Infant Daycare- What to look for?

[puffkin]

My DH and I are visiting a daycare center near our home on Monday. Due to price and location, it seems like it will be a good fit for when the baby needs daycare when I go back to work.

What are some things that we should look for when we visit the center to make sure it will be a good fit for our needs and the needs of the baby? The baby will be approx. 12 weeks old when I return to work and will be in daycare full time.

 

[cardaway]

That the people running it have a mindset towards safety for them and plenty of the things specific to their needs. Many times you'll find places that will say they will take them but never put any thought into it.

A totally different perspective is needed and you don't want them figuring out that they were not prepared while your child is with them.

 

[kejoda]

I've never had to deal with daycare for the boys but the first thing that popped up in my head when I read your post was to make sure you can drop in.

I'm sure there is more good luck!!!



btw your pic of your pets always make me laugh!!!

 

[Hillbeans]

Open Door policy (meaning you can stop by anytime without notice)
Cameras
Low child-teacher ratio
Own crib, own bedding
Low staff turnover
Sick child policy
Age appropriate toys and babyproofing
Security System/Alarm system (that no one can just stop in and pick up your kids and say they're your uncle or cousin or something).

Vacation/Holiday schedule (my last place was closed for every holiday you could think of and they also had random "service" days. It was really hard to schedule around that - try to find one that goes by a school calendar).

Daily Written report cards (when baby ate, when baby was changed)

Best of luck to you. I have my 4 month old at a home care situation and we're very happy with it - it makes it a lot easier for me to be at work when I know deep down my baby is being well taken care of.

 

[disney4us2002]

I rarely recommend centers for infants because I think babies need more one on one time such as a home daycare provider can give and less kids also mean less illnesses, but I don't know how PA daycare laws run so perhaps centers are a better bet. I'm assuming you have an appointment with the director or someone there who will be providing the care. Always, always, always make a second check on an unannounced day and time to see if what you are told will be happening, is happening. As you explore the area, watch any interaction between the teachers/caregivers and the kids. Do the kids seem happy? Discuss their illness policy, how many caregivers your baby will have (some switch and the morning person is not the same as the afternoon person), will you get a "Johnny's Tuesday" note saying what happened during the day as far as feedings, naps, unusual diapers, etc., what are the late fees and when due, what is expected to be provided daily, weekly, as needed, how many infants are permitted and the ratio of staff to children, when is an infant no longer considered an infant, etc. These are just off the top of my head. There are probably many sites online that give helpful suggestions but I used to subscribe to daycare.com when I was a provider. This may be helpful: http://www.daycare.com/news/tips.html

 

[disney4us2002]

btw your pic of your pets always make me laugh!!!

Me too and my boys think her beagle and our beagle must be long lost twins! They look just the same and ours makes that terrified face too, especially when I run the vacuum, lol.

 

[HayGan]

Look at the other children! Do they look happy? Are the staff giving them attention? How are the other staff talking to children? Do things look clean and orderly? What are their policies in terms of vacation, sick time, etc? Do they have back ups for when they are sick?

Also, I wouldn't schedule an appointment. Any good center should let you stop in at any time. You don't want them to be prepared for your arrival! You should see things as they normally are not as they are when company is coming. If you have a set appointment, I would call and say I can't make it but I could stop in sometime that week to see it

It is a very big decision. Have you looked into registered home based day cares in your area? We ended up going with a home based center for our kids. It was the best decision we could have made! Their day care provider is like another grandmother to my kids!

Best of luck in finding a good center (and a easy and healthy delivery!)

 

[Hillbeans]

Oh, one last thing. Disney4us touched on this, but when my oldest was in Infant care (he started at 11 weeks) he did get sick a lot - and I was sick about 7 times that first year he went to daycare. I just think it comes with the territory - not trying to scare you or anything - it's just a fact.

 

[becka]

Here are a few of the things that I looked for when I was looking for a daycare:

*Open door policy
*Cameras in the rooms
*Child-Caregiver Ratios
*Bright, Airy Play Areas
*Age Appropriate Toys and Books
*Overall cleanliness and sterilization of toys
*Nice Outside Play Areas (not for babies but for toddlers and up)
*Sick Child Policies
*Staff Turnover Rates
*Age Group Separations (I didn't want to see a 1 year old in with 3/4 year olds)
*First Aid and CPR Certification for all Staff
*Reputation of the Daycare Center and Administrators
*Security

 

[jcsbama]

Four main problems with out first daycare. #1. Do the workers smoke. No matter what time we went to the daycare, several teachers were outside smoking while one or two would be inside to watch several classrooms at a time. #2. The nursery was right inside the main entrance/office area. There was so much traffic around the young babies and the space was cramped. There was a school across the street and a lot of kids came to they daycare for after school care. There would be way too many kids hanging out in the nursery. There was a lot of sickness while at that daycare. #3. How much time do they spend with the babies outside the crib as they get older. Do they do exercises to help them sit, crawl, etc. The first daycare did nothing. Around 10 months our DD would scream when we dropped her off. We realized it was because they left her in the crib ALL DAY. They never worked with her or tried teaching her things. That goes into #4. How long will they have a crib. DD was about 13 months when we finally got her out of there. We were waiting for the daycare to open at our church. We didn't want to move her to another daycare only to move to another one in two to three months. When she started at the new daycare, we learned that once the kids move out of the nursery, they don't even have cribs. They have these cute little cots they bring out for nap time. The kids do great on them!

