Disney childcare age 4-12...how 'bout age 3 and 3/4?

[brownsoup]

Everything I read says "ages 4-12" for the child care programs at certain resorts (Wilderness Lodge for us) They also specify "must be potty trained"

Has anyone had thier "almost 4 year old" there? We have 4YO boy and almost 4 YO girl who are like Batman and Robin...Woody and Jessie..... They would have a ball at the program while M&D take 1 night out alone for dinner. Any insight on this? Thanks -Steve

 

[Stimpy]

They most likely wouldn't allow it since the 4 and up is a FLorida State regulation and licensing. If they allow children younger than 4, they can fined and shut down. I don't think Disney would take that chance. Although, I really don't know how they "proof" the kids to find out their ages, but I'm sure someone here will know the answer.

 

[brownsoup]

Thanks for the reply Stimpy. My kids could pass for twins as my daughter is catching up with my son in height. Plus she presents as older then she is as she is always "keeping up with big brother".........hmmmm-Steve

 

[PlutoPony]

The ratio of caregivers to children goes up at age 4 I believe, and that's why this is a licensing concern for them. Don't know what the chances are of them actually getting caught, but if it was discovered that they routinely let younger children in it could be a serious problem (and PR black eye.)
My concern would be that over the course of the evening, my child would tell them how old they actually are (my birthday's next month and I'll be 4 kind of thing). IF that were to happen, what would the child care do - page you immediately when this was found out and have you come pick them up, reprimand you when you arrived at your appointed p/u time? I don't know how they handle these things (and would hate to be the one to find out I guess).

 

[vicb]

This is an age old debate on these boards. The OP asks not to try and be sneaky but out of need to know. I have read posts where people have had an "almost 4" go in and do fine and nobody asked age. But I have also read some where a child was asked and told their true age and the parent was beeped and had to take the child out.

What each person does is their own individual choice but as others pointed out the 4 and up rule is based on Fl. regulations. I myself did not try and put my son in when he was 3 1/2 even though I knew he would be fine and DD (age 6) was begging to go to the Neverland Club. I just wouldn't have felt right doing it.

Subsequently we took them on the next two trips to the Sandcastle Club and they really had fun there and we didn't have to worry about being paged during dinner!

Good luck.

 

[brownsoup]

Hmmmm - I'll have to mull it over. Thanks for the feedback - Steve

 

[MECH8T7]

There is a little more information on this topic on a discussion thread over on the Resorts board

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=644697

 

[wilkolo]

3 year olds get a pretty rough deal at Disney. They have to pay full child admission price although aren't tall enough for the best rides, but for the purposes of the children's club are considered in the same category as babies and therefore they won't let you in.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Originally posted by wilkolo
3 year olds get a pretty rough deal at Disney. They have to pay full child admission price although aren't tall enough for the best rides, but for the purposes of the children's club are considered in the same category as babies and therefore they won't let you in.

I agree for the most part, but if this is a FL licensing regulation then there isn't anything that Disney can do about it. I'm sure that they would prefer that 3yo's be allowed into the kid clubs since that is $ in their pocket.

T&B

 

[justhat]

Well, they could allow 3 year olds if they were willing to hire more staff. I'm not sure why they don't since they do it on their cruise line.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

The cruise ships may have different regulations concerning the child/caregiver ratio.

My guess is that Disney doesn't want to staff for the younger kids because they would then run into the issue of non potty trained children being brought to the kid clubs. Most 4yo's are potty trained, but many 3yo's are not.

I can't blame them for not wanting to deal with diapers, but 3yo does seem like a more logical cut-off age developmentally. Of course even though most 3yo's would probably be fine being dropped off, there would probably be a higher percentage of 3yo's who get upset than 4yo's.

Does anyone know what the ratio would need to be if WDW allowed 3yo's vs what it is with 4yo and older?

My guy is 4yo, almost 5yo, so it's a non-issue for me, but I'm just curious.

T&B

 

[justhat]

I don't know about Florida, but in DC the ratio is 3-1 for infants (up to 18 months), 4-1 for toddlers (18-30 months), 6-1 for young preschoolers (30-45 months) and 8-1 for 45 months and up. So in DC it's actually 3 3/4 when the ratio goes up. This could be the case in Florida too, but for simplicity Disney just uses 4.

The cruise probably does have different regulations, but they do take diapered kids under 3, as well as potty trained 3s and up. Not sure why WDW doesn't want to get involved with the little ones since the program on the ship is for all ages, 3 months and up.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I don't know what the ratios are in MD for centers. I do home daycare, but I'm sure that centers are different.

Of course on cruise ships parents can't call FairyGodmothers to come to the room to babysit the younger children like they can at WDW.

I bet the FL licensing ratios would be easy for the OP to find out and if they were indeed 3 3/4 then it shouldn't legally be an issue to leave the posters child at a kids club before the child is turning 4yo. Of course that could start a whole new debate... Prepare to put on flame proof suit...

T&B

 

[PlutoPony]

Originally posted by Tigger&Belle

I bet the FL licensing ratios would be easy for the OP to find out and if they were indeed 3 3/4 then it shouldn't legally be an issue to leave the posters child at a kids club before the child is turning 4yo. Of course that could start a whole new debate...

Well, I would think WDW would be able to set limits that they are willing to support, as long as they aren't OUTSIDE the legal limits of the state. So even if FL law used < 4 as an age cut-off in the higher ratios, Disney could decide to use 4 - for whatever reason!

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Originally posted by PlutoPony
Well, I would think WDW would be able to set limits that they are willing to support, as long as they aren't OUTSIDE the legal limits of the state. So even if FL law used < 4 as an age cut-off in the higher ratios, Disney could decide to use 4 - for whatever reason!

Of course WDW can make whatever rules they want to. My point was that I would be a lot less likely to go against FL regs that a WDW rules since the WDW rule (if it's different than the FL regs) is fairly arbitrary. And it's a moot point for me, anyway.

I'm assuming that WDW has more thought put into the age than just the FL regulations. IE, whar age most children are potty trained by, can be apart from parents in a strange environment without too much of a problem (even though my son was pretty sad in Feb when I left him, but turns out he was getting sick so might have been fine if he hadn't of been--BTW, at the time he was just about a month over 4yo), etc, etc.

Personally, I have a hard time breaking rules and probably wouldn't in this case since an in room sitter can be hired of the parents really want a night out.

T&B