Thoughts on drop in daycare?

jcath · July 2014

My girls (who will be three in Sept- I need to update ticker!) are in full time daycare in a very well respected daycare near my house. We're happy with it but honestly I'm not sure it's as fabulous as the word on the street is about it. The daycare also has a crazy vacation schedule - closed for the two weeks of christmas/new years, closed a week for spring break, this summer there's two days off at the end of July while they get ready to start the new year (Aug1). Almost every month there is one teacher work day where the kids are out. One of my friends, whose daughter is in my girls class, sends her daughter to another daycare that allows her to drop in days. The friends daughter went to this drop in daycare full time while on the waiting list for our current daycare and they said they really liked it - not as much learning as they wanted but loving teachers and the kids are happy. She offered to ask if my girls can have drop in spots too and it would really make my life easier but I worry that it's hard on the girls to go a totally strange place every now and then for the whole day. On the upside - they'd be withe each other and this friend. Am I being overly sensitive? Any thoughts?

snicksnack · July 2014

One thing to think about drop-in is often expesive my center charges 81 a day for drop-in. With that being said, if we went the nanny route I would keep their info on file so we could have them in our back pocket for drop-in at least for my son who is only 2 and I would feel okay with a place a friend recommended. My daughter is older and I can handle her at home with me working once in a while but not for him. I think drop-in would also be harder with my daughter because she is in pre-school and I would assume the drop-in place had a sch. etc.. as far as school work for the older kids. Our old daycare had the same crazy schedule it was a Goddard. I LOVED it as far as learning and thought no one could compare but when we moved it no longer worked location wise. Our kids new daycare is just as good and has far fewer days off. Goddad ran more like a school vs,. what it is a daycare. Our new center runs like a school but takes in account it is a daycare.

momofcatan · July 2014

To just use the drop in place as a back up when your regular DC is closed? I would do it. We are in a similar situation with lots of random days our DC is closed and am lucky to have family willing to watch DD for us. If we didn't I would consider drop in babysitting. After one month of DC we have 2 days closed. DD spent one day with my IL's nanny (who she had only seen occasionally before that) and another day at my ILs. I was surprised but apparently she was amazing on both days.

litzo27 · July 2014

I would do it. I think at 3, especially being together, they won't have difficulty to adjust to a new occasional place.

dashofreality · July 2014

I understand the concern about changing routines, but I've had to do it a lot out of necessity it hasn't been an issue. My daughter really loves routine so I do try and give her a heads up that on Monday you will be going to x instead of y. Then the rest of the week you will by at y. I've also had to use drop-in daycare when I abruptly had to pull my kids out of a DCP. It is not ideal, they watch TV, but they love it and the occasional use isn't going to hurt them.

Tink112011 · July 2014

wife07mom09 said:

Occasionally sure but as a daily daycare, no. The providers change and there is limited oversight. I would not be happy with it and children really do thrive on routine. But for occasionally closures, NBD. Things happen.

Agree with this.

Our daycare offers drop-in services if there is space available. Whenever I pick up DS and a child in his room is screaming his head off, its because that child is a drop-in kiddo. The rest of the kids are perfectly happy.

Just yesterday I got there and I saw a new child screaming. I asked the teacher "Who is that?" and she said "Jace, he's a drop-in" . Gotcha.

emberlee3 · July 2014

Sounds like a perfectly reasonable option to me.

Mustardseed2007 · July 2014

I have never considered drop in, but then I don't know anyone who uses a drop in center and I do have other options (family) available to me in emergencies. If I had a friend recommend a drop in place to me, and I knew that friend cared about the same things I did regarding childcare, then I would consider it if I didn't have lots of other options.

I really don't have any personal experience to base this on, but drop in care brings to mind people dropping off their sick kids who couldn't go to daycare. It also brings to mind a lot of screaming, crying kids. Whether it was my kid who was screaming, or if it was my kid hanging out with the screaming kids, I wouldn't like that. Again, this is prejudice that isn't based on personal experience but it's what I think of when I think of a center that does that.

chloebeth930 · July 2014

My mom stays home and watches my daughter, but we do drop in hourly care 2 times a week for 3 hours. My daughter loves it. She isn't guaranteed the same teachers/kids each day, but that doesn't seem to bother her at all. However, I have never had an issue dropping her off at daycare, ever. I don't know how receptive your children are to change and new people. My daughter has zero stranger danger, and most of the time just runs right in to the toys. Not even a hug for lowely ole mommy

cedenton · July 2014

I've done drop in when DS was MUCH younger when we had a nanny and she called in sick. I think I did it 3 times or so.

It would be harder these days because he wouldn't transition as easily. Honestly, that's a crazy amount of time for your DC to be closed. Ours is closed for a week or less at Christmas depending on when the holiday falls. Then a couple of in-service days on less celebrated holidays or before holiday weekends when they expect people will be gone anyway. Other than that it's only major holidays.

The schedule you described would not work for my family.

jcath · July 2014

Thanks for the feedback - the daycare center is not a drop in one most kids are full time they just aren't to capacity and so let my friend use it when it's prearranged and they have room and they've offered to extend that to me. I'm going to try for the two days at the end of the month and let the director know I can come get them if it doesn't go smoothly.

Katelobster · July 2014

We have 'grandma daycare' but my husband's work has a private daycare that allows drop-ins. We've used it twice and it was NBD.

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