Daycares Revisited

Among the many things that must be done to prepare for our new arrivals, one of them is the unfortunate duty of choosing a suitable daycare. The depressing reality is that we just aren't equipped to survive with one income so as much as I'd love to be home with these little ones for at least their first year, it doesn't look like a feasible arrangement at the moment.

I've already shared some of my observations of the places we've visited so far. Not all of them were good but it's been a hit or miss lately.

We visited another daycare closer to home (not work) on Tuesday night.

I think it could have been LOVE at first sight! 

Front door LOCKED?   CHECK!
Staff near and by the front door?   CHECK!
Each wing of the facility housed different age groups and away from the front door.   CHECK!
Infant rooms shoe free?   CHECK!
Organized and CLEAN?   CHECK!
Certified and experienced staff?   CHECK!
Strong and established learning?   BONUS!
Price is right?   Well it's not free but its very reasonable :)

The only thing left to decide is if this is "The One" or not. There are a lot of pros to this facility unto itself. The downside is that it isn't very close to either of our jobs but since those may not be forever, we don't want to base our decision solely on that factor. The most important things to weigh in on our decision is not only cost effectiveness but also what our overall impression. It's also tough to say how much it will cost us since I won't know what my work schedule will be like quite yet when I do go back.

Loose ends bother me but it is more than likely we'll be going with this place regardless of the unknowns. Sometimes, you just have to go with your gut!

Day [S]Cares

For many years prior to this one, I have heard the woes and frustrations expressed by my friends, family and random parents lamenting over the search for "The One". And now, I can fully empathize and understand why.

Whatever you want to call these places - daycare, childcare, school, child center - the differences from one place to another, regardless of location and price, drastically differ.

Below, I impart what I've seen so far from some of my dayscares to dreamcares (without naming names, of course):

• When we're talking about daycares, franchises aren't all bad. You see consistency and stricter guidelines implemented at each that provide some reliability and assurance of quality.
• More money does NOT necessarily mean more quality or peace of mind and vice versa.
• Infant rooms MUST have clean floors. Clean means no outside shoes allowed, no wet substances and no food.
• Location, location, location.  I will be bringing two infants to daycare. I don't want them to be in the first room from the front door (that is also coincidentally NOT locked or attended by anyone).
• Show Me Organization! It goes without saying that you probably don't want your child sleeping on someone else's linens but how about eating your hard earned breastmilk? I don't want to see mismatched and disorganized food bins and fridges as much as I don't like to see strewn bags of belongings all over hallway floors.
• ABCs. I'm not talking about learning them. I'm talking about the credentials backing up the people I will be paying to watch and care for my new additions. I want to know that everyone is educated in childcare, certified in CPR and experienced in working with infants.
• Ratios. You never thought you'd have to know this math stuff after school was over, right? Well, brush up on your ratio know how. I'm not entirely comfortable if they tell me that they are always maxed out with the number of infants that the state allows and short on the number of caregivers consistently available at any given time.
• Open Door Policy. If I'm nearby, I'd like the option to stop by anytime to check in on my babies. I can understand if they'd like notice of a visit though. All in all, most places where you would be bringing infants have this policy in place.
• Schedules & Feedings. What time is drop off? What time is pick up? What is the feeding schedule? Now, to each facility's credit so far, each had fairly flexible pick-up/drop-off availability and tried to match your feeding schedule as closely as possible.

We have a few more tours to take and haven't committed to any one place in particular quite yet. When what you are most concerned with is cleanliness, professionalism and organization, it doesn't seem like a lot to ask for in a daycare but as I've already seen, those terms are highly subjective and open to interpretation.

I'm not rushing or worried about not finding "The One" (yet) but we'd like to be prepared and check this off of our list of things to do.

"A goal without a plan is just a wish."  ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery