DD is with the same person every day, all day. There aren't different teachers that change throughout the day. If I tell my provider something she doesn't then have to remember to tell the next person that comes in and is in charge. I LOVE that DD is with mixed ages. When we moved her (16 months) we saw her language explode. She loves playing with and listening to the big kids. I also like how homey it feels. We went to an amazing center but that's what it is - a center. I wouldn't want to spend my days on hard carpet, etc. that centers have. I would love to spend my day at a welcoming and warm home and that is where she is at.
I trust my provider completely and like that I know her on a deeper personal level than I ever knew her caregivers at a center. Also, my care giver is invested in this as it's her business. It's not just a job she has for the moment and can easily quit and go out and get another.
There is still plenty of oversight and licensing regulations she has to follow and sometimes I think more so than a center so I'm not worried in that aspect.
She follows a curriculum, has a newsletter and does the things a preschool would do so once DD reaches that age she'll participate. Right now she's there during preschool and can listen and hear it all but isn't formally a part of it (the younger kids are playing with toys while the older do letters, numbers and other preschool activities).
As for centers being cold/business like/high turnover I think that would depend on the center. I have seen some that were like that but the ones I chose had the same teachers for years. DSs infant teacher cries when her kids move up to toddlers. We moved so we have a new center and I feel like his teachers genuinely love him. They are happy to see him every day, they have nicknames for the kids etc.
Just because we are the same person I wanted to second this. Our center has a pretty decent staff turnover which is common but most of the main teachers and the director have been there for years. DS's teacher has been there 22 years and I am pretty sure she thinks DS is smarter and more advanced than I do. I told the pedi at his one year appointment on Monday the words he was saying and ended with "...and his teacher says he is saying 'thank you' and 'doggy' but I think she may be exaggerating." LOL
My DS was also saying a lot more words at school than at home. Or he would say doggy once and then never again but walking around going "doggy! Doggy! Doggy!" at daycare.
PS his latest thing is telling people "stop right there!" But it sounds like "Dup righ der mumma!" Lol
I prefer center for so many reasons. Mainly the accountability. And that my entire center can't call in sick - so not worried about a last minute cancelation.
The center my boys go to is small and intimate and totally has that warm feeling. DS1's teacher last year asked to move to the preschool room this year so she could stay with her kids, and they let her. I think that's so awesome.
Same here. We've been in two centers and at both the teachers and directors have been warm and welcoming. He had such a hard time transitioning to the new center, and his teachers would give him big hugs and let him sit on their laps until he would stop crying and warm up for the day.
Definitely tour a bunch of centers (at home and otherwise) and see how things feel. When we moved, we visited like 5 or 6 and we knew right away which center we'd choose. It just had the warm, family-vibe we were going for. And it's a major chain (Kindercare).
When I talk about an in home being more warm and welcoming than a center it's because of things like my in home bakes fresh muffins every Friday for the kids and parents. So her house smells like home baked food and is so inviting. Out center was welcoming but you can't recreate a home environment at a center like you can at an in HOME.
I'm not trying to argue that all in homes are better but just trying to explain and give a small example of what I mean when I say that I have found our in home more intimate, welcoming and warm than our (top notch and hard to get into) center.
As for centers being cold/business like/high turnover I think that would depend on the center. I have seen some that were like that but the ones I chose had the same teachers for years. DSs infant teacher cries when her kids move up to toddlers. We moved so we have a new center and I feel like his teachers genuinely love him. They are happy to see him every day, they have nicknames for the kids etc.
This too.
We are taking DDs old teacher on our boat next weekend. And that was a teacher at a huge corporate daycare. That woman loves my dd so hard. She still come to birthdays and all that jazz.
It depends on the person.
But at that daycare my son was also withheld a snack as punishment once from another teacher.
When I talk about an in home being more warm and welcoming than a center it's because of things like my in home bakes fresh muffins every Friday for the kids and parents. So her house smells like home baked food and is so inviting. Out center was welcoming but you can't recreate a home environment at a center like you can at an in HOME.
I'm not trying to argue that all in homes are better but just trying to explain and give a small example of what I mean when I say that I have found our in home more intimate, welcoming and warm than our (top notch and hard to get into) center.
TBF, our center has parent breakfast at drop off every Wednesday and parent snack at pick up every Friday.
(lol that I'm contributing to a daycare pissing contest. I at least kind of hate myself for it. lol)
See and I would've loved that! The center we went to didn't have anything like that.
Post by gretchenindisguise on Oct 22, 2014 15:13:06 GMT -5
L was at an inhome when we lived in the middle. She had bought a second home and made it exclusively for the daycare, had extras working with her. Was fully licensed and a former nurse who kept her nursing license active.
If I could have convinced her to move out here with us, I would have. We love love loved her and still miss her.
This babe will also be in an inhome, a place recommended by our two best friends out here where their daughters went. I think it'll work out well, but it won't be the same.
I love our center. She has been there since she was 3 months old and I have never had a single doubt about her being there. The center is on a college campus so there are a lot of student workers, so while the ratio for the infants is technically 1:6, each room had at least one additional student aid so she got a ton of one on one time. I liked that there is always someone sitting with the kids in the nap room. We loved her infant teacher and when she transitioned to the toddler room her teacher and I both cried. In fact, she recently transitioned to the preschool (that is also on campus) and the infant center director cried on her last day and told us how much she was going to miss seeing her every day (and we got really friendly with a lot of the parents as well and a couple of them remarked about how weird it was going to be with her/us gone).
I mean at the end of the day it's how you feel in your gut. You will know as soon as you walk in if it's a place you will be ok with leaving your child.
Post by gretchenindisguise on Oct 22, 2014 15:19:48 GMT -5
Oh and both of the inhomes we've used (are going to use) had back up care providers that we were also really comfortable with, so the whole provider getting sick thing hasn't been an issue for us.
We did an in-home. His DCP has a teaching degree and does learning classes throughout the week. She has aides that watch the kids if she is sick or has an appointment. She provides lunches and is super flexible with our schedule. I don't pay extra if I'm late and she's ridiculously cheaper than a center.
We've used both. The pros of the in-home were that there were fewer kids, it was cheaper, and it just felt hom-ier. The cons were lack of flexibility in times an days.
Pros of the center were the professionalism, the curriculum, the activities, and the friends / social aspect. Cons are the price tag, but it's worth it, imo.
I have used both. We had the BEST in home provider from infant to 2 1/2 yrs old. Once they were old enough for a more structured and social setting we moved them into a daycare center that has a preschool curriculum. I would not change a thing. We love both.
I have an inborn bias against in-home daycares due to my own experience as a kid. So even though I know there are wonderful in-home options out there, I already was prone to not give much consideration to them without a reallllly solid recommendation from someone I trusted, and I didn't get that. So we went center. I basically echo what everyone else said: a center definitely costs more, but offers structure, daily oversight and accountability, plus great toys and a full playground. Turnover hasn't even been a problem for us--E had the same teachers the full year he was in his toddler room, and one of those teachers had been with the center over ten years. We had a bit more turnover in the infant room, but that was due to extenuating circumstances (lead teacher was actually attacked near her home and couldn't work for several months afterward, another teacher moved cross-country). Anyway, a center has been great for us.
I chose a center because of all of the safety benefits. Multiple staff members, security, surveillance, administration, employee screenings, stuff like that. Also, if his normal teacher was sick or on vacation, I wasn't screwed.
we used inhome until he was 3 and then he started FT pre-school.
in-home was cheaper, and a nicer environment for a baby (IMO of course) b/c it was like being at home...only he was at home with some other lady and not me. it was more flexible in the sense that if we were late/caught in traffic, we wouldn't be charged for being late.
also - i would XP to MM moms. they have a whole board going on thre b/c they love to talk about this crap all day long. you might better feedback. cough cough kevin arnold
As always, ditto booby. Although we moved E when he was 2 1/2, b/c we had to start him on Sept 2.
I def recommend in-home for the wee ones and center for pre-school/toddler care. Price was $300/week for the in-home infant care, preschool at a center is appx $250/week.
Post by orangeglow on Oct 22, 2014 18:00:51 GMT -5
Personal anecdote - my friend had her daughter in an in-home daycare. Daycare provider got pregnant and told them they have 4 months to find alternate daycare. She *might* start again next September, but nothing definite.
So friend is kind of scrambling to find a place to put her daughter now. We aren't looking for daycare, but I hadn't really thought about this potentially happening.
Post by wildfloweragain on Oct 22, 2014 18:10:55 GMT -5
In my town, the price, flexibility and friendliness/closeness is better with a really good in-home. Our centers are not known for being very awesome, plus they cost a lot more. We had an in-home we were happy-ish with. After a few years she decided not to do it anymore and we went with another and she has been a godsend.
