Both have their merits, I suppose.

So what makes you choose one or the other?

A little more info - we are interviewing with the in-home place tonight. I don't know their rates and I don't know how many kids they on a daily basis. They are recommended by a friend of mine who has chosen to take her child there when she has on (they are TTC). I have lots of questions to ask.

I called a center that comes highly recommended by several people. My neighbor's daugher went there from age 2 up through Kindergarten. They have 2 openings in their 2-year-old room right now. They are $158/week or $42/day, if we wanted to go part-time. We can go tour the place sometime this week, between 10am and 2pm. I just have to find out if DH can make it any day this week.

The center is close by (5 minutes), the in-home is about 20 minutes in the opposite direction of work.

We would probably only use them part-time, 2-3 days a week. They center made it sound like I could bring her 5 days a week if necessary, even if we were only "part-time", as long as I paid the higher daily rate. I'm trying to plan ahead in case my grandmother gets worse and my mom can't take Rebekah at all at some point.

So, I guess my basic question is - if cost isn't an issue, which is better? In-home with only a few kids her age or in a center that's more structured like a school?

Brooke...

I'll give you MY reasons as to why we chose a center.

We wanted Lexie to go somewhere where they have a schedule and actually teach them things. Each week is a different theme at her "school".
We like that they are open everyday from 7AM till 6 PM. My neighbor's daughter goes to an in-home and is constantly getting called because the woman wants to go on vacation, or is sick or something else, then she has to scramble for other care. I know not all are like this.
The center is 5 minutes away from our home, so both Jim and I can do the drop-off or pickup.
I think you'll find various opinions here and you'll probably have to weigh the pros and cons in your mind. Good Luck!

Thanks, Lette.

So, that's another question to ask! - What are their hours?

I have alot of PROs for the center right now...


More like a school, more structure, more kids her own age.
More prep for pre-school. Actually, this center goes all the way up to Kindergarten so she could go to pre-school there.
closer to home, but Darren still couldn't drop her off since he leaves so early in the morning.
It's close enough that my mom and dad could go get her if Darren and I are both late, stuck in traffic, etc. or if she is sick.
This is so hard!

One other thing.. Do you ever think you'd be late picking her up?

Our daycare closes at 6 PM and if you are late, you pay extra by the minute, because they have to pay their workers overtime.

We chose a center and we LOVE it. The biggest "pro" to me--and the reason I was certain I wanted a center--was that there is more than one person watching my son. I think caregivers will be less prone to abuse with lots of staff people and parents around watching what is going on. I do like the structure. They get lots of outdoor time, gym time, nutritious meals, art time, etc. . . They are so good about it that I don't feel as bad if I let Matthew watch a video at home since I know he doesn't get any all day. Also, if a caregiver is sick, there are back-ups so you don't have to miss work because of a sick caregiver. The biggest cons are cost and illness.

The biggest pros to in-home, in my opinion, are 1) cost is usually less and 2) less illness with your kid.

A lot of people claim to like in-home because it is smaller, but in most in-home places I visited the caregiver is responsible for MORE kids than the daycare teachers are at our center.

ITA with Lette. Another reason we went with a center is security. With an in-home daycare, you have no idea who is going to have access to your child. A center also has more supervision so the providers are being watched as well.

The best way I can describe it is in-home daycare feels like babysitting to me, whereas a center feels like school. I know a lot depends on the specific provider, but I know at our center they're not going to just put them in front of the TV all day.

Just my opinion, no offense to anyone who uses in-home care.

Dennis

i have tony in an in-home.

originally i wanted a center, but they didn't have any openings and it was really expensive (the one at my company is $1100 a month).

i found an in-home in my town, 5 mins from my house and i tell ya, i hit the jackpot. she is fantastic and has been doing it for 20yrs.

she will take him anytime, including holidays , even at night if we wanted to go out! i can drop him as early as 6am if need be. she has only taken one vacation in the nearly two years he's been there, and even then her mom and her daughter are licensed and they took over (they are there everyday as well). right now she only has 2 other full time kids in addition to tony. she has other before/after school kids though.

i pay $150 a week, and food is included, as are his diapers :aok: no charge for being late. i do pay whether he goes or not, just like a center. for example i still pay if i'm on vacation for a week.

i like the fact that tony is not in a 'school', he has plenty of time for that later...i may move him when he gets closer to kindergarten age just so he gets 'school-like' experience.

