Home DCP vs Daycare Centers

TwiMom · July 2013

Hello working mamas! I am new to this board and I'm just looking for your personal opinions on daycare options. I have been a SAHM for the past 2 years so I'm trying to find the right fit for my daughter now that I have to go back to work. I have been looking at both home daycares and centers and I'm trying to weigh the pros and cons of both...what helped you make your final decision?

Karla CS · July 2013

If we could have found a home DCP we were comfortable leaving her with, we would have went that route. After calling all 31 licensed daycares in our zip code and finding only 2 with infant slots open, and one that we randomly saw an add for, things looked bleak. 2/3 places we toured - absolutely no way in hell would I have left her there. The other one seemed great, but there wasn't enough flexibility with drop-off hours. (8:30 drop off and 5:30 pick up just wouldn't work for us). In the end, we opted to pay a little (LOT) more and send her to a center that we had multiple recommendations for and really liked.

So I guess our factors were fit/comfort level with the provider, reputation, convenience, and price being last.

Since your LO is almost 2, you may have an easier time finding availability in an in home DCP also.

dragon_chica · July 2013

It really depends on what you want happening with your child. If you just want someone watching your LO, keeping them safe, feeding them, and entertaining them than a home DCP is sufficient. But, if you want your LO to eventually be a part of a preschool curriculum a center might be the best route. I know that some home DCP may provide some sort of learning component but I would be less trustful of that than a preschool. You don't want to put LO in a home DC for a year or two only to eventually move your kid into a preschool. It's just one extra transition you'll have to deal with. We have DD (and DS soon) in a preschool that takes infants and up. DD started there in the toddler room right when she turned 2.

laurakaz13 · July 2013

Well, for me it was no brainer because her center was in the hospital where I worked. I knew the ladies who worked in the baby room, knew the rules were strict and safety, cleanliness, credentials of caregivers and security were taken extremely seriously. So I picked it.

They also have a preschool curriculum now that DD is in the 2-3 year old class and it's been really beneficial to all of us. We LOVE it.

For an in-home I would have had to do lots of research to feel comfortable with it.

shannm · July 2013

Accountability, Back-up, and Transparency made a center the right choice for us.

ccam · July 2013

For us, an in-home DC would not have worked since we only needed 3 days a week. Most in-homes around here would require you to pay for a full week even if you weren't there all 5 days. I also don't think I would have been comfortable with an in-home unless I knew someone else who used it or had a personal reference from someone I trusted.

Pros to his center -

Back-up so we don't have to worry about their sick time or vacation time.

Curriculum for the older kids.

The fact that DS is in a room with all children his age.

Security

Location

Hours (6:30am to 6:30pm)

kellyrn9956 · July 2013

We really weighed the options and did a lot of research. Important to note - I only found 3 in-home providers in my area that had infant slots, so it's good to start thinking about this early and getting your name out there. I did find that when one in-home didn't have any slots, that she often had a friend/colleague who also did in-home that she could refer me to so that's how I eventually found the 3 that I did.

In the end, we decided on a center. There were several reasons:

1. Reliability - my sister has had numerous issues with her in-home DCP being sick, her family being sick, etc. and sticking my sister with no care. Neither H nor I have good job flexibility nor do we have family close by in a pinch.

2. Paying the in-home DCP for not only our vacation time, but hers as well. In a center, if someone is on vacation, there is coverage.

3. Accountability - unless an in-home has an assistant, there is nobody to witness any wrongdoings. That made me incredibly uncomfortable.

*sparky* · July 2013

We only looked at one in-home DCP but I did not like it. The reasons were:

(1) She had kids of all ages and I thought DS would be better off in a group of kids his own age.

(2) Her own child was home sick the day that I toured her house, and while she kept him upstairs, it made me realize that my DS would have to be subject to sick-kid germs any time her DS was sick, or I would have to stay home. In a center, parents are supposed to keep their sick kids at home.

(3) For "nap time" she had all of the kids lay on the floor in front of the tv in the living room. My DS would have been in a PnP also in the LR at that time. I understand why she did it - she had older kids there that had outgrown naps, but my DS was little and still needed to real naps a day. She did not have the flexibility to give him a real nap time on his schedule.

(4) She dictated what her vacation weeks would be each year, and took two of them. I have to pay for all other weeks. So not only do I have to find back-up care those two weeks if my schedule did not match hers, I also had to pay her during the weeks I took vacation. I did not like that at all.

