Top 5 List Revisit. 2012

[Cat Herder]

Providers:

If something catastrophic happened making it such that you had to go to work outside of your home (no loop hole passes, please ) and forced you to place your own young children in childcare (no "mine are grown" or "I'd move back in with my parents first" passes please :....

Parents:

If you had to start a new childcare search, today.....

What would be the top 5 things you would need to see or hear to make you feel secure with your choice? If you can, give an explanation of why each is important to you.

Thank you!!! lovethis

[Zoe]

1) A friendly welcoming and honest person (hard to see if they're really honest, but you get the idea)

2) A clean house-no smoke smell

3) Age-appropriate toys and playground equipment

4) Proper napping area with enough room for the number of kids she watches

-scary side note: I once went to a provider's home when I worked outside the home and she literally was a hoarder and told me that she just lets the kids sleep where they fall. If that means a chair, the floor, whatever, she doesn't use beds, cribs or naps, and lets them fall asleep whenever. Then she picked up ink off the floor, said where did that come from, threw it behind her, and I left.

5) Room to play

Tough to come up with a top five with the kids I have today...very distracted! But that's what I came up with.

[Ariana]

Great question! The list I'm going to make doesn't mean that these things will make a perfect provider. It's just a list of things I would hope the perfect provider had but lots of great providers don't have them.

1) Education in Early Childhood Development. I would like my provider to understand child development and the different ages and stages and how to help kids through them. I have an education in this area and it has been inavaluable to me in this field.

2) Someone with a young and fresh approach. Someone with lots of energy and enthusiasm and ideas/creativity. This will give me an indicaton that this person isn't 'set in their ways' and is willing to try a new approach to entertaining kids and using discipline.

3) Definately someone who shares my ideas of discipline. Uses a more gentle approach when it comes to issues with children. Treats all children with respect instead of treating them like minions of the devil This is very important to me because I've seen so much disrespect towards children in my experience in centres. I would never want my child to experience that. It can have devastating effects on childrens self esteem and trustng of other people.

4) A wholistic approach towards health and nutrition. Good food with vegetarian options. Organic if possible and just a general "zen" approach to life. It would be great if the daycare provider was into yoga or a Waldorf type of philosophy. This would be important to me because this is how my family is and it would be good to have that continuation at daycare. I would hate for my kid to go to daycare and get hot dogs and junk food every week when we don't serve that stuff at home. It would create major problems!

5) A welcoming home with lots of natural light, comfortable child sized furniture, sections for different types of play. A focus on play with a circle time for songs, stories, poems. This is important because I want my kid to be a kid and be in an environment that is supportive of learning through play.

Wow!! That was hard but looking back this is exactly my daycare!! LOL I guess that's why I stay at home

[JenNJ]

1) I would be very particular about the space. I would ideally want a LARGE dedicated playspace for the kids (I would need to know the number of kids that would be in the space daily so I could see if my kids was going to have enough room). Room for my child/ren to play alone if they wanted to. It would need lots of natural light -- no basement daycares.

2) Cleanliness -- specifically floors, bathrooms, and kitchen. It can be messy, but not dirty. I understand disorganization when caring for kids, but not filth.

3) I would need the provider to have children of her own. I know it isn't fair, but I need that to feel comfortable.

4) Real food. I would want whole grains, real meat and dairy products, 100% juices, and homemade meals. As much unprocessed, homemade food as possible. It doesn't need to be super healthy all the time, just whole foods.

5) A large, safe outdoor play area adjacent to the daycare. Preferably enclosed with no bodies of water or trampolines nearby.

**This is exactly why I started doing this job. I would be an impossible to please daycare parent -- unless my kids came here, !**

[Blackcat31]

Here are my top 5 areas of importance that would be a deciding factor in choosing a provider; (not in any particular order)

1) Communication: I would want the provider to talk WITH me, not AT me about all her rules/policies etc. I want to have a meaningful conversation about the values she has as a provider and for her to listen to my values as a parent. (During this conversation, things would have to "click" so that I felt we had a common bond of some sort....hope that makes sense.)

2) Food: the kind of food she offers and what value she places on the foods she serves. Does she make things home made or from boxes and cans, does she see the benefits of eating healthy. I would also like to know her attitude towards clean plates and having to eat or not eat.

3) Health: What condition physically and mentally is she in? Does she have a positive attitude? Does she feel confident and sure about her job and the quality of the job she does? Does she have a good illness policy in place and does she enforce it?

4) References: Does she have references from previous families. Are they positive or negative? I care what past clients have to say, both good and bad. I don't want to hear sugar coated fluff reviews of her child care and services, but "real" thoughts from families who are no longer in her care.

5) Training/Education: Does she do the bare minimum for required trainings or does she go above and beyond to better herself both professionally and personally. I want to know that she is able to not only change with the times but is knowledgeable abbout children and their development. I want her to be a resource for me when I have issues with my child and need advice, support or just someone to tell me it is or isn't normal.

**I want to add that I used the pronoun "she" but want to be very clear that if I found a male provider to have the qualities I wanted in a provider, I would not hesitate to choose him.

[cheerfuldom]

1. someone who is honest. passes a background check and has a good reputation with current and past parent references

2. Child friendly home and backyard. Someplace tidy, cleaned regularly, up to safety standards.

3. Traditional views on child rearing, preferably a Christian household. Someone willing to cloth diaper, offer wholesome food, offer plenty of play and outside time (minimal to no electronics, screens, etc)

4. Someone who has a reasonable ratio and regular assistance. i would be concerned if they have some of their own children in the daycare mix, I know first hand that that is very hard balance.

