- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
April 2012 Moms
went to the daycare today...sorry LONG
Today, we stopped by the daycare that LO will be attending when I go back to work in 2 weeks. It took everything in me to not cry in front of them. I bawled in the car and when i got home for a good long time. We even started looking into a different center and that made me cry more. So here's the story...
When we first visited the center earlier in the year, we dropped in without an appointment. The director seemed super flighty and unorganized. My supervisor takes her kids to this center, and so does my husband's supervisor. We have had nothing but good recommendations from everyone. I was a little annoyed at the disorganization but gave her the benefit of the doubt because we had not made an appointment. Every center that i talked to, including this one, told me that an appointment was not needed and I thought it would be better to drop in without notice because then you are really seeing the center on a "normal" day. The teacher in the toddler room was super nice and so was the assistant director. They answered our questions and seemed to know what they were doing. The infant teacher was on lunch when we were there so we didn't get to meet her. After the director fumbled around the office/school age classroom and provided us with a Welcome packet (for toddlers, not infants because they were out of them) we wrote a check for our deposit and decided we would take the baby there. We really don't have many options as far as centers go and my husband's schedule varies during the week so we need somewhere who will accommodate.
So today we decided to drop off the rest of the paperwork and visit the center again. I also had questions that i had not asked when we were there when i was pregnant. We arrived at the center to find that the director and assistant director were both out of the building doing the grocery shopping. The infant room has a new teacher in the AMs and the regular teacher is there in the afternoon and wasnt there yet. We tried asking questions but the new teacher had no clue how to answer them. She kept paraphrasing what we said back to us and/or looking to the toddler teacher for answers. The center is a small center and has low enrollment. My LO will be the only immobile baby in the room and the teacher admitted that she had never worked with babies as small as him (except her own grown kids). He may also be moved around between rooms as the numbers for the summer are lower than they are now. The other 3 kids that were in the infant room are almost 1 year old and maybe even older. They had one ratty looking bouncey chair and 2 cribs. The toddler teacher told me that LO would spend most of his time on the floor. She also stated that they have a swing in the attic that they will have to get out and clean before he starts. At this point, i was on the verge of crying and had to stop talking to them. We are going to go back on Friday (with an appointment) to talk to the director and regular teacher.
I feel super uncomfortable with the place now that I have been there as a mom. I am just not sure if I would feel the same about a bigger, more corporate center just because I don't want to leave him or if my gut feeling about this place is right. I used to work at a daycare and the infant room at this place is not what i picture in my head when I think of a nurturing baby room. *sigh* I hope Friday goes better because I looked into another center (with the company that I worked for in another city) and they are $30 more a week and farther away from my house and work. I don't think we can afford it, and that makes me even more sad because I feel like I have to settle for this place that I am not quite happy with just because of finances.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: went to the daycare today...sorry LONG
I'm a DC teacher and work in the infant room. Depending on what state you're in, your LO can be in an infant with others who are up to 18 months. He should not be in a room with toddlers (18-36 months) or preschool. Even if he's the only one there, he needs to be in the appropriate environment.
What was the ratio of kids to teachers?
You should absolutely not have to crib share. Your LO should have his/her own crib at all times. It's just a sanitary matter.
I work at for a national chain and it's our belief that we don't use swings/bouncy seats. Our philosophy is that children should be free to explore their environment without being constricted. That being said, we don't just place them on the floor. They're on an activity mat, boppy, or something else along those lines.
If you're gut is telling you not to trust this place, then don't. You need to be comfortable with your decision. You have to trust the teachers otherwise you'll be miserable all day.
I once had a picture until the trolls showed up.
TTC #1 7/08 PCOS dx 8/28/04 Met 1000 mg and Clomid cycles 1-4 1/6/09-5/2/09 BFN
Clomid 100mg 6/4/09=O'd=BFP on 6/29/09! Beta@14DPO 70.8 Beta@16DPO 152. EDD 3/7/10.
First u/s on 7/13/09 @6w0d heard and saw heartbeat 102 bpm.
K M #1 arrived via c/s 3/1/10 10 lbs, 22 inches long at 39 weeks.
Surprise expecting #2. Med-free BFP on 8/1/11! Beta@15DPO 58.2 Beta@17DPO 198.3 Beta@23DPO 2338. EDD 4/9/12
K M #2 arrived via c/s 3/19/12 9 lbs 2 oz, 21 inches long at 37 weeks.
"If we weren't all crazy we would go insane."
Thanks Ladies.
JenLiggons- It was definitely weird that both the directors were gone at the same time. I think the assistant really runs the place but the director owns it and probably needed to pay for the stuff. My husband is appalled by the fact that the other kids could possibly step, climb, hit, etc. on our baby. I asked if they would at least put down a blanket and she was like "well yea, i guess"
Ximena and Harper's Mom- I have an excel spreadsheet of all our bills and spending. I would love to get rid of our satelite TV but cable is just as much around here. We already cut our cell phone bill.
CM- He wouldn't be sharing a crib... the other kids (age 1 and older) sleep ON THE FLOOR in sleeping bags. The ratio is 1:4 for infants. I need to verify with the director about mixing him with older kids. I would hope that this is not the case but the toddler teacher made it sound like it could happen during the day and then he'd be back in the infant room for nap time. This center only allows the kids in bouncey chairs or swings for max 15 minutes at a time. They didn't have a boppee or activity mat. I am hoping that these items have been stored since there isn't any other little babies currently enrolled. I am just worried about what they might look like when they come out of storage.
kkfeb04- We are part time as well. My husband works a rotating schedule and is off 2 days a week. It's been hard to find a center that accommodates his schedule without charging us the full time rate.