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November 2015 Moms
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Everything I need to know about day care!

mag9812mag9812 member
in November 2015 Moms
Hi everyone! Even though I've been on TB for a few weeks now and shared in on discussions, this is my first new post so let me introduce myself.... I'm a FTM, 17 weeks and just found out we're having a little girl! After our LO is born, I get 8 weeks maternity leave but will be going back to work so we will need child care. My DH and I have several tours and interviews set up at places we are interested in next week and I'm starting to put together any questions, concerns, etc. so they can be discussed during those meetings. I have some obvious ones but wanted to make sure I'm not missing anything I haven't thought of, since I've never had a child in day care before.

For any STMs (or FTMs who have already done this), what were some important questions you asked or concerns you voiced while looking at child care? Was there anything you wish you would've asked or thought of? Any issues you had that I should be aware of and can look for? We are looking at actual centers right now, as opposed to private in-home care, but the questions can still apply for both.

Thanks in advance! Sorry for the long post, I tried looking back through the threads and didn't see any posts about this but I apologize if this seems like a re-post. Thank you!!
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Re: Everything I need to know about day care!

  • wedding crazedwedding crazed member
    What are your discipline practices? Sick baby policy? I always ask for random names and numbers to call and check references for. Read all reviews online. Transitioning between classes if you go with a center? Good luck! I'm a sahm now, but worked full-time after #1 and part-time after #2. I was so picky with childcare. I interviewed a ton of places, but wanted the best for my child and don't regret it at all now. We ended up going with an in-home provider after all the searching. Oh and if you can randomly stop by you can see how things are going without notice of a visit.
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  • Elyse1384Elyse1384 member
    Here are some things we asked - 1) What is the student/teacher ratio (and max allowed), 2) what are pick-up policies (early drop off, late pick-up, penalties for late pickup past daycare hours), 3) food provided as baby ages (e.g. some daycare facilities near me provide snacks or lunch once the baby gets older while others require the parents provide all food), 4) food/milk storage (I breastfed so it was important to know if we could store backup/frozen milk at the daycare), 5) policy for providing any needed medications and 6) holiday/close schedule, 7) weather close policy (how much notice is given for a snowstorm or other weather related delay/closing) and 8) certifications teachers and the facility have.  Those are the primary questions.

    We "knew" when we found the right place.  We had a good vibe and they were open to letting us sit in/visit/drop in unannounced.  It felt warm and inviting and they worked with us on skills or milestones our little guy needed help developing.  They send emails with pictures, updates and any big moment of the day if applicable.  Good luck!
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  • mag9812mag9812 member
    wedding crazed That's great, thank you! I've checked reviews online but didn't even think to ask for references. That would be helpful to be able to talk to parents already taking their children there. I'm thinking about becoming a SAHM after #2 but for right now, day care is our option. Thanks for your help!

    Elyse1384 Great questions, thank you!! I feel like we have one in mind that we're leaning more towards and I'm hoping we have that "This is it!" moment. It's just such a big responsibility and I'm feeling a little overwhelmed by the whole process right now.

    Thanks so much ladies! :)
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  • kmkrushikmkrushi member
    What's their turnover rate and qualifications for teachers? Daycares tend to either have teachers either stay forever or leave within a few months. A lot of newer facilities have the option of watching online.
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  • Pontot31Pontot31 member
    All of those are great above.
    I would also do a drop in on a day that's not scheduled. Go check it out when they don't know you're coming.
    And ask to talk to some current parents.
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  • LSRooLSRoo member
    What the others have stated. And also security. What's the protocol for visitors? My daycare has fingerprint entry scanners. If your print isn't in the system you aren't allowed in the building.
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  • Ceridwen77Ceridwen77 member
    edited May 2015
    This is great information! I was pretty taken aback when doing my initial research a couple months ago about how many centers provide food, formula and diapers! The food choices they provide are horrible in most cases. I have a feeling I'm going to have a hard time finding a place that does cloth diapering, and allows me to provide food/breast milk.
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  • VexyMommyVexyMommy member
    Ceridwen77 said:
    This is great information! I was pretty taken aback when doing my initial research a couple months ago about how many centers provide food, formula and diapers! The food choices they provide are horrible in most cases. I have a feeling I'm going to have a hard time finding a place that does cloth diapering, and allows me to provide food/breast milk.
    Odd.  In infant rooms, I've not come across a daycare that doesn't require the parents to send all food.  It's probably a regional thing possibly due to liability.  That probably changes as the children move into toddler and preschool rooms though.  My little one is on a glucose and lactose free diet so she's always brought a lunchbox of her own and her daycare providers have never said anything differently. 
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  • Ceb2015Ceb2015 member
    I'm a FTM but I've worked in daycares. Regarding the food, you should ask if they provide menus in advance and also ask for the menus for the last couple of weeks. I worked in a daycare that provided very unnutritional menus and I would never have my child there. Also ask about methods of discipline, ratio of staff to children and types of activities they do (obviously more applicable to older children). Some centres have more structures programs where others are more free play.
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  • mag9812mag9812 member
    Thank you ladies so much! This is so helpful!!

    I like the idea of stopping in on a random day unexpected to check things out, so I definitely think I'll be doing that. The places we're looking at have menus posted online but I'm assuming it's for older children since it's all solids. I will definitely be asking about providing my own because I plan to breastfeed and pump even after the LO goes to daycare.
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  • Pontot31Pontot31 member
    mag9812 said:

    Thank you ladies so much! This is so helpful!!

    I like the idea of stopping in on a random day unexpected to check things out, so I definitely think I'll be doing that. The places we're looking at have menus posted online but I'm assuming it's for older children since it's all solids. I will definitely be asking about providing my own because I plan to breastfeed and pump even after the LO goes to daycare.

    They have to let you bring in breast milk. You'll just have to ask about storage options and their rules for once a bottle of it has been heated up if they throw it away or put it back in the fridge for a day. And if you can leave some frozen milk in case th baby is going through a growth spurt and needs extra.
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  • dsty1213dsty1213 member
    The turn over rate is really important. A lot of times, since the turnover is so high, not everyone is CPR and himleich (sp?)certified. We had an incident with my DD when she was 1. They gave her tortilla chips (WHY?) and she choked. Thankfully, her teacher was certified and acted quickly. When we met them at the hospital, the teacher said she was the only one in the center certified so it would have been so much worse if she wasn't in there. We did homecare with my son so I know she was certified. With homecare, there are no backups with illness or days off though so we had a hard time with that part. No matter what, it's hard to leave your LO but, we do what we have to do, right?
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  • mag9812mag9812 member
    @Pontot31 That's good to know! I definitely want to BF as long as possible and wouldn't want daycare to get in the way.

    @dsty1213 Tortilla chips!? ugh. Thankfully the woman was CPR certified. I will definitely be checking to make sure they are certified. Thanks!
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  • Bootsie81Bootsie81 member

    Something I didn't ask but should have, do they have epipens available? 

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  • katie10287katie10287 member
    FTM here but I used to work in childcare, make sure you ask how many teachers are going to be in your child's room everyday. The place I worked at some days the kids would have multiple teachers throughout the day, which can make it really hard on the little ones if they're more attached to a certain person.
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