Switching from daycare center to in-home daycare?

[Deleted]

Currently, LO is in a daycare center, but we would save $95/week to switch to in-home daycare (from $245 to $150).

I am nervous about doing so because I worry that bad things are more likely to be able to happen in an in-home daycare (e.g., abuse, neglect). I know there are very good in-home daycares and that I tend to worry a lot.

Please tell me if switching seems like a good idea or not, and what kinds of questions I should be asking or things I should look for in the in-home daycare. We have a specific one in mind that people on the local FB swap page have recommended, and we will be getting references.

[GailGoldie]

I would never switch my child's daycare (that I was happy with) just to save some money.... unless I absolutly had to b/c i couldn't afford the more expensive one.

We had our boys in a center that we loved and trusted - there were a ton of other options around that were much cheaper -- but to me, nothing beats having total trust in the place you leave your child all day long.

If you are nervous- why consider it? Unless, again, you simply can't afford where she is now.

I am one of those people that has zero trust with in-home settings. I'd prefer a nanny to in-home daycare, and I don't have much trust for them either. I want my kids in a class with other babies/kids their age - not multi-age where older kids can easily hurt my younger ones, etc (and trust, me, as a mom with kids 2yrs apart, this happens all day long no matter how well you watch them- and assuming any in-home daycare would have more than the 3 kids I have- no way for me!)

[atouchofklasse]

ditto Goldie

[Deleted]

I hate to say this but I don't think we can afford to keep her in the daycare center and be in a good place financially. We will need to start paying back my student loans in a few months, and in preparation for that, we are trying to figure things out. Also, we are ok with the place she is in now, but we don't love it.

You are right though, I do not want to sacrifice good care for my child no matter the cost.

[GailGoldie]

as she gets older, will the costs go down in the center? they usually do- as older kids have a higher kid/teacher ratio, so it costs less. But - if you simply can't swing it and need to look for cheaper options- then do what you have to do... esp if you don't love it.

you can always talk with the director about the costs, too - esp these days with so many people being laid off and taking their kids out of daycare, many centers will work with you on price.

When I had my twins and would have THREE in daycare I was freaked out about the cost. My center worked with me on a cheap price- that would stay with them as they got older -- so basically i was paying the same amount over the years in total, but was saving me money in that first couple years when normally it's more expensive b/c of the lower teacher/child ratio (hope that all makes sense).

[takeonyou]

I used to nanny and now run an in home. Since I run it, my kids are actually in the home daycare. Personally, I prefer smaller group care vs. one on one (nanny) or large group (center) because I think that being part of a small group of multi-aged children is closer to a family setting.

Best advice I have is to interview a LOT of home daycares. A lot. Ask good questions. Ask a lot of questions. Home daycares can be licensed or unlicensed and it doesn't really matter in some states. In some it does. Call your county childcare referral center and ask if they can give some referrals. Ask for references of PAST and CURRENT clients.

[badtzmaru22]

Does your state certify in-home centers? DD is in one of those, and they are inspected frequently, and have regulations about how many children of each age they can have, food, sleeping locations, CPR/First Aid, etc. I trust them completely. If you have good references, that would mean a lot to me as well.

One of my favorite things about in-home is the different ages. DD is our first, and maybe only, and I like that she has older kids she sees every day and learns from. She's the youngest right now, and gets so much attention. The other families are great, and I feel like the providers (there are two adults in our day care) are like family now. This was huge for me, since we're in an area where we don't really know many people yet, and don't have family nearby.

[mrshandy]

How old is your child?

We had DS in an in-home from 12 weeks until 2 years old. She treated him with loving care and it worked great for us. We found her based on recommendations of a neighbor. Personally I would be fine with switching as long I had done my homework.

[imimahoney]

We have our son in an in-home that I ABSOLUTELY love. It is run by 2 very experienced women who have been running their daycare for 16 years. I could not afford a center and personally, don't love them. I wanted something smaller. My daycare has 8 children total.

When searching for our daycare we went by our states licensing website. We called and set up interviews with the locations that were in our price range and had availability. We set up a few interviews and then toured the daycares.

In total we saw 7 places. Out of the 7, I liked 3. I then went with my DH to see the 3. We picked the one we both liked best. After we chose our daycare we called the licensing bored to inquire about any violations that may have occurred (there were none). I felt 100% comfortable with my decision.

Questions I asked:
1. Nap policy- set time or child led.
2. How many children total and how do they manage cross aged activities
3. Outside time
4. Meal plans
5. If one is out, who is their fill-in. If both are out what happens.

I also asked for references. I called 5 previous parents of the daycare and all had wonderful things to say. One question that I thought was good was: What in the daycare's biggest fault/negative? Most of the responses I got were, "well daycare lady A talks A LOT and tells the same story over and over again".

[Deleted]

We love our in home daycare. One of my good friends actually pulled her kid from a shitty center to send him to a good dayhome. I almost sent DS there - it's so close to my house and has reasonable rates and looks good on paper. Turns out the staff is terrible with children. Meanwhile, my son has thrived at his dayhome and I feel totally confident in his care there.

I wouldn't rule it out just because it's cheaper.

[pugz]

we needed the flexibility an in home provider could give us since I work in healthcare with a weird schedule, and it's $20 cheaper a day which is definitely nice. Other things I like about it: Squirms will be the only baby, all the other kids are 2-4 years old. All the kids are there PT so some days there are very few kiddos. Exposure to fewer kids = exposure to fewer germs.

Our provider has been doing it for 30 years, is licensed and has a clean record (you can see all that online).

[Deleted]

Thanks, ladies! These are all very helpful responses!

