Brian and I took the afternoon off yesterday to close on our new loan and to check out some daycares.
We visited 3 very different places which all have their pros and cons.
This could be one of the hardest decisions ever!
We want to be able to give our child the very best that we can... but where do we draw the line?
Below is a breakdown...
Early Childhood Prep School (Middle Priced)
Pros:
· Strongly promotes learning and development at every age.
· Good location
· Discount for multiple children
· Will keep children with a fever as long as a doctor says they are not contagious.
· Allows 1 week of vacation after attending for a year.
· Will open around Christmas depending on the demand from parents
Cons:
· Waiting list until April 2010
· Does not have real cribs for infants, just pack-n-plays
· Whole place seemed cluttered
· Have to bring infant supplies each day
Little Learners Academy (Lowest Price)
Pros:
· Lowest price
· Available in late January 2010
· Real/individual cribs for infants
· Cleaner environment
· Will hold infant items, and do not have to bring in daily.
Cons:
· Not the best location.
· Child is out for 24 hrs every time they have a fever, even if it is for teething.
· “Teachers” may not be as qualified as the other daycares.
· Did not seem to promote learning and development as much.
The Goddard School (Most Expensive)
Pros:
· AMAZING!
· VERY strong educational program
· Infants have their own cribs.
· All infant “teachers” have atleast 5 years experience and associates in some sort of children
studies and all “teachers” 2 and up have atleast a bachelors degree.
· Could guarantee us a spot when our little one turns 2.
· They have a PTO! Ha!
Cons:
· The price
· Waiting list until Aug 2010 for under 2 years old.
· A set price each month, whether your child is there or not.
· Closed on multiple days for holidays and “teacher” development.
We definitely LOVE the Goddard school... but the earliest we can get is not until our baby is 10 months old!
We need to figure out something fast too... we dont want the start dates to get pushed back even further!!
Kim-
ReplyDeleteI know this is a VERY tough decision! I went through the same thing with Brady. Here are a couple of things I learned from the whole experience:
-No matter how nice the facility, it is still hard to part with your little one!
-When they are babies, the most important thing is that they spend time holding and interacting with your baby... that's all they are learning when they are that young... human contact.
-Clean is good b/c your little one will be on their floors rolling around eventually.
-We never used in-home daycares, but I think they can be good... esp. for the young babies who just need their basic needs met (not ready for all of the programs, playgrounds, etc. that the older kids like/need). You could always move to the professional day care center when the little one is a little older?
-Make sure they welcome you to stop in whenever you want.
-The sick thing can really be a pain! Getting a call that you have 1 hour to come get your child can really mess up your professional day. Knowing their policies on sick kids is important, but keep in mind if they allow your kid to stay there when they are sick also means other sick kids may also be roaming around on any given day. Sometimes strict sick policies are a good thing.
-Check to see how much information they send home with you at the end of the day. A chart or paper that shows what your baby ate, how they slept, anything else they did, etc. will help you know what's going on. A baby can't tell you if they had a bad day, so you need good communication from the staff.
I hope you don't mind all of this advice! If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask. We just went through all of this just a few years ago. :)
Take care,
Lisa
I highly recommend staying home! ;0) Once you meet that sweet little baby--you aren't going to want to leave him (or her!) for one second. That's my story anyway!! :) Life is short and they are only little for a very short amount of time. Plus they change so much that first year, you don't want to miss all those firsts! Whatever you choose though, it will all work out for the best.
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