Post by stacyb1983 on Oct 22, 2014 18:25:00 GMT -5
I've used both. It really depends on the situation. A good place to start looking is your state's licensing board. You should be able to review inspection records and incident reports. I always ask the enrollment person about turnover rates for teachers/workers and then ask the teachers/workers I meet on the tour how long they have been there.
I was really skeptical of in home care until we found DS'S babysitter. DS' s is doing well and I feel like it's a good choice for us.
Post by missmaddie on Oct 22, 2014 18:54:17 GMT -5
After working (indirectly) in many centres (support kids with special needs and visit them periodically to see my clients), I was certain we would be going in-home. It's been kind of shocking to hear some of the chit chat and behind the scenes comments when staff get used to you being there, even though I work for another agency. Even some of the top ones have had large staff turnover (and not people I would pick to be the sole provider if they worked elsewhere...probably because they're paid so poorly here, so a systemic problem), and often felt overwhelming and busy. DS napped 3 hours until 2.5, and wouldn't have done that on their schedule.
Our in-home provider is a saint. It all comes down to the right person. She was one of the pros in our pro/con list for having a 2nd (having a few more years with her). She is super active and very eager to give them outside time (which DS needs more than any little boy in the world), she has never had a sick day in 2.5 years, we pay when DS is there and don't when he isn't; vacation we always have ample notice for, and maybe twice a year she asks for a 4pm pick up for an appt. DS truly feels at home in her house, and they treat him as family. Last week they walked to a nearby apple orchard and then walked some to her elderly ILs that DS calls Grandma and Grandpa.
DS has been with a core group of kids/their siblings each year. This year a family got laid off, and they're only sending their oldest 2x/week. So 3/5 days she only has 3 kids, ages 2-3.5, and they go everywhere in her triple stroller. I get pics from the big park of them having a picnic and feeding squirrels, and DS never sleeps so well!
Last year she had knee surgery, and asked of she could delay it until Christmas break. She arranged it to disrupt us as little as possible. It was also very important to us that or nephews had been there previously, and that her DH works with DH. The kids bake cookies on Fridays, she buys each a personalized Christmas and birthday gift. She was willing to learn about cloth diapering. It's DS's second home. I really love that he's got such personal attention, and the other two kids are picked up an hour+ before DS, so he gets 1:1 time.
We started out at an in home daycare 3 mos to 3 years old) and moved to a center when we moved to the burbs. We had such good experiences with both. I feel he got the nurturing he needed from the home daycare and they did a great job teaching too. They were organized, had a curriculum for the der tots and were just wonderful. I loved them and cried when we moved. The center provided him with more structure at a key time for us and they were wonderful as well. If I had to do it again I would do it the exact same way. It worked out great.
Generally one is not better than the other. It's just what you prefer. I've done both and much prefer in-home. I like theflexibility, mix of aages, homeyness of the care (literally! )
You probably do need to start pretty early esp. At a center.
Eta- I'm not sure why everyone keeps mentioning accountability as a pro for centers. I'm assuming you're only interested in licensed facilities. At least i don't think anyone is recommending unlicensed facilities.
Personal anecdote - my friend had her daughter in an in-home daycare. Daycare provider got pregnant and told them they have 4 months to find alternate daycare. She *might* start again next September, but nothing definite.
So friend is kind of scrambling to find a place to put her daughter now. We aren't looking for daycare, but I hadn't really thought about this potentially happening.
My DCP is pregnant; she hired someone to take over while she's on maternity leave.
Post by cinnamoncox on Oct 23, 2014 6:33:13 GMT -5
It's so dependent on the individual place. There's good and bad in both. You'll feel each one out and get a better idea once you see them in action. Ds went to two centers from 2-4 and one was great, the other I took him out one day and brought him to work for a week while seeking alternate care it was so awful. My girls didn't go to daycare full time, but starting at two they went to an in home for one afternoon a week, and while she was wonderfully warm and loving and the home was very homey and it felt like they were just home playing with friends, I did notice she had to (understandably) tend a lot to the infants and younger babies. That was fine because mine were a bit older and were only there give hours a week, but I would've felt differently if they were there full time. She always had an assistant, but the turn over was high, and by the time we left for preschool, she had chosen to reduce the number of children and just do it alone because she didn't like the turnover for the kids.
I will echo others that said it comes down to the right person.
We briefly went to a different in-home provider that came highly recommended when our original moved across town.And she just didn't click with us or Hart. There were other issues that came to light that we didn't agree on, but that was the main thing - she just didn't click with our kid and he was miserable.
It became clear that the drive across town each morning was well worth it for the peace of mind.