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August 2016 Moms
MSUgrad12
member
Daycare--halp!
MSUgrad12
member
For Second time Moms, what do you like about your daycare?
Anyone that has already looked at and found a daycare; what did you look for? How did you make the decision?
Anyone that has already looked at and found a daycare; what did you look for? How did you make the decision?
Re: Daycare--halp!
1. ASK if they have a child aging out by **** date (your planned start date.) I had two centers tell me "No" they wouldn't have any availability, but when I phrased it in that manner, they went "Oh yeah! I do have one child turning two in September, so we will have an infant opening after all"
2. Visit. Even if you don't think you'll like it, go. Try to go when other parents are picking up or dropping off. These parents will be the parents of your child's friends... getting a quick impression of them sure doesn't hurt. You'll also get a chance to see how the center interacts with parents.
And finally... The advice from my BFF who runs a center (unfortunately an hour away, or our kiddo would be going to her)
"My two cents regarding child care. See if the childcare home/facility is NAEYC accredited. Not sure if this happens w family childcare homes, but it happens in centers. NAEYC stands for the National Accredidation of the Education of the Young Child. Basically it is another standard of quality. How do the staff seem? Just one person? Has there been a lot of turnover? Is the childcare place DEEC regulated? Stands for the Dept. of Early Education and Care. If not, who governs them? Do they use a curriculum? I understand your baby would be an infant, however, how is their time structured? Tummy time? Do they do arts and crafts and music with the children? Childcare is WAY, WAY more than "daycare." Birth thru 5 years old is crucial, esp. with reading, even to infants. Do they do walks in nice weather? What do you notice when you observe the childcare home? Should see artwork at the child's level, age appropriate toys, books, etc. Is there a separate room for infants? The cleanliness of the place. Do they have an open door policy? Meaning parents can stop by at any time. Do they have a parent and a health care handbook? Are their staff or the person who runs the home daycare familiar with SIDS? Per DEEC regulations, NOTHING can be in the child's crib, no blanket, only a sleep sack. I know it's a lot... At a center also look for parent engagement, is there any, ex. Family movie nights"
I brought this with me, and asked all those questions, and was amazed how much MORE information I got out of it;
One of my favorite things about our center is they keep "non walking infants" and "walking infants" apart, (anyone under 2 is an infant, per state regs) so the toddling littles aren't stepping all over a 3 months old doing tummy time.
security and cleanliness of facility
turn over rates for staff
promotion policy for kids (when do they move up to the next room).
Mother things like sensory activity (music art outdoor time)
good food menu.
But within the first week DS started to come home from daycare hoarse, like he had been crying all day. And he was not a fussy baby. I worried that they were just letting him cry or were too busy with the other kids to give him the attention he needed. I don't know whether that was actually the case, but it planted a seed of distrust and I was suddenly very aware that there are no checks and balances in a home environment. That's not to say there aren't some wonderful home day cares out there, but you have to 100% trust that one person since there are no checks and balances. That was the first of many red flags and after a couple months we pulled him and put him in a daycare center.
Things I liked about the center: checks and balances! There are multiple teachers per classroom and they answer to a center director, who answers to a regional director. I liked that if you aren't happy about something, there's a chain of command that could be escalated if needed. I also liked that the center has an academic focus geared toward the appropriate age level. DS is now 3 and in their preschool program, but even as an infant they focused on sensory exploration, parallel play with the other babies, and gave them lots of tummy time. They also have very specific rules about things like how long babies can cry before they must be picked up, safe sleep practices, etc. Every day we got a "report card" that told us how many oz he drank, how long he slept, how many times he pooped, etc. It was just refreshing to know what he did all day, especially since DH did pickup and he isn't always the best about asking the same questions I would have.
BFP #2 8/22/12 | EDD 5/5/13 | DS1 born 5/9/13
BFP #3 4/25/15 | EDD 1/7/16 | MMC 7/2/15 @ 13w1d | D&E 7/8/15
BFP #4 12/9/15 | EDD 8/22/16 | DS2 born 5/18/16 at 26w2d
Just keep swimming.
Ask for referrals! Our sitter had free same families for several years.
Go with your gut and remember you can change if it doesn't work out.
One we tip my sitter gave me - before you go back to work, drop off your LO to get used to the process. The first day back is stressful enough that this helps take the sting away. I had to remind myself that I wasn't giving her up for adoption just dropping her off for a few hours!!
A few of the services we looked into also let you do a "Nanny share" for the same price, as long as you don't exceed the number of children. So let's say your neighbor is also looking for childcare, but you have an extra room to give to the Au Pair. You can work out a contract with the company where your neighbor pays $200 a week, and you pay $100 a week, plus covering the living costs, and both her toddler and your infant are watched at your house every day.
Ask about their emergency protocols. For example, every crib in DS's nursery was on wheels, and they could easily be evacuated or moved to a safe area. Security is also pretty tight. We use codes to get in the front door, sign DS out, and most of the staff knows/which kid we should have.
Also, ask about how often they change their pricing and what notification you would receive if prices were to increase. Make sure you know their policies for vacation days.
You might look into their diapering practices: how long between changes, who does it, protocols, if you supply diapers or they do, if they cloth diaper (if that applies).
Do they allow children who are not vaccinated? What policies do they have to stop the spread of contagious illnesses? At what point would they call you to pick up your LO if he/she is sick?
Is there a PUBLISHED (readily available and clearly communicated) curriculum for all ages and abilities? What kind of parental support do they expect? How do they work with parents around discipline? What kind of potty training support do they provide? Do they have parent conferences? Is the teacher accessible for a quick check-in at pick up time?