Some of you touched on another reason we have considered switching that I couldn't quite articulate. I feel like at the center she doesn't quite get the consistency and/or personal attention that I want. I like the idea of her being with a provider that will stay consistent and be more like family than a business.

She is 9 months old. At her current center, the price will go down to $218/week when she turns 2. But by that time, I'm sure there will be a price increase anyway. If we really loved the center, I would talk to the director about working something out, and if we don't find another option we like better, then I'll still consider that.

[chia]

The first thing I'd do, is check the State and county licensing boards for violations.

Second, call references.

Ditto what someone said about checking out a few places. Some will immediately give you the heebee-jeebies... but, when you find the right place, you'll know it.

Like pugz, we need a little flexibility with our schedule. We've had DD at an in-home since she was 9 weeks old, and have been very happy. I think there are a few things she might have gained in a center, but it's a trade off. For example, she's kind of a loner in a bigger group of kids - she'll go off to play by herself. But, I'm not sure if that's her personality, or if that's from being used to a small group setting. It could very well just be her personality.

[takeonyou]

One of my favorite things about running an in home is KNOWING the kids. I know when they aren't feeling well, need a nap, need a cuddle, or if they need to blow off some steam. I generally have kids from 3 months to kindergarten and I LOVE it. The parents love that their kids treat my home as their home. They scold their kids for tossing jackets on the floor, but then admit that it makes them so happy that they feel so at home that they can do those sort of things.

When I was a preschool teacher, I couldn't possibly know the kids the same way. It was a much more clinical sort of setting. I was not allowed to let anyone sit on my lap -- this was a national chain center. It was in my contract. Because if one sits on my lap, they would all want to. It made me so sad to read that rule and have it explained.

Also, look for an activity schedule. I have a cooking class each week, but we do not do worksheets or coloring pages. I have the kids do more tactile arts and crafts -- clay, colored shaving cream, bubble art, chalk, etc. So the parents do not have tons of papers coming home. They are likely to get an update on my Facebook page with a picture of their child doing the activity vs. having papers come home. Same for math -- we work naturally. Example: Count the apples in the bowl. Let's give everyone an apple for snack. How many are left in the bowl after snack? So again, no worksheets coming home. It all comes down to preference, so look around a lot!

[jaylea]

We have used both a center and an in-home and our in-home is far and above the centers around here.

There are several employees, with very low turnover - so several sets of eyes, they can split out for age appropriate activities, but the kids have very close relationships with their caregivers. They have never closed for a sick day. They do close for vacation, but that's fine - we just plan our vacations around them. The kids are sick FAR less than the kids of my friends in centers - it's the owner's home, and she takes great care in keeping it clean and keeping the kids healthy. With smaller groups, that's easier.

It's also a green childcare, they plant, tend, and harvest all the veggies the kids eat in the yard. She makes menus with a nutritionist and makes all homemade, organic, balanced meals for the kids. The staff all takes continuing education, and she provides funding for them to attend conferences.

They are amazing, and though they don't save us much money, I'd be hard pressed to move my son from there to a center. I did with my daughter for her last year before K, and I spent much of the time wishing I hadn't - but she was the oldest, so I wanted her around more kids her age.

I find people who blanketly state they don't like or trust in-home daycares have a poor understanding about how many of them work. Some are single-caregiver, park in front of the tv places, but many are not.

[mswax]

We have the boys in an in-home daycare and love it. Part of the reason we waited to have the third is so there would be a spot for this one (when DS1 goes to school in the fall). The woman who runs it is amazing, and she and the other kids there have become like family to us. By the time this baby leaves, she will have been in our lives for 10 years. That will be sad day...

[Ashley&Scott]

Applesauce,

As you know M is in a center. For the most part we like it. Pros: interaction with other kids his age, rarely closed, age appropriate activities & learning, no tv. Cons: the germs! He's sick a LOT.

For the savings I think it's worth looking into. Even if you switch to another center that you may like more. (FWIW, we pay $15 less per week than you do.)

[BlueNotebook]

That's a lot of money to save and I don't blame you for looking in to it. To consider an in-home I'd want to know:
Whether they are listed with the state
How they handle an emergency (IE if they are alone with the kids, what do they do if one is seriously hurt and needs medical attention)
How often do they take off and do they have back up to cover when they are out
How many kids are there and what are the age ranges.
How does she make sure all ages are getting age appropriate fun and education
How does she keep babies separate/safe from the bigger kids but still allow them floor time.

Good luck with your search.

[Deleted]

Ugh, I can't decide! I think we need to go ahead and set up meetings with some of in-home places. I think that meeting with them will help us know if we want to consider it more seriously. I sent a message to one already.

Ashley, that's another reason we'd like to move her. She's been sick more often than she is well since we moved back and put her in this center (she was never sick in her first 4 months, if I recall correctly). It sucks to be paying for daycare when she's not even using it for a week at a time due to being sick! Another close center charges $263/week, but it just occurred to me that maybe they have a price decrease sooner than age 2. There is another one that is only $218/week, but it's not as close. Our current center is only 2 blocks away and has long hours, so it is hard to give those things up.

Thanks for all the input. I will be showing this thread to my husband later.

[aspentosh]

We use an in home daycare (have since she started going) and we LOVE her. DD gets a home cooked meal every day (often better than what we eat), tons of one on one attention (her limit is 5 kids but it's just DD and a 3 year old), and she treats her like she is her daughter.

I never wanted to do a center so I don't have a lot of comparison there, but if you're looking at in home, you'll know if you feel comfortable or not. We met with many DCPs and this one stood out to us as motherly and caring above all the others. Just follow your gut.

Only negative? She opens later (7:15) than most centers. Still worth it.