A lot of people claim to like in-home because it is smaller, but in most in-home places I visited the caregiver is responsible for MORE kids than the daycare teachers are at our center.

ITA. I'd much rather have 2 caregivers with 10 kids than 1 with 5 kids.

Yup.. I also forgot about the security issue. I like that there's quite a few adults around at all times. :)

I choose daycare center for several reasons already mentioned:

security - anyone picking my child up besides me or DH must be on the pick-up list & must present a photo ID with DL #. Also I know people aren't coming and going all day. I had a friend whoses mom kept kids. She was good but there were teenager (her kids' friends) there all day everyday.
learning center - I like the idea that once my son gets older he can continue inthe same center for 2 y/o pre-k on up to kindergarden
more than one provider - I like that it's 2:10 rather than 1:5 ratio plus if one is sick or on vacation, there is back-up
same age - he's in a room with kids his own age; some in-home providers may have a variety of ages

Amelia is in an in-home center, but only due to the circumstances. The caregiver is a friend of ours, who we've known for about 5 years, who is a SAHM to her 2 year old daughter and newborn son. She watches no other children besides Amelia (and her two). When I was pregnant, we were looking at daycare centers, but this option presented itself, and honestly.. it was too good to pass up, not just because of the money (MUCH less $$$ than a center), but more because we know the caregiver, we knew her long before she started watching Amelia, we know what kind of mother she is (top notch), and we feel completely comfortable with her watching our child. I know she isn't the kind of mother who plops her children in front of the tv all day, so therefore, I feel secure she doesn't do that with mine. Another plus is that she lives right next door to my ILs (they actually rent a house from my ILs), so if DH and I are running late, my ILs can just walk next door and pick up Amelia.

On the down side - if our caregiver is going out of town (which fortunately doesn't happen much) or needs the day off, there's no back-up. Either me, DH, or one of our mothers have to take the day off. As I said, this doesn't happen a lot, and we generally have ample notice. Gives me an excuse to hang out for the day with my little girl. :)

So, I love our in-home situation. That being said, I think the "curriculum" offered in daycare centers is appealing, and when Amelia is a little older, we very well may decide to go that route. But for now, this works too well for all of us.

Ok...we visited the in-home place.

The lady, Laurie, is very nice. She's seems pretty young, but she has a 24-year-old child! Her DH is a detective for our county police department. They do not live in the house. They used to but they built a new house so this one is strictly the daycare center.

She has a pretty structured program. They do everything in 15-minute intervals. They exercize, do crafts, learn colors, etc. They have a 1-hour quiet time every afternoon. And she said she'd have Rebekah potty-trained within the first month of being there.

It is a licensed center and she has all her paperwork and such up to date. She provides 2 meals and 2 snacks. She is licensed for 8 kids (with just her) but she only likes to keep 5-6 kids between 2 years and kindergarten age. One of the kids is part-time. She also has several after-school kids. She's been running a daycare for 24 years. She is also early childhood education certified.

$140/week for 9-9.5 hrs a day. Part time would be on an hourly basis, $3/hr.

Negatives -
Daycare hours are 7am-4:30pm. I'd have to pick Rebekah up at 5:30pm so that won't work. She's pretty flexible but not that flexible. $5 for every 15 minutes you're late.

It's a 30-minute drive to her place from my work, and my house is in between. There is no way I could make her hours because my work doesn't like it if I leave before 5pm. There is no way I could leave at 4pm just to go get Rebekah.

So, I don't think it's going to work. The timing is just not going to work for us.

We have an appointment with the center that's 5 minutes from our house on Thursday.

Sorry the timing is bad Brooke. It sounds like it would be a good situation. Hopefully the center will be a good fit.

Dennis

Hi there... Wanted to put my 2 cents in because I've had Ellen in both a in-home and a center, so I think I have a unique perspective (and this is for anyone in the future reading this, as well).