A good daycare is priceless. I can't believe how much she has learned since she switched. She amazes us everyday. We would be so heartbroken if this daycare ever closed. The fact that we only pay $145 per week and it includes all her meals/snacks and the quality of care she gets is superb makes it all the better.

Do your research and not only ask for references, follow through and contact the people.

 

[janette]

Staff Training / Qualifications.

I was lucky when my DDs were little that we had an outstanding on-site daycare. Really spoiled me for anything else after they closed though One thing that center demonstrated was that it really isn't the facility that makes a school it's the teachers. The facility wasn't anything anyone would exclaim over but the teachers all had child-development degrees and many had been at the school 10+ years. The highest ratio was in the 4yo room with 8to1. Really a good place.

Something that steered me towards daycare over home care was that I really didn't know anyone and it was hard for me to trust someone with my child all day. At least in a center there are multiple eyes/ears. My youngest did go to home care and it was a good experience and the best thing for her, she had problems adjusting to people and for her the one person all day just worked best so it also can depend on the child.

A rule our center had was that if a baby was awake they had to be out of the cribs. They took the babies for walks in triplet strollers and on rainy days just walked around the buildings.

 

[TerryKitten]

Most everyone touched on the major things. One thing I didn't see was to get to know what they do in the Morning/Evenings when the number of students in center is low. At our day care in the early am and late afternoons they combine rooms since there are less kids. So while during most of the day the non-moble infants may be by themselves they may be joined by the crawling/walking infants if the numbers are down.

Find out methods of contacting the director, teachers. My Director loves it that I email her. She has so many parents asking/telling her things over the phone/personally she can sometimes forget. She says that emailing her gets the message to her and she can act on it quickly.

I second Hillbeans thing about being sick alot for the first 6 - 8 month (you and the baby) but keep now after almost 2 years DS only gets sick once every 3 months.

If you decide on the day care one thing did before i started back at work is visiting the room w/ my DS for an hour once or twice a week or for a couple weeks. This gives you a chance to be with the caregivers, see how they work, the routine, meet the other babies and your child to get used to the whole thing. Then it isn't a great shock to you or the baby.

 

[disneynutt1225]

I'm not a parent, but I worked in a daycare for three years and I can give you some input based on what we did with the kids we had. FYI, I was a head teacher in the infant room (12-18 month olds) for 2.5 of my years in daycare.

We were NAEYC accredited - you can find out more info on that by going to www.naeyc.org and you can even search for NAEYC accredited schools.

Make sure the daycare center will give you a full tour - I recommend going at both "naptime" and either before or after so you can see the kids while they are sleeping (and what they sleep on) and you can see what their activities are for all age levels.

Ask to meet with the teacher your child would be assigned, go into that classroom, ask questions, etc.

See if they do lesson plans - and yes, at my center we were even required to do lesson plans for the 6wks-12 month olds. They weren't adhered to strictly, as each baby had their own schedule, but at least you can get an idea what kind of activities even the wee ones will be involved in throughout their day.

Make sure they fill out daily reports - chances are, the person you drop your child off with in the morning will not be the person you see at pick up and oftentimes they may or may not know exactly how little Timmy did throughout his whole day. The report will at the very least let you know how often Timmy was changed and fed and what his disposition was like during the day.

See what kind of formulas they provide and if you need to bring your own what kind of documentation you would need to bring it (prescription sometimes). For example, we had a couple of children that were on various different formulas for health reasons. If large numbers of babies needed the specific formula, the center would go ahead and order it and incorporate it into the system. Otherwise, the parents would have to provide it on their own.

I agree with what other posters said about ratios. The law in NJ required at the time a 1:4 ratio. I don't know if it's changed now, or what it is in your state, but you want to make sure they stick to the ratio.

Also check their sick policy. Ours was if the child had a fever of 100.5 or higher they had to remain home for 24 hours.

CPR/First Aid certs were required for at least one teacher in every classroom during operating hours.

See if they have a playground. If so, make sure the infants are separate from toddlers and preschoolers.

Make sure they have interesting toys to play with. Sometimes if a parent saw we were missing something they thought we should have, they donated it to the classroom. Also check to see if they have duplicate toys - this is important in classes with large amounts of children.

That's basically all I can think of for now. If I think of more, I'll add to it. HTH!

 

[clh2]

I would ask to see the last several state inspection reports. Of course, try to take some of the inspector comments with a grain of salt...my DD's daycare was sited for not salting the play area. Come on Mr. Inspector, it was about 30 below zero outside. I would have been much more concerned if they had the kids outside then...not to mention that salt doesn't even work when it is that cold.

