Daycare...

MiddleSister22 · June 2015

Choosing a day care is up next on our 3rd Trimester to-do list. I am due August 24th, will be back to work full-time at end of Nov/early December. Thanks to my amazing MIL, DH & I will only need childcare 2 days a week. We are looking at home day cares because they are typically cheaper than the larger facilities like Kindercare, The Learning Experience, etc.

What are some of the things you look for/ask when you call providers/go on visits? Also, aside from cost...what are everyone's thoughts on in-home day care vs. the bigger facility types? (if there is a proper term for these, someone please enlighten me...lol)

daniellepanda · June 2015

We used a home daycare center for our son from 1.5-3.5 years old and we loved it. It was a women and her mom who ran it- both went to school for early childhood education/ the mother was also a high school teacher too. Make sure that it is a certified daycare center, which was important to us. Ask about nap times/ see the sleeping set up. Do they provide diapers/wipes. How comfortable are they with using pumped breast milk or do they include formula in the cost? When the child starts eating meals, do they provide snacks and meals or do you need to do that? How many spare outfits/blankets do you need to leave there. Do they help potty training? How many kids per day is the maximum and how secure is the entrance- is it a coded entry only for parents? How often is the house professionally cleaned/sanitized. What is their sick policy? Is their cameras?

For us the in-home made more sense then a center. It was lower cost, the place was close to our jobs, we felt comfortable with the provider. The child to caregiver ratio was low and it met our needs. You will probably need to see a few options before you just "know" which will be the best fit for your family.

Wering · June 2015

Our biggest concerns were the following:

1) Are you registered with the state?

2) How many children are you supervising at any given time?

3) What will a typical day look like for my baby?

4) How do you manage the baby if an older kid (or another baby) is demanding attention.

5) Will you feed my baby in the manner that I choose? (Breast milk vs. formula, on demand/on schedule, etc)

Few things we heard that we DIDN'T like included:

1) Your baby will be in her carseat for the first 2-3 days while we get to know each other.

2) Never fully committing to the number of kids they had, but we counted as she spoke and it sounded like there were upwards of 13.

3) I don't handle breastmilk - you'll have to use formula for the time she's with me.

mothernorth · June 2015

My concern with in-home daycares are simply this: the care givers are not as closely monitered as larger facilities, and have different class size and child ratio specifications. If you choose to do an in-home daycare that doesn't have a specific infant room, your childs time is being spit up amongst higher maintenance toddlers and older children, which may compromise the care the infant recieves. I have worked at an in-home daycare and at 2 different facilities, and I remember some of the women putting the smaller babies and infants on the back burner so to speak because they could "just stick them in a swing or something", which they found easiest when they were having to chase around older children at the in-home ones. Honestly, after working at daycares I would try everything in my power to not put my children in them. But, they were also only 1 and 2 star facilities, so it may have just been the way those specific ones were ran. Also, I am from Oklahoma, I don't know what care standards are for every state but I don't think they are too great here =/

jesselayne8 · June 2015

Wering said:
Our biggest concerns were the following:

1) Are you registered with the state?
2) How many children are you supervising at any given time?
3) What will a typical day look like for my baby?
4) How do you manage the baby if an older kid (or another baby) is demanding attention.
5) Will you feed my baby in the manner that I choose? (Breast milk vs. formula, on demand/on schedule, etc)

Few things we heard that we DIDN'T like included:
1) Your baby will be in her carseat for the first 2-3 days while we get to know each other.
2) Never fully committing to the number of kids they had, but we counted as she spoke and it sounded like there were upwards of 13.
3) I don't handle breastmilk - you'll have to use formula for the time she's with me.

wOW huge red flags!!!

Perfect Sonnet · June 2015

My daughter was in an in-home who was a part of a larger umbrella organization until she was about 2. She has been in a KinderCare since then. She has done wonderfully in both places. I like KinderCare because both my kids will probably be a part of it from now until they're school aged. They have before and after care that takes school-aged kids to and from school and a summer camp for school-aged kids. So a place that we can work with and know the people involved for years to come was important to us, as well as the curriculum leading up to Kindergarten. My 3 year old has thrived there and loves it. I am confident she will be ready for Kindergarten when the time comes.