I put Ellen in an in-home daycare when I went back to work 3-days a week at 14 weeks old. Miss Jenny was AWESOME!!! She was very schedule oriented, which helped me a lot because my DH and I were just getting the hang of the schedule thing and desperately needed to keep it up. Jenny had a seperate room for the babies' cribs, so at naptime, they were not interrupted by the older kids (this is something a center probably won't have). Jenny was licensed for 12 kids (6 weeks - 2 years) and had 2-3 helpers at all times. Very nutritious meals, she was fantastic.

However, as Ellen got older, we did notice that the "learning" aspect of Jenny's was lacking a bit. Jenny seemed to keep the children apart a bit... instead of letting them interact a lot, she seperated them in order to keep the peace. There didn't seem to be a lot of learning activities we saw. Ellen was extremely well-behaved and VERY on schedule, which was fantastic, but we knew that she needed to be more stimulated.

So, we were very fortunate that an extremely reputable center had an opening (we had been on the waitlist since I was 5 months pregnant!!) when Ellen was 10 months old, and we moved her. We really love it there. Her vocabulary has increased, she is much more stimulated, and has really developed. I am really happy with the switch. Trust me, there are things about Jenny's that I miss (like daycare closes for weather, etc., Jenny's rarely did that... and other things, too), but most things I really like.

I think timing is everything... I definitely depends on how old your child is, what you are looking for, etc.

Just my experiences.

Jenny had a seperate room for the babies' cribs, so at naptime, they were not interrupted by the older kids (this is something a center probably won't have). My center has a separate room for the cribs! It's GREAT! :) There is a big opening between rooms with a ledge inbetween, but still, they can keep the lights dim while the other kids playing are in the other room.

Sorry the in-home won't work for you Brooke. Good luck on Thursday.

I love the center we have Ian in. For all the reasons already mentioned. I think that teacher turnover rate is important. You may want to check that out. At Ian's school, the teachers are the same that were there a year ago. To me that means the center treats the teachers well and that they feel happy there. Hopefully! The one thing I wish our daycare would do would be to provide Ian's food. I hate doing it every week.

Ok....I'm back from the center.

It was ok...not a nice of a building as I would have liked. But I think it's just old and gets alot of use.

The room she'd be in was divided in half. One half was for 12 to 18-month-olds and the other half was for "younger 2's" so kids who were just turning 2. The youngest in there will be 2 in August. As the 18-month-olds get closer to 2, they combine them. In total, can have 12 kids with 4 adults. The teachers move up as the kids get older. One has been there with the same kids since they were infants and another has been there for over 3 years.

We were there during free play time so it was a little wild and there wasn't much structure. Usually that would be outdoor time but it's snowy and cold here. So everyone has cabin fever.

They nap or have quiet time from 1-3pm every day. Every kid gets a cot and a bedroll that stays there except when the parents take it home to wash it on Fridays. They don't push potty training but they have kid-sized potties and sinks if the kids are training and just to let the kids become familiar with the potties.

Every day, they do colors, letters, flashcards, etc. One little boy, Cole, just learned to spell his name today and he just turned 2. Rebekah can't even say her name.

Open door policy - parents can come in any time, take their kids out for lunch, have lunch with them, etc. My mom could come up and visit or pick Rebekah up for a couple hours or whatever.

They sell part time and they will try to sell the other days. So if I want Tues-Thurs, they will try to sell the rest of the week. So, if we need to increase days, they would put us on a waitlist if all the spaces were filled up. But she says it's hard to sell part-time slots for 2-year-olds.

They are open 7am-6pm. We have to supply lunch but they supply 2 snacks and juice and milk.

So, I don't know. Darren was ok with it. I have to find out what my mom wants us to do. A paper my uncle got filled out by the dr at the rehab center for FMLA gives Grandmother 3 months. The oncologist appt is mondayso we'll know more then.

I really like that the teachers move with the kids --- IF you have a good rapport with the teachers. Parents who don't click with a particular teacher tend to pull their kids out of that situation.

How old is the building? Are asbestos insulation and lead paint going to be a concern? I'm not trying to make you look for negatives, but you've got excellent instincts, Brooke, and if you've got an uneasy feeling about the building....there's a reason.

