Help-questions I should be asking about DC

[vlagroupie]

So, I'm looking into daycare for DD on a part-time basis and I'm visiting a place on Thursday. What questions should I be asking? What should I be looking for? I only visited one place and just got a bad vibe off of it but I had nothing to compare to it. Thanks for any advice!

[mom2boxers]

I would ask:

1. what their price includes (food, wipes, diapers, etc.)
2. what do you have to provide?
3. Are they willing to follow your DD's schedule (naps, bottles, meals)?
4. how much turnover they have experienced with the teachers especially in the room your LO will be in
5. will LO have her own crib
6. security - what does a person have to do to pick up a kid (code to check out, etc.); Are the doors locked to where the kids are at so someone can't just walk in

I would also pay attention to how it smells and if it appears clean and their sanitation around the diaper changing area.

If you do decide to go with them, I like to drop off the paperwork at a random time so they don't know you're coming and then you can ask to see the room one more time.

[mom2boxers]

If you don't get a good feeling about the place, go with your mommy vibe.

I only visited one DC, but I felt comfortable and it felt like a fun, safe environment.

Not all DCs have them, but I love being able to look in on LO using the web cams in the room and in order to drop off or pick up, we have to use a finger print to gain access to the rooms.

[vlagroupie]

mom2boxers thanks!! This is great! Great tip on dropping off the paperwork when they are not expecting you. The one I visited just seemed dirty and depressing in the infant room, it would have been perfect location-wise but my gut was just telling me no. I'd like to put her in DC after her 1st bday so not sure how that differs from an infant room.

[vlagroupie]

Oh yeah, I called and price is $50 per day, since we would be part-time. Does this seem like the going rate? Reasonable?

[mom2boxers]

Mar 10, 2015 14:46:09 GMT -5 vlagroupie said:

Oh yeah, I called and price is $50 per day, since we would be part-time. Does this seem like the going rate? Reasonable?

I think that's reasonable. We pay $43 per day (max of 10 hrs/day) for FT.  Ours considers babies infants until they are 18 months when they can move up to the next room. They provide the crib sheet, wipes, and appropriate food/snack based on age but we can bring stuff in as long as it's not too out there. They aren't into BLW. 

I would also ask what their ratios are for kids to teachers. There are standards based on age and look up on the state website for any violations in their inspection reports.

[narbuckle01]

I pay $50 a day for part time at an in-home DC. Seems reasonable. I also asked about learning curriculum/praying because it wasn't a standard daycare, e.g. I don't want her learning about religion/politics without me around. That might be a one off personal pet peeve. Also ask about sick rules, when are sick kids asked to leave? What's the waiting period after a fever? I also asked about population diversity because I was interested in Aut getting to know all types of kiddos as she grows in the DC.

[mominthemaking14]

I'm paranoid so I asked about their emergency processes. I had DH visit unannounced to see how they handled a visitor at a peek time. What's the cleaning procedure for toys, crib, etc?

[mominthemaking14]

Oh ask about snow days or early dismissal. During the storms we were open every day without delays.

[vlagroupie]

mominthemaking14 & narbuckle01 thanks!! Great stuff, my list of questions is growing.

[vlagroupie]

Mar 10, 2015 18:27:17 GMT -5 narbuckle01 said:

I pay $50 a day for part time at an in-home DC. Seems reasonable. I also asked about learning curriculum/praying because it wasn't a standard daycare, e.g. I don't want her learning about religion/politics without me around. That might be a one off personal pet peeve. Also ask about sick rules, when are sick kids asked to leave? What's the waiting period after a fever? I also asked about population diversity because I was interested in Aut getting to know all types of kiddos as she grows in the DC.

That's funny you say that about religion bc the one I'm visiting is a Christian DC. I was raised catholic so it doesn't really bother me but I do wonder how religion fits in to the curriculum there.

[ladytiffany24]

I'm racking my brains to see if there's anything else you're missing but I think PP have covered most everything.

My best piece of advice is that your mommy gut will be the best indicator for you! We visited a couple of in-homes that seemed great on paper but we got there, it just wasn't right. You'll know the right place. Kinda like how they tell you when you're in love, you'll just know. When you find the right daycare, you'll just know. lol. so cheesy but true.

[JoBub]

Mar 11, 2015 7:01:02 GMT -5 ladytiffany24 said:

I'm racking my brains to see if there's anything else you're missing but I think PP have covered most everything.

My best piece of advice is that your mommy gut will be the best indicator for you! We visited a couple of in-homes that seemed great on paper but we got there, it just wasn't right. You'll know the right place. Kinda like how they tell you when you're in love, you'll just know. When you find the right daycare, you'll just know. lol. so cheesy but true.

This is so true. I get annoyed with things at our DC (like when teachers quit). But we looked at every DC in the area, and there's no way I would send him to any of the others. On paper, they're all pretty much the same, but ours is just such a calm and happy environment. From the very first visit, there was no question that we'd be choosing them.

[becole]

I think the teacher turnover rate is important to find out. And you need to like his current teacher. And ask how long she has been there.