So we settled on a center. In the end, we ended up having issues with them several months later due to teacher turnover and went with a nanny. That is probably the route I would go again.

cecilyandgautam · July 2013

We use a licensed in-home provider and are extremely happy there, but we'll be looking to switch to a preschool sometime after DD's 2nd birthday. There are quite a few preschool-like in-homes in my area that have 6 staff, take on about 20 kids, have a school like schedule - it's just run on some one's farm instead of in a concrete building, so it's licensed as an "in-home." I would consider those if they were closer to us, especially because the kids get so much outdoors time, but either way, I think some kind of a curriculum is needed after 2, whether that's at a formal center or a co-op part time preschool run in a community center at the park.

Edit: since you have twins, you might have the most economical option is a part-time nanny and part-time preschool. Most of the preschools in my area are half days, so if you have a nanny who can pick up the kids at noon, then keep them til you get home, that arrangement might cost less than paying 2xfull-time preschool. Just a thought!

aeh72 · July 2013

Honestly, my final decision was me going with my gut. We looked at home daycares and daycare centers, and there were home daycares I would have never left DS with, just as there were daycare centers I would not have left him with. We were down to two options - one in-home and one center. Cost was definitely a factor for us but we were prepared to spend more if the center truly felt like the right choice. But, when we met our in-home provider my gut instantly told me it was the place for DS. What I think is a major plus (aside from cost) for in-homes (assuming you find the right one) is that I feel like I am leaving DS with family. I really do. And, I love that feeling. I'm sure I would have felt like I was leaving DS in good hands at the daycare center, but I would not have felt like I have the warm/personal connection that we have with his in-home provider. I actually get kind of teary when I think about how much she means to DS and to our family. On a practial side - I also like that in the in-home environment, he gets home cooked meals (he probably eats better there than he does at home!) and he has always been with kids that are a year or two older so he learns so much by watching them.

One thought for you to consider, though, is if you've been home for a couple years, I'm guessing your daughter is at least 2? Perhaps a center is a good choice for her if you are going to be transitioning her to pre-school in the next year or so, especially if the center has a pre-school that you would want her to attend also. Just a thought.

But, my main advice - trust your instincts about what feels right.

ETA - Our in-home is licensed by the state. I did not consider unlicensed in-home providers. The pro for licensed in-home providers is that they get inspections (scheduled and unscheduled) and have strict regulations they are expected to follow. That was a very important factor for us also, so if we could not have found a licensed in-home we liked, we would have gone with a center.

ashcody2 · July 2013

TwiMom:

Hello working mamas! I am new to this board and I'm just looking for your personal opinions on daycare options. I have been a SAHM for the past 2 years so I'm trying to find the right fit for my daughter now that I have to go back to work. I have been looking at both home daycares and centers and I'm trying to weigh the pros and cons of both...what helped you make your final decision?

We went with an in-home DC - it was cheaper @ $3/hr. & we got lucky since our provider's daughter helps her everyday so she's not on her own.

The one thing I don't like is how many kids she has, she has at least 8-11 kids everyday (including my 5 month old, a 3 month old, and a 4 month old), if she didn't have her daughter to help, I definitely would not send my son there. Some of those kids go to school so they aren't there all day though.

financialdiva · July 2013

shannm:
Accountability, Backup, and Transparency made a center the right choice for us.

This. I don't want to use my PTO days for when the in home DCP is sick or wants to go on vacation.

atrinh11 · July 2013

We put LO in daycare at 3 months versus 2 years, so that could have changed things a ton for us. We were looking almost exclusively at centers at first. Then we found an in-home place in our own subdivision (huge plus) on the state Dept of Health website. They are licensed and have to follow all of the same rules a center would. When we checked out the centers (several of them) it was always such a mad house, and you just didn't feel like it was a nice welcoming place to send your child every day.

I agree with some previous posts that with the in-home center we picked, we feel like we are leaving him with family every day. When he first started, we were told he would be the only infant, as they only owned one crib (they just had a few older kids at the time). By law, they need a crib for every infant in their care. A couple months later they did purchase s econd crib and bring in a second infant. This bothered me a little at the time, but it has worked out great, and now the two of them are buddies and roomies as they nap in a room with just the two of them.

I do find it interesting that some comments mention not wanting their kids with all different age ranges. This is one of my absolute FAVORITE things about our in-home daycare. Again, it might be because my son is young (8 months now), but I love that he gets to interact with all ages. He is absolutely fascinated by older children and just stops and stares at them wherever we are. The older kids at the day care love playing with him too. The staff (a couple and the woman's mother) are very good about making sure they play appropriately. I just love that my LO gets to watch and learn from the older kids. One of his favorite things to do is stand there in an exersaucer and watch the older kids run around and play.

