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well, it's come time for day-care
my life has come to a point where i have to put my boys into day care. i never in a million years dreamed that this would happen - not b/c i thought i wouldn't ever have to work, but because i always thought i'd have my family's support, which i now don't. my mom helps a lot, but she's healthy enough to watch them for more than an hour or two.
for those of you with kiddos in day care, what's your advice? what's the day care situation? how much should i plan on spending? i don't even know where to start. there's a Tutor Time 2 minutes from my house. Although it'd be convenient, I don't know if it's going to be super expensive b/c it's a chain. I'm also not sure if I'm ok with in home day care b/c I feel like at a school there would be more structure and more adults/child. kwim?
any advice???
Re: well, it's come time for day-care
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Tutor Time (and all of the like places) are sooooo expensive- we were looking at $1000 a month for DS! We looked at a few licensed in-home daycares and I really wasn't comfortable with them- I didn't like the fact that DS would be hanging out in the same room with a bunch of toddlers running around, they weren't very structured since the ages ranged so much and it was just kind of wierd to me, going in to someone's private home. Even with a licensed in-home it was still around $700-$800 a month. We ended up finding a daycare center in Ahwatukee through Craigslist and it's worked out pretty good so far, plus it was really affordable! DS is in an infants room and seems really happy there, so I'm happy with it.
I didn't really have any co-workers or friends I could ask for referrals, so I just found places on Craigslist and went and looked at them. I printed this interview sheet so I wouldn't miss any questions, then DH and I toured each place and spent at least an hour there observing how the other kids were and if they seemed happy.
It was a really hard process, but just trust your gut instinct and you'll find something you like. GL!
With DS#1, I used daycare and in home day care. I have to say that I only used in home on Sat when reg daycare wasn't open. DS#1 went to Childtime in the east valley and they were wonderful. Great teachers and staff....they were like family. Whatever you use, make sure to check references and visit the facility unannounced to get a "real" feel of the place. It's been quite a few years since he's been in daycare and it was between 100-150 week for the Childtime. Pricing usually depends on how many hours/days your child will be attending. Good luck!
We send our son to a daycare center at a church/elementary school right near our house. I love it - so far. They also have preschool so next year he can go to preschool a couple of days a week and we don't have to worry about transportation and after school care at an alternate location. The other thing I love is that it is very structured. I wasn't sure about in home care for the same reasons Ireland mentioned... I wanted structure for my son. He now knows his colors, shapes, sign language etc. and LOVES his teachers.
My best advice when you put your kids in daycare is this... let go of a little bit of how YOU would do it. I had to realize that NO one would treat my son exactly how I would and NO one would take care of him as well as my DH and I would. It just won't happen. Having said that, I should say that we have been incredibly blessed because all of his teachers have loved him and cared for him like aunts or grandmothers would.
DD has been in daycare now since beginning of January. I would say to budget anywhere from $150/week to $250/week depending if you want in home, in your home, or a chain. If you want in your home, I would suggest care.com. I have a coworker who swears by it. I looked at it some, but went with other coworker recommendations instead. That said, coworker recommendations were THE biggest reason Evie is where she is. It is an in home daycare and there are 2 adults and 8 kids. She converted her garage to a room that is totally clean (she put a mat down for you to stand on when you come in) and the kids hang out in there. She is really structured, i.e. 8-breakfast, 8-10 playtime, 10-snack, 10-12 activities, 12-lunch, 12-2 learning, 2-3 nap time, etc...I just wanted you to be aware that there are those in home places that keep it clean, structured, and have a decent adult/child ratio. If your looking for a more "corporate/chain" daycare...I have heard a lot of good things about the Primrose School in Ahwatukee. I have several coworkers that take their kids there.
The thing that I liked more about in home rather than in my home and corporate was I liked that she would be around other kids (learning from them, socializing with them) and I felt like those that did it out of their home (at least who we interviewed) took care of kids because it was their passion. They just loved kids. Those that worked at the corporate daycares did it as a job...it was less personal to them. Just my opinion though.
If you want my list of interview questions, let me know and I will sent it to you.
I'm sorry things aren't working out how you'd hoped. :-/ I know what a hard decision this is, but you'll find a way to make it work and you'll find a place you love.
We got a recommendation from one of DH's co-workers. We really trust her opinion and she RAVED about the center we're using now. It's an independent center (not a chain) and is accredited. They really emphasize developmental learning, which is something that was very important for me. If I'm not going to be home with him, I at least want him to be learning something!
We spend about $900 a month. It's pricey, yes, but having him in a place we love is a priority for us, so we found a way to make it work.
My only advice is to go with your gut. If a place looks great on paper, but you visit it and it doesn't feel completely "right," keep looking. Your intuition is your best judge in this case.
Obviously, there are pros and cons to all day care situations. But I tell myself that he will learn social skills much more quickly than he would if he were at home with just me. He'll be exposed to lots of people (this is important for us since we don't have any family here). He seems happy there and his "teachers" really seem to care about him, so we can't ask for much more than that.
Good luck!
:::: Butting In::::
Thank you to everyone for the advice, I guess it is never to early to start doing research on day cares. It is a very overwhelming decision I can see already. Also, thanks fort he website, I can see already it is going to be very helpful in our search for ghreat care for our little one.
::: Butting Out::::