- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
1st Trimester
Things to ask potential daycare
Hi ladies. The two daycare centers I am interested in both have a waiting list for next fall. I am touring them this week so I can go ahead and get on the lists. Does anyone have suggestions for things to look for, questions to ask, etc.? The teacher to infant ratio is three to one for both daycares. Is this normal? This is our first child so all of this is foreign to me. Thanks in advance!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Things to ask potential daycare
I have checked into nannies and we just can't do $15 an hour, which is what I am finding it takes to get a good nanny in our area. That would end up being $2,400 a month...not in my budget!
We have planned for $300 a week, which I have found to be the higher end of daycare costs around here. Since a nanny isn't in my budget, do you have any specific things I should beware of? Thanks!
How does a nanny hire?
A 1:3 ration is great. The law in Washington state is 1:4, and I thought that was good. There are a ton of questions you could ask. Some of the top ones I can think of:
How long has it been in business?
What sort of turnover do they have? (lower is obviously better)
What are the staff credentials and training??
Have they had any complaints or reportings about teachers? (I think they have to divulge that if asked)
What are your hours?
Are you closed for holidays? (ours closes for a week at Christmas which can be difficult)
Is there a fee if you are late picking DC up?
Do they provide food for the older kids (most likely not in the infant room)? If so, what is a typical meal?
Do they do field trips?
How do they decide when to move kids up to the next room?
What sort of communication do they have with the parents? Regular written reports? Parent/teacher meetings?
Do you have set curriculum?
What will my DC be doing on a daily basis?
When/where would your dc sleep?
Do they follow a schedule? Or follow your DC's schedule?
?
Ask for references and definitely call them. And then overall, go with your gut.?
?
?
Why don't you report this then?
I wouldn't let this person freak you out about daycare. You would have to be JUST as careful (if not more) in hiring a nanny. Just do your homework and stay involved. DD has been in daycare part time (3 days/week) for over 2 years and has thrived there.
If a daycare worker is popping kids in the mouth and cursing at them and you've reported them and they do nothing, I'd go to the media. Write a letter to the editor of a local paper or news station.
I second this. Nannies seem riskier to me than day care, and there are NOT people hitting kids at every day care.
Asking about criminal background/drug testing and looking for a place with video cameras are both good ideas, though.
You may also want to ask on the working moms board, they may have some advice to add.
Good morning! I know I'm late to the post, but I have some insight. I oversee operation of two early childhood education centers in Ohio. Our infant ratio is 3:1, which is the lowest I have ever heard of in programs. Low ratios are a good indicator but you also do want to trust your gut. Some websites for questions are:
www.naeyc.org
and
www.4cforchildren.org
Good Luck!
Have you consdidered a licenced home day care provider. I prefer them over a large day care center, expecially when they are babies. My mom has been a home day care provider for like 30 years. Where I live you can only have up to 6 kids but many don't have that much. Kids my mom has cared for still keep in touch years later. It's a different type of relationship then a center.
I am not allowed to go to the media. They made us all sign this forms saying we wouldn't. If I do I could be sued. It is such BS. I am trying to find a new job as we speak because I am so upset by them. Yes, not all daycares are like this though. Just make sure you are very involved and don't let them treat you or your child badly. It's hard to find a good daycare. Oh and just don't go by their word either, see if you can pull up some articles on them. I hope you find a winner. I don't mean for you to freak out, I am just saying what is happening at my daycare and to just be aware.
Oh this is a good idea too. You can get a criminal background check and you can ask to speak to other parents and see how they like that daycare. At a center it is hard because there are so many children there that they don't get individual attention they so need. I hope you have good luck! Oh btw all the stuff I am talking about happens in the older rooms. The ladies in the infant rooms are really good. Just sometimes you get crappy people, who know how to wiggle their way in with the boss.
I have looked into daycare, too and I was very confident in a few based on excellent recommendations from others in the area. I actually went to my local nest board to find recommendations from others in the area and found some great ones!
A couple important things (for me) I looked for...
Is formula included in the price for infants? (may or may not be an issue, but still good to know)
Do they have a thorough schedule for the day? ( I want my infant/toddler/child to be learning and developing while at day care)
Also...things others have mentioned (ratio, turnover rate, etc)
it is a very scary concept that things like this go on in daycares- but i can actually second that i have witnessed many events happening in many different daycares- the staff are usually underpaid for their hard work, short-staffed most of the time and it shows- they take it out on the kids- as for all the infant rooms, i have only witnessed 1 and the workers in that room were much less stressed than the workers in the toddler rooms- so i can not comment on the infant rooms entirely
i am a behavioral specialist and work for early intervention (i often service children that attend daycares) and have been around daycares (some 40 plus) enough to know that i do not want my baby going to one- i will be ok with a toddler that has good communication skills going to one that i entirely trust (i know which i trust in my area after visiting them myself) and can tell me what's going on in the room but other than that
the things i have seen from MULTIPLE daycares from all over the county (ranging from higher end daycares to lower end daycares) could make anyone cry- both emotional and physical abuse- not to mention the ratios in nj must not be that great cause i have seen 1 to 10 and above at least in every daycare and with that many kids running around, things are bound to happen- not sure what the infant ratio is and is probably very different.
with that said, this info was not ment to scare anyone but just to inform you that what seems like a great daycare, may not really be- i have seen great daycares and ones that i would trust my child in for sure so it doesn't rule out all daycares- you just need to be very careful which one you select- i love daycares and i think they are great for children developmentally- i encourage my parents to have their child attend one (however, i usually let them know which are the best and which to avoid)
i would make every attempt to visit these daycares often before sending your child to one- if you go once, you are only seeing what they are showing you and i have seen this happen as well (where the administrator comes in and informs the teacher that a parent is coming in for a viewing- they are really clever and all of a sudden instead of mass histeria, there is a craft and everyone is mildly getting along!) i would do "drop-in" visits so they aren't prepared and you can witness how it really is- and if the daycare isn't comfortable with that, that should send you a red flag- and i would be weary of that particular daycare
i love the idea of a video camera in the room but not sure how many daycares actually do that- so that would be an excellent thing if they do!
We toured several daycares, and in addition to these questions also tried generally to get a feel for the place. Did the kids seem happy? Were babies left crying unattended? (some of this is unavoidable, but there shouldn't be too much) For infants, definitely ask how much tummy time they get, and what they are doing when they're left alone. It's much better if they're put on their stomachs on a mat with toys around them than plopped in a seat somewhere with no stimulation. Make sure you look at the rooms with slightly older kids than the age your child will be when they start.
Don't worry too much about the facilities being fancy and gleaming (though of course clean is important). Kids don't care about that. One daycare I was impressed with had a nice outdoor space that was filled with milk crates (as well as some playground equipment, but lots of milk crates). The director said to us, the milk crates are the kids' favorite toys, so that's what we keep around here. I liked that way of thinking.
Also, google "questions to ask daycares" and you'll get some good lists.