My LO is not old enough for the curriculum to be an issue, but they do have a classroom in their house with little desks. I believe they send the curriculum that they are teaching home with the parents of the older kids so they know what is being taught. This might change how we see things in the future, but for now, a center isn't even an option for us anymore. (Sidenote, I think a center that would be acceptable to us would be WAY out of our budget, so that is a big factor for us as well). Good luck in your search!

kristinc01 · July 2013

It's definitely not the case with all in-home places, but the parents at my work that use them complain about how many days the providers take off especially around Christmas and summer holidays so the parents have to figure out other options, because they are not able to take off as well. Some have complained that the food isn't very healthy and the kids don't actually get outside much because the provider has multiple ages of kids and it's hard to take a baby outside and watch the kids play. The kids watch more t.v. than they would like. Their hours seems to be more strict and pick-ups are usually no later than 5:30 which is hard to make if traffic is bad.

In my area, in-homes are more likely to offer part-time spots, so that is a plus.

I really like the interaction my daughter has at her center. Even as an infant they did "art" projects, water days, song time, and went outside to explore. I've been lucky that there isn't a lot of turnover in the workers at the center, but that is one thing that people also complain about with centers. And although they have balanced meals they are still sometimes less healthy than I would like.

JJ_13 · July 2013

I think it depends on the age of my child. My DD is 6 months old and in-home was the right choice for us. She was at a top-notch (very expensive...) center for 6 miserable weeks, but she hated it. She refused to eat, refused to sleep, and was obviously very unhappy. We were at our wits' end, but ended up being incredibly fortunate to find an in-home situation with just one other baby. At this age, what's important to me are finding someone with whom we just click - someone I know will attach to DD and provide her with love and nurturing. It is a 2 - 1 ratio and less expensive than the center. We provide all food, bottles, etc. It's wonderful. When DD is more like 2 - 3 years old, we will probably go back to a center with a strong preschool curriculum. We have had zero problems with our in-home provider in terms of days off, etc. She takes the normal holidays and 2 weeks/year for which she will give us at least a month's notice. So far there hasn't been an issue with her being sick or anything. I'm sure that will happen sometime and when it does either one of us will stay home with DD or drop her at a drop-in daycare for the day.

cecilyandgautam · July 2013

People who've never used licensed in-homes are listing their reasons why, so I just wanted to weigh in again with more on my experience of the pros & cons of using a solo provider licensed in-home.

For an in-home, major pros IMO include: one on one attention (1 to 3 ratio in my county), family environment, flexibility (more willing to use cloth diapers, stored a bag of my breastmilk in her freezer, adapts the weekly menu to our requests), fewer illnesses = fewer days I have to stay home with a sick baby, cost savings

Disadvantages of in-home, in my experience: ours is a solo operation so when she has a religious holiday, she's closed and we have to figure something else out. But I don't mind having to pay her for holidays off because she charges well below market rate - I feel like it evens out with the paid holidays.

That's really the only thing that's inconvenient for me with the in-home but my friends who use big centers also have to deal with being closed on 7/5, Christmas Eve, closing early the day before big holidays, staff training days etc so I'm not sure I'd have it any better at a center and when factoring in all the illnesses I don't have to stay home for, I'm confident I have a pretty good deal.

Also, regarding accountability - it will vary from state to state and even county to county, but my DCP get 2-3 unannounced drop-in inspections from a clinical social worker every year and 1 drop-in by a nutritionist to inspect the food preparation area and quality of the food.

saraboston · July 2013

Lots of visits. There are great centers and great home DCs. There are also crappy ones of each. You'll pretty much know once you walk in the door.

TwiMom · July 2013

I so appreciate all of the wonderful feedback! Everyone brought up some very good points and gave me a lot to think about. I do work for a school district so I am usually off any time that a center would be closed or a DCP would take a holiday so I don't have to worry about that too much. I have considered that since she's almost 2 it is a good time for her to be in a setting that would be more like preschool. I also would like to see her bond with just one caregiver and have it feel more like family! I'm hoping when I meet the right person or step into the right building, I'll just know! Thanks!

st.augbride · July 2013

If your daughter is 2 yrs old, then definitely an early preschool environment since otherwise you would just need to switch in a year or two anyway. We used a home provider for ds for 2 years and just switched to a center. While she was what our family needed during that time since ds needed special attention due to medical issues, we also accumulated our share of concerns over time. Ultimately, we feel the resources and safety are much better at a GOOD center, and I emphasize good (great, really) b/c there are a lot of mediocre or even bad ones out there. Quality is key when it comes to childcare, and quality tends to cost more.

KL777 · July 2013

I SAH for nearly 3 years and when I had to go back to work, DS was old enough for preschool, so I went with a FT preschool. If DS was not preschool age, I would've went with a center due to accountability.

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