[narbuckle01]

Mar 10, 2015 19:41:53 GMT -5 vlagroupie said:

Mar 10, 2015 18:27:17 GMT -5 narbuckle01 said:

I pay $50 a day for part time at an in-home DC. Seems reasonable. I also asked about learning curriculum/praying because it wasn't a standard daycare, e.g. I don't want her learning about religion/politics without me around. That might be a one off personal pet peeve. Also ask about sick rules, when are sick kids asked to leave? What's the waiting period after a fever? I also asked about population diversity because I was interested in Aut getting to know all types of kiddos as she grows in the DC.

That's funny you say that about religion bc the one I'm visiting is a Christian DC. I was raised catholic so it doesn't really bother me but I do wonder how religion fits in to the curriculum there.

That is funny! I went to a Christian DC growing up, but was raised agnostic. It was always so weird to me that what I learned at DC wasn't connected to what I was learning at home, or it was never addressed. I want that fluidity in DD's life. 

[vlagroupie]

So we visited the DC today. I asked about turnover rate and she said that turnover is high in child care. Because people use as a stepping stone to other professions. Does this sound like a good answer? She kinda acted like I was crazy for asking that. Anyway the room she would be in has a max of 12 kids and 3 teachers in the room. 1 of the teachers has been there 2 years, and the other 2 have been there 6 months-a year. I'll probably visit another one but this was the best I've seen so far. Thanks for all the input and advice!

[mrscatfarmer13]

I feel like that was a cop-out answer. My mom worked in early childhood education for 20+ years and of the 3-4 places she worked, the turnover rate for head teachers was relatively low. Aids and substitute teachers were a different story. I would be concerned with that answer because that leads me to believe there are much bigger issues at hand, leading to disgruntled teachers and instability in the classrooms.

[mominthemaking14]

^^^ my mom works for head start for 25 years, but I'm a firm believer in "right feel". Rather have rotation of happy people then angry people who refuse to leave.

[hbrockman01]

I agree with that response being a cop-out. My DD's Lead Teacher has been at the school for 10+ yrs and even the aids have been there 3+ years...

[becole]

I feel like the managers sometimes have high turn over as well, but not always. A good answer is what their center is doing to retain employees. I have seen centers run very poorly and some run well. The two teachers in the infant room at his center have worked in childcare for 20+ years.

[becole]

At the daycare we left, he had 3 infant room teachers in the 2 months we were there. The head teacher should have longevity or they aren't paying their employees well.

[vlagroupie]

Thanks ladies! I liked the place, I just didn't care for that answer from the owner, it just gave me a weird feeling like my question was stupid. I'm still on the search...geez this is hard. I might have to just be on wait list for some of the places until they have openings in May/June.

[JoBub]

I think that's a pretty honest answer. There is a high turnover rate in the infant room in our daycare. It has been frustrating, but when I talked to some of my coworkers about it, many of them have experience as daycare teachers, and that's exactly what they told me. Daycares like to hire young people with lots of energy, but who aren't really in it for the long haul. Also, in general daycares don't pay well, so everyone is usually constantly looking for something better. Some teachers are currently working on their degree, and usually when they finish they move on to something else. Of course there will be people who love it and stay forever. At our daycare there are lots of people like that in the older rooms. I don't think turnover rate should be a huge factor in your decision. Since August, we've had 5 or 6 different teachers who left for various reasons, and we still really love the center.

ETA: The best thing I think you can do is drop in for a visit without calling first. The first time we visited, it was so calm and quiet (which was so different from the one we visited before that) that we were certain they were putting on some kind of show for us, or that they purposely scheduled us at a time when they knew it was quiet. But they encouraged us to drop in any time, and I did, several times. I remember telling DH "I've been there 5 times, and I've never seen an unhappy child. It's like disneyland in that place." It just really made me feel good about sending him. And he's been happy every single day when I pick him up as well.

[vlagroupie]

Thanks JoBub! I guess I can understand her reasons too. I just got kinda weird vibe off the owner. Two of the teachers in the room were super nice, another one seemed a little standoffish. I think I need to look at another to compare. I really appreciate everyone's advice and opinions. This is such a hard decision.

[JoBub]

Mar 13, 2015 7:04:49 GMT -5 vlagroupie said:

Thanks JoBub! I guess I can understand her reasons too. I just got kinda weird vibe off the owner. Two of the teachers in the room were super nice, another one seemed a little standoffish. I think I need to look at another to compare. I really appreciate everyone's advice and opinions. This is such a hard decision.

It is hard. But hopefully once you find the right place, it'll be an easy one. Being comfortable with the owner and the teachers is important. Crazy stuff happens at daycare sometimes, (in the 7 months we've been there, we've had countless incident reports for bumps on the head, one time an older baby scratched him, one time he had bad eczema and the teacher thought it was a burn or something and we had to talk about it) and you need to feel comfortable talking with them and feel like they're being honest with you. Plus, you're going to be a team when it comes to things like dropping bottles, learning to walk, potty training, maybe even learning to read down the road.

[becole]

+1 for visiting several daycares during peak times (10-2) to see how it is.