Home Daycare vs. Daycare Centre

happy_un-bride · October 2013

I'm not going back to work until March, DS will be 1 year, but in our area its on the late side for looking for a daycare centre and early for home daycare. so I feel I need to decide between the two now. I've not seen a home daycare at this point and have visited lots of centres.

How do you decide?

My priority for my DS at this age is that he'll be cared for, have his needs met, and not watch tv, Help!?!

Mustardseed2007 · October 2013

This is going to boil down to personal preference and maybe even availability of a good center or a good in home in your area.

I would say IN GENERAL your child is less likely to watch TV at a center than at an in home just b/c homes have TVs and usually TVs aren't standard equipment for a day care room. Having said that, I've heard some reports on this board about some centers having TVs and I'm sure some in homes are committed to not having TVs.

I'm personally more comfortable with centers for safety reasons, but that's just me. I also have good centers around me so that helps me feel that way.

I think you should probably tour some more inhomes and then let your personal impressions of the centers + reviews or recommendations if available, and personal impressions + references on the in homes lead you to the choice you are most comfortable.

Also, depending on your state, you may be able to look up their state inspections online and see how many and what kind of violations your choices have. That was helpful to me.

ETA: I see you're in Canada, but there still may be a resource like that where you are. Not sure if it will be done by the city or what agency, though.

QueSrah · October 2013

You don't need to pick one or the other this instant. you can look for centers now, and be happy if you get into one you like. If you don't get into one, or even if you do and want to keep your options open, you can look at in-home care as you get closer to Jan/Feb. It's your perogative to change your mind and decline a spot you reserve at a center closer to March.

We didn't get into a center (one toward the bottom of our list) until days before we were due to start at an in-home. Ultimately we stayed with the in-home. It was a warm environment, with mixed ages (infant to about age 3). I got over any concern about having the tv on during drop off and pick up time, when the caregivers were busy getting kids settled in or ready to head home and talking to parents, mostly because I liked and trusted the woman in charge. You can make check lists of pros and cons, but I really had to rely on a gut feeling - when I walked into a daycare, would I feel comfortable leaving my baby there all day?

Karla CS · October 2013

You should visit some in homes before making a decision. I toured the four in my immediate area with infant openings, and they were all vastly different. In our case, it solidified our choice to pick a center. (This is not at all knocking home DCP's - I'm the product of one, and there are good ones out there. Just that none of the ones by us were a good fit.)

dglvrk2 · October 2013

Like PP's said, you really need to tour several of both to make an informed decision.

Look for licensing in in home daycares.

I live in CA. Centers are crazy expensive here. I found a great in home daycare for about 2/3 of the price. I'm still paying a lot. However, I toured a few even less expensive in-home daycares and found them to be more chaotic and less professional than the in-home daycare DD has gone to since she was 10 wks old (she's 2 and 3 months now!).

Get references. Trust your gut. It's a process, but remember that you can change providers if things just are not going well too.

ASmallWonder · October 2013

dglvrk2 said:

Like PP's said, you really need to tour several of both to make an informed decision.

Look for licensing in in home daycares.

I live in CA. Centers are crazy expensive here. I found a great in home daycare for about 2/3 of the price. I'm still paying a lot. However, I toured a few even less expensive in-home daycares and found them to be more chaotic and less professional than the in-home daycare DD has gone to since she was 10 wks old (she's 2 and 3 months now!).

Get references. Trust your gut. It's a process, but remember that you can change providers if things just are not going well too.

This. Some centers suck. Some in homes suck. You can find amazing providers in both places but you do have to know what questions are most important to YOU and you have to trust your gut.

aeh72 · October 2013

Look at both centers and licensed in-home providers (if you aren't sure who is licensed, your state should have a website listing them and hopefully their inspection/violation records). Go in to each place you visit with questions about the practical things that are important to you (the bump has a great checklist as do many other websites if you do a google search), and then trust your gut.

I was nervous about in-home providers but my husband insisted we at least consider them since centers are very expensive where we live. I looked at three centers and three in-homes. In both categories, I found places that were no way, meh, and that I really liked. But, in the end, there was an in-home that I just knew was the right place for DS. He's been there over a year and it has been a wonderful experience. I will so sad the day he moves on. You might find that a center gives you this feeling or it might be an in-home - just trust your gut.

Oh, and FWIW, there is no TV anywhere near where the kids are cared for at my son's daycare.

GL to you during your search!

st.augbride · October 2013

We had ds at a home for 2 yrs and then switched him to a center when dd started too (so they are both now at the center). The center is a lot more expensive, but we really think it's worth it. We had a good experience with the home daycare, but toward the end, it was clear there were issues we had and that it would be better to be at a center. It's just very difficult to keep all aged children getting all the resources and attention they deserve for the money it costs in the home. I'm not saying it isn't possible, but it's just not even an issue at a good center. When we drop them off, I know they are safe, well monitored, all activities are planned, organized and age-appropriate, and that they can supply enrichments and resources that I can't at home. At the home daycare, it was just a place that they could be cared for, but wasn't as good as if I were with them. I like that at the center, it offers things I can't. But really, the safety is huge. Even with our home daycare, I started realizing that they would have trouble if there were say, a fire. How would one woman get all the kids easily? And when there were babies on different schedules, the older kids couldn't go to the playground. And when she had maintenance men working or her teenage son's friends over, well, who knows what their backgrounds were. Anyhow, for a MILLION reasons, we are so glad we switched. Plus, by age 2-3, you'll want a more preschool-like environment anyway.

happy_un-bride · October 2013

Follow-up... I think I've decided to sign DS up for a centre that is very close to our house. It seems the best option for now; they can guarantee me a spot, it's not the cheapest but also not the most expensive, I got a better feel about the centre than some of the others, the ratio is1 adult to 3 babies (home day care could be as many as 5 kids to 1 adult), cancellation only requires 2 weeks notice. So if I'm not 100% later on, its quick to get him switched. So I can look at home daycare as an option later or look for another centre (our options open up once he hits 15-18 months old as there are a lot more centres for this age group).

kgrobot · October 2013

Glad you found something that works

PseudoMama · October 2013

Transitions become hard on a baby/toddler, so I would pick somewhere you envision him longer term. If he is 2 or 3 and entering preschool, would you still want him in an in-home center? I would also tour some in home centers too. They also might have better holiday schedules. DS has two weeks off over Christmas while I bet an in-home would still be open.

PseudoMama · October 2013

Oops, just saw your follow up post. Happy you found a solution!

mjcleve · October 2013

It's definitely personal preference and based on what is available in your area. What you could do because of the timing issue is tour daycares and get your name on the list if you find one you like. Then you could tour in-home later when the time is right and if you find one that you like better than the daycare, then cancel your daycare spot. Good luck!

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