I will say that I liked the in-home for when she was a baby. It just seemed like a more cozy environment to drop her off at. I am not worried about leaving #2 at the center though. All of the babies seem very happy.

lvrunningirlie · June 2015

We've done both. While I loved the lady who did our in home daycare, if she ever got sick or her own children got sick... we were up a creek without a paddle. Also, like others have mentioned they aren't as closely monitored so you have to 100% trust your child in that persons care, in their home. Make sure you know who is coming in and out of the home, if they have to drive to do things... what is their procedure?, is there any kind of curriculum or planned lessons, how many kids, what age range, sick policy, how they handle discipline (one of our lady's children was a biter and our kid got bitten a number of times... but it was her child so it got a little sticky).

I personally prefer the institutions just because they are more reliable, have set curriculum, designated areas for different aged children, multiple eyes and ears in the place. With that being said, we have been through 3 different institutions just because there were some things we didn't like about previous places. But we have found a place with reasonable prices that we love. The people are great and they truly love and work with my child.

If you are looking for institutions or for in home, check all the safety questions (I'm sure you can find lists online). And I automatically nix a place that is not ok with me just dropping by anytime to check them out. I need a place that is completely open doors, lets me know there is nothing to hide.

cosplaymom · June 2015

More questions to ask...

- certified in infant CPR and First Aid?
- where will baby sleep, and how (placed on front or back? Swaddled? Do you need to provide a pack n play?)
- when/how often do you take the kids outside? Where? Any excursions away from the house/yard (such as walking to a nearby park or driving somewhere)?
- how often are toys santized and how?
- what is a typical day like?

e1223 · June 2015

When we were initially searching, I googled and found a super extensive list of questions to ask - it was too much for me but gave me a place to start. In my state (MN) there is a website that lists all of the licensed child care providers by zip code which is where we started. We found a good amount that were within a mile of our house and called to see if there were openings first, and asked a few initial questions to get a vibe - many were a no-go just based on the initial phone call.

Childcare centers here are absurdly expensive, often 2+ times as much as in-home providers, so for us, we simply could not afford a center. We were very lucky to find a very inexpensive, licensed, clean, kind woman who lived 5 blocks from our old house. It was very odd leaving our first child there 5+ years ago, but now she is just another part of our childcare team and truly loves my kids. It is a hassle when she is sick (her kids are grown so they aren't an issue, but that was something we considered - we didn't want someone who had 2+ kids of their own who also would have the potential to be sick and close down the daycare) but that happens MAYBE 1-2x a year and we have family nearby and flexible jobs so it's not that big of a deal.

We do choose to do one year of Pre-K at our elementary school prior to kindergarten, but even if we didn't, my provider does preschool activities with them starting around 2 years old - TONS of craft projects, and they have outside time from spring to fall. She is by no means perfect, but I am very glad we chose to go with her because we have honestly saved tens of thousands of dollars over what we would have paid at a center over the course of the past 5+ years.

MiddleSister22 · June 2015

Wering said:

Few things we heard that we DIDN'T like included:
1) Your baby will be in her carseat for the first 2-3 days while we get to know each other.
2) Never fully committing to the number of kids they had, but we counted as she spoke and it sounded like there were upwards of 13.
3) I don't handle breastmilk - you'll have to use formula for the time she's with me.

OMG...any of these things would send me running for the hills.

Wering · June 2015

@Jesselayne8 and @MiddleSister22 - believe me, we did NOT put our children in these places! Another in-home told us a racist joke while we were there. YIKES! However, that's why you interview, right?

Another red flag for us - one of the people we interviewed told us that we could only come by at drop off/pick up times. She didn't want us randomly stopping by because it could "upset the children." While I agree it's easiest if you don't interrupt their day, I'm glad we ultimately went with a center/facility (not in-home) that didn't show any of these red flags AND I was able to drop by if necessary. Lots of times if I worked from home or had a day that I was working odd hours, I'd stop into the center and nurse my baby rather than have her take a bottle.

Starynightsky24 · June 2015

Great advice!

