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Day Care
Nerissa
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
My daughter is almost two, and I've been working from home and taking care of her since she was born.
However... she's almost two. Which, of course, means that she's becoming more and more in need of supervision and entertainment every day. It's getting to the point where I'm not getting my work done because it seems like every 5 seconds she's either getting into something she shouldn't, trying to climb into my lap, or just generally making noise. Trying to talk to my boss on the phone when she's throwing a tantrum is pretty much impossible (the kid, not the boss, although I suppose the other applies too).
Day care, for at least part of the week, is becoming a necessity.
So... what do I look for in a day care facility? I do know I'll need flexibility because I can't always be there exactly on time to pick her up (I'm off work no earlier than 6:30, sometimes later, and my husband works nights every other week, so he can only pick her up when he's on days). What can I expect them to charge? I found a "Rent-A-Nanny" (babysitter) referral service -- is $10 an hour for one kid reasonable? Is it comparable to a dedicated facility? Would having someone come to the house be harder or easier for my daughter, given the fact that I will still be home?
However... she's almost two. Which, of course, means that she's becoming more and more in need of supervision and entertainment every day. It's getting to the point where I'm not getting my work done because it seems like every 5 seconds she's either getting into something she shouldn't, trying to climb into my lap, or just generally making noise. Trying to talk to my boss on the phone when she's throwing a tantrum is pretty much impossible (the kid, not the boss, although I suppose the other applies too).
Day care, for at least part of the week, is becoming a necessity.
So... what do I look for in a day care facility? I do know I'll need flexibility because I can't always be there exactly on time to pick her up (I'm off work no earlier than 6:30, sometimes later, and my husband works nights every other week, so he can only pick her up when he's on days). What can I expect them to charge? I found a "Rent-A-Nanny" (babysitter) referral service -- is $10 an hour for one kid reasonable? Is it comparable to a dedicated facility? Would having someone come to the house be harder or easier for my daughter, given the fact that I will still be home?
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I've had experience with the latter two, and I currently send Maddie to the YMCA for daycare. It's a really good program, and costs about $600/mo. (It drops to $500 when she's potty trained.) Which, in my area at least, is fantastically inexpensive. My friends, in comparison, spend about $900/mo.
I would go with a more school-ish multi-kid environment over a dedicated nanny even if money wasn't a factor, because it's great for teaching social skills, and they stand to learn a lot just from watching other kids. Especially at an age where they're trying to learn to use the toilet or other similar skills, watching other kids who can do those things helps them figure out how to do it, while also providing a healthy social pressure to learn to be more independent.
As far as what to look for, mostly, just use your common sense. You want to make sure they have experience, and adequate staffing. Go there yourself during normal hours, and see what's going on. Make sure the environment is clean enough (though be reasonable - it's a place where a dozen toddlers are running around making a mess all day, it's not going to be sterile). See how the staff handles kids who act up. Ask about how meals are handled. (Our daycare provides breakfast and lunch.)
I can see your hours being problematic. None of the daycares we looked at watched kids past 6:30, and our current one doesn't watch them past 6:00. If you can take an hour break to pick up your kid and then just deal with him running around during the last hours of your workday, you might be fine. Alternately, your employer might be somewhat flexible in your hours. If neither of those apply, then you'll probably be getting a private nanny, and you'll definitely be paying through the nose.
I'm considering just doing mornings, since I've got to take the older kid to school in the morning now anyway, and I can go pick her up during my lunch break. It cuts out some of the housework and such that I had been trying to get done over lunch time, but I think it may be worth it.
My husband's take on the matter is that he doesn't want to necessarily go with the cheapest option (on the assumption that the better places are going to be more expensive, and we're financially able to spend a bit more if it's worth it) and that it's really up to me to decide what I want to do.
:^:
My parents actually own a daycare that's got a three star rating, best one in the state, yada yada. Go visit, let your kid see the other kids, she if she's interested in doing what they're doing. For the facility itself, make sure it looks big enough, make sure they are putting enough teachers in the rooms, and for the love of god check if they have carpet. I cannot conceive of why a daycare center would use exclusively hardwood flooring or linoleum when a kids main objective is to put their head into the ground as hard as they can.
:^: :^:
At your kid's age, they can start teaching them to count and recognize letters (or build these skills if she's already started on them), as well as encourage structured creative exercises that help build artistic skills. A good daycare/school thing will have a good balance between letting them run around and have fun, and encouraging development.
Also? Price doesn't really correlate well with the quality of the daycare. It correlates more with how pretty the building looks and whether or not it's in an expensive part of town. The $900 daycare I mentioned that my friends use isn't really all that great. It's in a nice, upscale building with pretty bushes in the front yard, but it doesn't really focus on building the kids' skill sets, and when it tries, it does a crappy job. Maddie's daycare is in a humble building in downtown Sac next to the railroad tracks, but the teachers are all awesome, the kids are extremely well cared for, and everyone there knows what they're doing.
You shouldn't go with the cheapest place just because it's the cheapest, but you also shouldn't expect to get your money's worth if you go with someplace pricey.
Also, if you decide to only go with a half day, be prepared to get reamed. Daycares in this area, at least, knock off maybe $100-150 dollars a month if you go half-time versus full-time.
The only real benefits are easier clean-up and reduced dust. Considering the amount of fluids that come out of the average toddler, this isn't a bad thing.
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I've seen infant rooms with concrete floors. *shudder*