Parents: Some Questions For You

[Unregistered]

Our answers

1. What irritates you most about your provider (in-home) or center?

Hmm..I can't really think of anything...she did look at me a bit judgy one morning when I dropped him off and he had crumbs on his face (he found an animal cracker in the car...)..I called it a cookie..she looked judgy!

2. What do you like most about your provider (in-home) or center?

She genuinely cares for the kids--she is very structured, and follows through on discipline (time outs). She has older kids, and I see how well behaved her own kids are.

3. Did you pick your daycare based on gut feeling, references/reviews, accreditation, location, or budget? Other?

Gut feeling--it was clean, close, and small.

4. Do you prefer to chat each day with your child's caretaker at pick up and hear about how their day was or do you want your child ready to walk out the door and have little to no interaction with the caretaker?

She is so busy, I read the little sheet she fills out. We talk for a minute if there are any issues..biting, scratching, etc.

5. Does your provider (in-home) or center provide diapers, wipes, food, drinks?

We bring diapers, everything else is provided no extra cost.

6. Do you pay for days your child does not attend care (sick days, holidays, your vacation, providers vacation)? Do you feel this is fair or unfair?

Our vacation days are 1/2 pay--provider vacation is full pay. Holidays and sick days are paid. I feel it's fair, for what we pay per month.

7. If your child attends an in-home daycare, do they provide preschool? Do you feel that it is equivalent to what they would learn at a center? If not, at what age will your child be attending preschool?

My son is 21 months--the youngest there. She follows a preschool program, which I think is adequate.

8. Do you feel that education or care is more important for your toddler (ages 1 - 3)?

Both--she provides both, and I am very happy where he's at. I am looking at the possibility of becoming a stay at home mom, and I'm nervous, but am looking at homeschooling when he hits preschool age.

[SandeeAR]

Thank you Dahlia!



No. That would not be asking the question in an objective way.

Seriously -- can I get feedback from PARENTS? I posted over here to avoid this drama and I specifically asked in the OP to not turn this into a debate.

Sorry, my question did not meet your "way of asking a question". It was not meant to be a debate. It was an Honest question, that I wanted Parents Honest answer about. I didn't realize asking for a question to be added would be considered drama.

Sorry to have bothered you. I will refain from posting on any further threads of yours.

[Unregistered]

1. What irritates you most about your provider (in-home) or center?

Honestly, it's the high cost. My two kids go to a center and we pay almost $2000. The last time we got a notice of increase it was for $100 a month per child and I nearly hit the roof! I also don't like it when the workers (probably inadvertantly but still) make me feel bad for working long hours (It has been such a long day for him/her). The longest my child has ever been there is 8:15-5pm and that has only been a few times....less than average I'd bet!

2. What do you like most about your provider (in-home) or center?

I know that they are completely safe and happy and that they are learning a lot. Love the fact that all food and diapers are provided etc and that my kids love going there (that is HUGE)

3. Did you pick your daycare based on gut feeling, references/reviews, accreditation, location, or budget? Other?

I'd say 80% gut feeling and 20% curriculum.

4. Do you prefer to chat each day with your child's caretaker at pick up and hear about how their day was or do you want your child ready to walk out the door and have little to no interaction with the caretaker?

I would prefer to hear about their day, but honestly I would like to hear positive things..I start getting stressed if there are negative things a lot (this happened a couple of years ago once...ugh).

5. Does your provider (in-home) or center provide diapers, wipes, food, drinks? Are these included or at an extra cost?

Yes - all is included.


6. Do you pay for days your child does not attend care (sick days, holidays, your vacation, providers vacation)? Do you feel this is fair or unfair?

We pay for a spot monthly whether we're there or not, but the centre is open 7-6pm almost every day. I love that bc we don't have back up care. I would be ticked paying for a provider's holiday to be honest....we turned down home care before and it was far less expensive for this reason - we didn't have to pay for her holdiay, but it was 5 weeks per year and we only get 3 off ourselves.

7. If your child attends an in-home daycare, do they provide preschool? Do you feel that it is equivalent to what they would learn at a center? If not, at what age will your child be attending preschool?

N/A


8. Do you feel that education or care is more important for your toddler (ages 1 - 3)?

Care is absolutely foremost at any age IMO, but at age 3 I want them to start learning letters etc...

[Unregistered]

Did you say $2000./mth???