From the "icky germs" perspective - what do they do when they change the diapers. Do they use gloves? How frequently do they wash/disinfect the toys etc.

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

I'm another ECE (early childhood education) provider, and everything the pp's have said is right on target. I completely agree that you need to check the accreditation, licensing, and training/education of the staff at the center. Turnover rate is a great indication of how good of a daycare it is - if the staff are happy, the babies are happy. And totally drop in unannounced - that's the best way to find out what the center is like. Drop in at weird times, too, not just over lunch or at the drop off/pick up times when they wouldn't normally expect parents to be there. Ask if you can interview the teachers and some parents of babies in the center.
Ask the teachers:

• why they like working there
• what kinds of activities they do with the children
• what they do if a child is screaming and is inconsolable
• what kinds of things they do to communicate with the parents and other teachers
• how often they get breaks (child care people who get breaks are happier than those who don't, and are better able to cope with a cranky kid)
• how many different people will be taking care of your child (some centers have different people in the infant room every 4 hours on a rotating shift, and some have the same people 5 days a week)

Ask the parents:

• Why they chose this center
• What kinds of problems they've had with the center/teachers
• What they like best about the center
• How the teachers communicate with them
• How does their child respond when they drop him/her off or pick him/her up

I'm just about to start a job as a nanny for a friend's baby when she goes back to work. It's a great fit for me, and I'll be able to watch the baby at my house or hers, and it's cheaper for my friend than a center (I cut her a deal!). Good luck on your search! There are some really strong day care centers out there, and some really awful ones. I hope you find the best of the best for your little one!

 

[FreshTressa]

I am no expert, but I'll offer my two cents...

Home/nanny care is not a guarantee of better care. I think lots of "nannies" leave the kid in the swing all day and have much less accountability. I think daycares are safer because they are regulated and the adults are not alone with the kids. (again, just an opinion)

And for me, the most important thing would be that the babies get held, even if they are quiet.

When you drop in, there should be someone holding a baby. Touch is sooo important in the first few months.

 

[GJM]

My DS is 6 now, but has been at his Daycare since he was about 4 months old. Me & DH looked at alot of places and boy are they different.

We liked the place we picked for numberous reasons, but I really liked the fact that they were only in their pack & play, which you had to bring, when they were sleeping. The other times they were in swings or on the floor playing, somone rocking them.

The one place we went, all the babies were just hanging out in the cribs. Another place the cibs were stacked and they looked like cages, that was horrible!

They had mats on the floor, you couldn't walk in with shoes. They had swings, rocking chairs, bobbi pillows, saucers. The teachers were so great with the babies. Always received a sheet each day of what they ate or drank, when the daiper was changed and what was in it.

We love our daycare, my DS is doing Kinder. in this school. I can also use them for drop off care if regular school is closed when he starts.

 

[puffkin]

Thanks for all the great replies....

We do have an appointment on Monday, but that is mainly because it is a holiday and I had no idea if they would be open or not.

The funny thing is, I actually went to this center when I was younger. My mom went back to work a few years after my younger brother was born and I went here the one summer when I was 8 or so because I was too old to be left home alone. When I was a toddler, I also went to the other school that this couple owns. My mom was always happy with their service but that was 25 years ago.....however I think the same people still own both places.

I do know that at this center they try to keep the staffing ratio to 1:3. PA law is 1:4 so that made me feel pretty good. I will definitely be printing out this thread and looking for a lot of the things mentioned. Thanks for all the input!

 

[budbeerlady]

We toured a couple of daycares before we visited Toddlerville. The other daycares were loud, messy, understaffed. The babies were laying in cribs just hanging out. It was bad and I was crying the car because I knew there was no way I could leave DD there.

Then we entered Toddlerville. I went with my MOm to this one and as soon as I entered the building a staff member met us at the door politley inquiring if she could help us. (I had called and talked earlier in the week to the director who had said to stop in whenever was convienent for me.) So I knew already they had a grip on security. She showed us around and we were there for almost an hour asking questions (being asked questions about DD and what I expected in a daycare) It was not quiet as it is a daycare, but not chaos! The babies were "rotated" around not just dumped into cribs all day. The had tummy time on the floor, they were held, they were swung, they were in bouncy seats, and they were on a schedule!!!!! Everything was documented and show to me every time I arrived. I was free to come and go as I wished, I even popped in at lunch one day the first week when I knew it wasnt nap time. I called all the time, they called me if they noticed something wrong (not just a fever) they are the best. And they keep things seperated! Meaning the older kids arent around the babies. They have a baby room with the same daily staff, the wobbler room for the new walkers to about age 2 1/2 depending on the maturity of the child. Then they are off to the preschool rooms. The teacher (she is a certified teacher) had DD ready for kindergarden and then some. They do letter work, numbers, puzzles, memory work, it is great! But the kids dont realize that they are in a structured learning class. She loves her teachers and they praise all the kids and love thier jobs also.