestion makes a ton of sense and was something I brought up to DH earlier tonight - put him in the in-home until age 2 and then the JCC or somewhere similar for pre-school. There are other in-homes in the neighborhood - we're visited 3 and I think they're all pretty equivalent. People say good things about all three and I think any of them would take good care of DS. Only this one has offered a spot at this point.
BirdGirl01 - the $500 doesn't guarantee a spot, just a spot on the priority waitlist where he _may_ get in. Apparently no one ever gets in off the community waitlist. But we may revisit it as I think it's got some of the benefits of the JCC without the terrible (for us) location.
Haha - thanks - I just sent you a facebook note (probably while you were writing this) :-)
This is what we did with DD#1 and would like to do with DD#2. DD#1 was in an in-home day care until she was 2 and then went to a preschool until she started kindergarten this year. The preschool is actually in Falls Church and would be convenient to you, but it is a Catholic preschool, so that may not be ideal for you (St. Joseph's Preschool--can't say enough good things about it).
Also on the note re: educational component--some in home daycares offer a lot of great stuff in this department. Like with anything, it just depends on who is running the daycare. The daycare we have DD#2 in now is much more structured than the one we had DD#1 in (we changed because we moved) and while I still plan to try and find a preschool option for her in the fall, I feel like she is learning a lot in the current place.
I would also reiterate what others have said re: gut feelings about a place and the location. If it doesn't feel quite right, then it's not right. And if it takes you way out of your way, then it's not right either.
Good luck!
Yes, we found this too. They all varied in the ways they "used" the TV but they were all honest. So, I would just ask. One said she used it when they were waiting for the parents to pick them up. Another said they have it on when the kids are eating (that one bugged me for some reason. I didn't want DD to associate TV with food).
This was my experience too. Our DCP has a small TV (maybe 19"?) that she puts kid songs/semi-educational DVDs on from 5 to 5:30, so that she can talk to parents, etc. at pickup. Only the bigger kids are ever sitting near the TV and there are no commercials so it doesn't bother me. If we don't want DS to watch any TV as he gets older, we just have to pick him up by 5!
You've gotten great advice so far, we're also going the in-home route while small and a center later on, but I still wrestle with the decision sometimes - there really are pros and cons to each setup.