I know this has probably been answered in a prior thread, but I am going to ask anyway.

We are looking into putting Rayna into a daycare, either full or part time for now. She is almost 2. This is the first time I have looked into daycares, so what am I looking for?

Is there a website or some other research material I can look to see if the facility has been given bad reviews, etc.?

I am going to be talking to people who have small kids in daycare in this area, but thought I would check w/ y'all as well.

TIA!

Sandy

One place to check is NAEYC - http://www.naeyc.org/ They are an independent accreditation for daycare centers.

Thanks, Dennis. I actually managed to go back a few pages and find some earlier posts. I pulled that website up and found a handful in my area. :)

Rayna is 20 months, so she is an "older" child going in. Anyone else put their children into daycare after the infant stage? How did it go? What did you do to make the transition easier on them? On you?

I am really excited about it, actually. I think Rayna is ready for socialization w/ other kids her age. I think she will love it. Did you find that it really was beneficial to put them in daycare?

I am looking at one facility w/ a 9:1 ratio - I think that seems like a good ratio. Does it seem that way to y'all? Kids aged not quite to up to 2.5 years. Perfect age range for Rayna. Can you put kids in part time? Or do you basically have to pay the full rate, regardless if you send them all the time or not?

I am interviewing one place tomorrow at 4. I have a call into another and will set up an appt. Did any of you do that, plus do unannounced visits.

I am also wanting to avoid a daycare w/ a TV. Is this common? Or do all daycares have TV? Maybe none? I don't mind a video watched once in a while, but I don't want her parked infront of the TV. That might not be an issue, if she is around other kids and is more interested in playing, but still a thought.

TIA!

Joe and Frances both started as infants, but I think the benefits of socialization are huge. They learn so much from the other kids.

A 9 to 1 ratio seems a bit high to me for kids that young. Our daycare has lower ratios than average (one of the things we like about it) and I think they do 11 to 2 for the 1 to 2.5 year old rooms.

Part-time options vary widely - some have them and some don't. Usually it's for specific days - either M-W-F or T-Th. And usually you pay whether or not they go every day.

And decent daycare will have really limited TV time. I wouldn't go near a place that had it as part of their daily schedule.

We did interviews/visits with a bunch of daycares. Definitely try to drop by unannounced if you can. It's really a gut feeling - you can tell pretty quickly which ones seem good and which ones don't.

Dennis

Rayna is 20 months, so she is an "older" child going in. Anyone else put their children into daycare after the infant stage? How did it go? What did you do to make the transition easier on them? On you?

I am really excited about it, actually. I think Rayna is ready for socialization w/ other kids her age. I think she will love it. Did you find that it really was beneficial to put them in daycare?

I am looking at one facility w/ a 9:1 ratio - I think that seems like a good ratio. Does it seem that way to y'all? Kids aged not quite to up to 2.5 years. Perfect age range for Rayna. Can you put kids in part time? Or do you basically have to pay the full rate, regardless if you send them all the time or not?

I am interviewing one place tomorrow at 4. I have a call into another and will set up an appt. Did any of you do that, plus do unannounced visits.


TIA!

Jackson started as a toddler and LOVED it from the very first day! One of the main reasons we put Jackson in daycare instead of having my MIL watch him was for the socialization. He THRIVES on being with the other children :nod:. I really didn't do anything different for the transition, it wasn't even as hard on me as I thought it would be!

Jackson's toddler room is a 6:1 ratio. The minute they added a 7th toddler, they brought in two teachers. Jackson goes 4 days a week, but we pay full time. I don't know how any other daycares work part time versus full time. My thinking is if you ever need to take Rayna on an "off" day, you have that space saved for her.

My meeting with Jackson's school was unannounced and another daycare. I wanted to see what they were like without knowing I was coming. But, I don't really think it mattered since parents pick up their children at all hours of the day so I don't think they do anything different if they know someone has an appointment.

With all that being said, I think putting Jackson into daycare was one of the BEST decisions my husband and I have ever made!

Genavieve started going to daycare at 15 months old. She only goes 2 days a week so it took her awhile to get adjusted but she loves it!

The ratio in Genavieve's room is 7:1.

Like Dennis and Tracey said the part time thing varies by daycare. One place I looked at in order to go part time you had to "timeshare" with another child who was going parttime and since we only wanted M and F, I think the odds would have been against us to find another child who only went TWTH.

Its definitely cheaper if you divide it out per day for them to go fulltime.

My daycare is $117 per week for 2 days but $190 per week for 5 days.

Good luck!

Some places might not let you do an unannounced visit. It depends on how their security is setup and what time of day. My husband tried to visit one place unannounced and they wouldnt let him because he happened to show up at nap time.

Thanks for the input everyone! I am 100% convinced this will be the best thing for Rayna. DH is having a harder time w/ it!

I like the smaller ratio's you guys are talking about. Hum.

Good point about security, Alysia. That is one of the questions on my list of questions for today's visit.

Sandy

Sandy -

I know you posted this ages ago and probably already decided a placed. If so, where did you go? I've heard nothing but wonderful things about Christ United Methodist & Galloway Methodist Church centers as well as the one Kayra uses which is downtown in the federal building. I uses Crossgates Methodist Children's Center which is the best in my area. Austin was at a center that had a no TV rule and I loved it but it was too long of a drive and we were on the waiting list for Crossgates. Crossgates does have TV time but it's educational like 123 Seaseme Street or Barney which both a learning programs because I watch them at home sometimes with Austin. They have 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in evening if they are still there (it's from 5-5:30 while waiting on parents). And the teachers are moving to the music and talking to the kids to raise their hands and stomp their feet, etc.

Kindercare has some checklists that are helpful when looking around. They're set up so you can compare different centers. (Of course, they're set up with the questions that make THEM look the best, but they're still helpful.)

http://www.kindercare.com/difference/

Hey Sandy!!! How are you?? I hate that I lost touch w/ you. Good to see you on here!

We found a great place for Rayna right by our house. Thanks so much for the info!