I worked at a child care center for three years. After narrowing it down, I'd recommend sitting in the class that your child will be in for a few hours late morning. That's when the kids are cranky/tired/hungry and it'll really show you the providers true colors a lot more.

If they won't let you observe, that's a red flag.

sandrabrooke · June 2015

I'm more thinking you'd have issues finding daycare. So you might be limited. Agreed with points above though!

lvrunningirlie · June 2015

sandrabrooke said:

I'm more thinking you'd have issues finding daycare. So you might be limited. Agreed with points above though!

I meant to say this too, this late in the game you might not be able to find any openings. We reserved our spot within a few weeks of finding out we were pregnant (at the same place that we have our son at already) and they were almost full.

dkizz82 · June 2015

Reasons we decided against in home
- provider wasn't licensed
-provider wanted permission to travel with my child
- provider had her own kids and I thought they would come before my infant
- provider wasn't going to claim it as income so we couldn't get a tax deduction
- no accountability because she was the only one
- her own kids were sick a lot and I was afraid she'd cancel on me

We checked with several in home and only one was licensed and she was full but she still
Traveled with the babies

heidiwylie · June 2015

We went to several places and ended up deciding to reserve our spot for mid-October with an in home provider and wow, did we get lucky! You have to start looking now because many places will be filled up quickly. If you wait until the last minute, you may not be able to find someone. We toured the house and the areas where the baby would be, noting any safety concerns we would have. We also observed the other children to see their behavior (since our child will be interacting with them).

Questions we asked:

1) Are you a licensed provider? (this is a requirement in the state I live in) How long have you been licensed and how long have you cared for children? What education do you have with watching children?

2) What activities do infants participate in with the other children?

3) How many children do you watch on a daily basis?

4) How often do you get inspected/have you ever failed an inspection?

5) Do you have storage for me to provide breast milk (fridge/freezer) and what are your expectations on keeping it?

6) What is your sick day policy?

7) What is the curriculum/daily schedule?

8) Do you ever transport children or leave the home for any reason (field trips, shopping, etc)?

9) Can we drop by any time or pick up early? (If they say NO that is a huge red flag)

10) Do you have backup care?

11) What is your vacation policy?

12) Do you have your policies in writing?

Good luck with your search! I know it's going to be scary to leave a baby with someone else, but if you find someone you feel really good about like we did it will make everything so much easier.

rwallace15 · June 2015

I would encourage you to "drop in" on these facilities as much as you possibly can. There is nothing like seeing them in action, when they are not prepared for visitors. I would not take "you are interrupting our day" or "upsetting the children" as a reason not to do this. And maybe drop by more than once...at different times of day. I had one facility that came highly recommended to me (in-home) that I opted not to go with after one of these drop-ins. I am glad that I did my due diligence before my LO arrived. Can't imagine having to do all that research while adjusting to a new baby.

Saratiff · June 2015

Also just keep in mind you may have s hard time finding a day care solution for only two days a week. So make sure you find out if that is even an option.

nataha2 · June 2015

Did you think about finding a stay at home mom who wants to make extra money? I have friends who did it and they liked it since your baby definitely gets more one on one attention than in a daycare. A lot of SAHMs who offer their services also have education backgrounds and sites like care.com let you run background checks on them and check their driving records.
I really think this would be a good option while your baby is a newborn, and while he/she grows up you can have much more time to research and reserve a spot in a nice daycare since it's hard to reserve a spot in those.

emschmeid · June 2015

Daycare varies from state to state and city to city. In-homes are required to be licensed in my state and are inspected just as frequently by the state. Many of the centers in my area have waiting lists up to 2 years! Yes, even before one knows she is pregnant!
We interviewed with both type of facilities and saw red flags in both. Ultimately, we went with an in-home bc we felt she provided the best fit for our needs. It has been amazing! If you are undecided, interview with both, and see what feels best for your family.

cbernard10 · June 2015

We looked into both options pretty thoroughly because price was a huge issue for us. We ended up going with a local church's daycare/pre-school facility and we absolutely love it! All the teachers are friendly and know my child's name, even those that haven't had him in their class.We found that these types of places, if you are okay with a religious based facility, are generally a little less expensive than the "corporate" facilities. Good luck with your search!

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