5. Non-smoker, no pets, no transporting my kids, I have to know who else lives in the house, no visitors during daycare hours, works on a regular routine with the kids, nice neighborhood (sorry that is not one thing, just the last thoughts I had)

As you can see, I don't highly value a specific education. I think an experienced person can be just a good at their job. I am also not big on curriculum for youngsters outside of just ABCs.....not an onslaught of worksheets and forced participation. I could not find ANY providers that last time I looked (5 years ago) that were all these things.

[cheerfuldom]

Jen, what about a walkout basement? I have a basement daycare flooded with natural light thanks to the huge sliding glass door to the backyard.

[Ariana]

Jen, what about a walkout basement? I have a basement daycare flooded with natural light thanks to the huge sliding glass door to the backyard.

Me too!

[Sunchimes]

3) I would need the provider to have children of her own. I know it isn't fair, but I need that to feel comfortable.

Jen, just curious. Do you mean someone who has never had children, someone whose children left home many years ago, or someone who has children at home now. It's an interesting thought, I had never considered it having a bearing on things.

[JenNJ]

Jen, what about a walkout basement? I have a basement daycare flooded with natural light thanks to the huge sliding glass door to the backyard.

That would be fine. I don't consider walk out basements basements. They are just a lower lever to a home. Like a split level home with the daycare downstairs would be great if there was big windows and a door. I guess I would really just not want those tiny little typical basement windows and no way to get directly outside. For both safety and scenery reasons.

[momofboys]

1) Smoke-free environment
2) Someone who can communicate well - who is passionate about what they do & can tell me exactly what my kids would be doing throughout the day.
3) Verifiable references & experience
4) Clean home but doesn't have to be perfect
5) Appears to be loving/friendly individual, seems happy to see my kids arrive, concerned about their well-being

[Breezy]

Great question!! I have considered working outside the home but keep telling myself that unless I can place him with one of you I couldnt put him in daycare!

[Country Kids]

1. someone who is honest. passes a background check and has a good reputation with current and past parent references

2. Child friendly home and backyard. Someplace tidy, cleaned regularly, up to safety standards.

3. Traditional views on child rearing, preferably a Christian household. Someone willing to cloth diaper, offer wholesome food, offer plenty of play and outside time (minimal to no electronics, screens, etc)

4. Someone who has a reasonable ratio and regular assistance. i would be concerned if they have some of their own children in the daycare mix, I know first hand that that is very hard balance.

5. Non-smoker, no pets, no transporting my kids, I have to know who else lives in the house, no visitors during daycare hours, works on a regular routine with the kids, nice neighborhood (sorry that is not one thing, just the last thoughts I had)

As you can see, I don't highly value a specific education. I think an experienced person can be just a good at their job. I am also not big on curriculum for youngsters outside of just ABCs.....not an onslaught of worksheets and forced participation. I could not find ANY providers that last time I looked (5 years ago) that were all these things.

Do you think it would be hard to find someone without children since that is one of the main reasons most people start doing this, to stay home with their children?

[JenNJ]

Jen, just curious. Do you mean someone who has never had children, someone whose children left home many years ago, or someone who has children at home now. It's an interesting thought, I had never considered it having a bearing on things.

If she had biological children, foster children, adopted children, raised her siblings kids, whatever. I don't care if those kids are 40 or they are integrated in the current daycare.

I want my kids in a home daycare where the caregiver has direct experience with having 100% responsibility over the child. She knows the "look" of a sick child and has that intuition to know when something is not right or "off" with a child. I want to know she has been in the trenches and come out the other side.

It may seem silly to some, but I started my career in professional childcare before having my own kids. While I was excellent at my job then, I find it much easier to "know" now that I am a mom myself. I want my provider to understand that I am leaving my WORLD in her care. That I would break inside if something were ever to happen to my child. I want her to know how hard it would be for me to leave my kid and be able to level with me as a parent. I would want suggestions if my child was struggling -- not from an education standpoint, from another parents perspective. I am one who believes it takes a village.

[Sunchimes]

I'm going to put aside the obvious, like background check, no smoking, and a safe home, because I think we all want that. The other things are;

1. I would want the home to be a home that welcomes children and where they are comfortable. I don't want them in a place where "Don't touch, don't sit, don't, don't don't" is the theme. If you don't want them to touch the fragile things, move them higher. Teaching kids not to touch is absolutely necessary, I want my child to be welcome where ever they go because they know not to touch, but they don't need to be afraid to move all day.

2. I want to see her with the other kids. Do the kids love her, trust her? Does she respect them in return? I think you can learn more by watching than by talking. I'd like it if she greeted my child before she greeted me. I wouldn't mind waiting while she asks about their weekend or notices their new shirt.

3. I want a partner. I want her to tell me how she does things, listen to how I want things done, and reach a mid-point. Something like, I want my child to nap twice a day. At her house, kids nap once a day. But she listens, realizes there is a valid reason for it, and we find a way for him to get his extra nap. Or, she plays outside an hour a day. I'm worried about sun exposure. After hearing her experience, I see that it would be ok. I like a degree of compromise on both sides when necessary. If I am trying to potty train too early, she should tell me her experience. Not good examples, but you get my drift.

4. I want a small group-no more than 4, counting mine. In a home setting with one person, that's enough for me. I probably wouldn't pick one that hired a parade of assistants. I know the turnover and I'd like more consistency in care givers.

5. Honesty. If my child is causing a problem, or I'm causing a problem, don't stew about it--tell me. Nothing is going to be solved unless we work together. I'm not good at picking up hints or nuances, just say what you want to say. I'm tough.