I hope the appt tomorrow goes well and that you can make a decision you're comfortable with and that works well for Rebekah :)

How old is the building? Are asbestos insulation and lead paint going to be a concern? I'm not trying to make you look for negatives, but you've got excellent instincts, Brooke, and if you've got an uneasy feeling about the building....there's a reason.I think the building was built in the 1990 (I searched property records). So it's not old, really. And it has to pass state regulations for child care facilities. So I doubt there is lead paint. It was just not as warm and friendly as I thought it would be. It's was so....industrial.

Maybe I'll call around to a couple of other places and see if I can go visit another place next week, just for comparison.

Brooke, it's probably a good idea to check out some other places, just so you have a basis for comparison. We looked at 4 or 5 and put a deposit on the one we liked best. Then a month before Joe was going to start, we looked at another one, and we were just blown away. So we lost our deposit and signed up with this one. Don't compromise - you'll know the right one when you see it.

Good luck,

Dennis

I agree with Dennis. I know I lost a deposit on one place because my first choice came open. It doesn't sound like you are completely comfortable with the center you toursed. That happened to us as well. We ended up in a "just ok" place for 6 weeks, and then changed to our current daycare, which is awesome (we had been on the waiting list). Matthew's been there for 9 months now, and I hope he can stay until he goes to school. Kepp looking, and if you have to settle for a less than ideal situation temporarily, know it is ok to switch. You kid comes first!

I made an appointment to visit this daycare - http://www.creativegardenschools.com/ - next Tuesday at 10am. They have opening and 2 days a week is $80. We'll see how it compares to the one from yesterday.

I'm glad you are touring another center. They really can differ like night and day. Heck we just toured another center last Friday since it was less money and I was not impressed at all. People here at work rave about it, but it doesn't even come close to where we have Sam now, so we aren't switching.

My reasons for going with a center:
Pros:

They are open 6:30 AM-6:30 PM
Staff are all trained and educated
They are regulated, inspected and accredited
Breakfast, lunch, snacks, milk and wipes are included. You bring diapers and formula
No worries about vacations
Structured - many art projects, singing and dancing, games, sign language, etc.
My #1 reason though is that Sam is exposed to many different people, both kids and adults and I feel strongly that this helps kids to be more outgoing and socialized. My niece and nephew have both always been in in-home daycares (two different ones), and the difference is amazing. There are many GOOD in-home daycares, but just being a parent searching, I can't feel 100% confident that when I leave the TV isn't going to be turned on or my child isn't going to be sitting in a wet diaper all day or in a crib. At his center, they are highly regulated and the director runs a very tight ship. I'll pay for that peace of mind any day.
Security and safety. I know Sam is safe behind locked doors and that any emergency would be dealt with immediately. If he was in an in-home and had an accident and there was only one caregiver, what happens to the other children during the crisis?
Toys. They have a lot of wonderful and stimulating toys, that I don't have to buy at home!
Cons:

Cost - it IS expensive. We pay $266/wee for 5 days a week
No after-hours babysitting options
Staff turnover - it's a low paying industry and the good people eventually move on.

I visited the 2nd center today.

It was MUCH better. I really liked it. The people were friendly, the teachers were much more presentable-looking. And they were older (30's-40's). The teachers at the other place looked like they just rolled out of bed and were about 20 years old each (not that the age is bad, but their appearance just left a bad impression).

The room was much larger and cleaner. It was brightly painted with all kinds of things on the walls. The kids were singing songs and one was doing a craft. Rebekah played with some glitter and glue while we talked to the program director. We took a walk to a different room and left Rebekah there and she ended up screaming. It will take a little adjusting but I think she will like it.

The room is 12 kids max with 2 adults. The do combine with another room with slightly older kids in the mornings and at pick-up time. They are open 6:45am-6:10pm. The only non-holiday day they are closed is one teacher service day in August.

We provide lunch, snacks, sheets/pillow, diapers, and extra clothes. It's $80/week for 2 days, plus $60 registration and $200 security deposit. Rebekah will fill the only opening they have.

Brooke, that sounds good. Are you going to sign her up? And yes, it does take time to adjust, especially since R is bit older when she is starting. But she'll get used to it!

Dennis