1. What irritates you most about your provider (in-home) or center?

Honestly, it's the high cost. My two kids go to a center and we pay almost $2000. The last time we got a notice of increase it was for $100 a month per child and I nearly hit the roof! I also don't like it when the workers (probably inadvertantly but still) make me feel bad for working long hours (It has been such a long day for him/her). The longest my child has ever been there is 8:15-5pm and that has only been a few times....less than average I'd bet!

2. What do you like most about your provider (in-home) or center?

I know that they are completely safe and happy and that they are learning a lot. Love the fact that all food and diapers are provided etc and that my kids love going there (that is HUGE)

3. Did you pick your daycare based on gut feeling, references/reviews, accreditation, location, or budget? Other?

I'd say 80% gut feeling and 20% curriculum.

4. Do you prefer to chat each day with your child's caretaker at pick up and hear about how their day was or do you want your child ready to walk out the door and have little to no interaction with the caretaker?

I would prefer to hear about their day, but honestly I would like to hear positive things..I start getting stressed if there are negative things a lot (this happened a couple of years ago once...ugh).

5. Does your provider (in-home) or center provide diapers, wipes, food, drinks? Are these included or at an extra cost?

Yes - all is included.


6. Do you pay for days your child does not attend care (sick days, holidays, your vacation, providers vacation)? Do you feel this is fair or unfair?

We pay for a spot monthly whether we're there or not, but the centre is open 7-6pm almost every day. I love that bc we don't have back up care. I would be ticked paying for a provider's holiday to be honest....we turned down home care before and it was far less expensive for this reason - we didn't have to pay for her holdiay, but it was 5 weeks per year and we only get 3 off ourselves.

7. If your child attends an in-home daycare, do they provide preschool? Do you feel that it is equivalent to what they would learn at a center? If not, at what age will your child be attending preschool?

N/A


8. Do you feel that education or care is more important for your toddler (ages 1 - 3)?

Care is absolutely foremost at any age IMO, but at age 3 I want them to start learning letters etc...

The main thing is you are happy with your choice. I find it interesting though, that you would be paying apx. half with a home daycare per month yet the few paid holidays was the deal breaker....And for two children I am aghast...the cost is VERY expensive even for a center.

[Unregistered]

The main thing is you are happy with your choice. I find it interesting though, that you would be paying apx. half with a home daycare per month yet the few paid holidays was the deal breaker....And for two children I am aghast...the cost is VERY expensive even for a center.

I'm not the one who made that post, but it makes sense to me (though I do agree that the cost is very high). It's a convenience issue. As a parent working full-time, to have to find alternate care for five weeks a year is really unappealing. It's especially unappealing if the provider gets more vacation time than you do. At a center, the only times they're going to be closed will be the holidays that most of us get off of work anyway (Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc.). You don't have to worry about finding an alternate caregiver at the last minute if your daycare provider or the provider's child is sick. Personally, I'd rather pay a bit more each week than have to pay for a full week of not receiving care while my provider is on vacation. There's just something about paying for a service you're not receiving that rubs me (and obviously others) the wrong way—especially if you would have to pay double for that week for an alternate provider (I personally am able to use family as a free backup, which I am very grateful for, but I'm sure there are those who do not have that option and it could be a real hardship for some families). That said, I don't think it's worth complaining to my provider about. It was not a deal-breaker for me.

[Unregistered]

1. What irritates you most about your provider (in-home) or center?
When I had my child in daycare, I got irritated, that i never got to know what he ate or did during the day, I didn't even know if they did storytime, think the TV was on to much, I hated the "first time mom attitiude" I always seemed to get when I wanted to know what he ate or anything, most days he came home with a very full diaper.

2. What do you like most about your provider (in-home) or center?
She really did love my son, and he loved her

3. Did you pick your daycare based on gut feeling, references/reviews, accreditation, location, or budget? Other?
I knew her personally.

4. Do you prefer to chat each day with your child's caretaker at pick up and hear about how their day was or do you want your child ready to walk out the door and have little to no interaction with the caretaker?
I wanted to hear about his day, what he did, what he ate, but I never got any of that.

5. Does your provider (in-home) or center provide diapers, wipes, food, drinks? Are these included or at an extra cost?
I provided diapers, she provided everything else.

6. Do you pay for days your child does not attend care (sick days, holidays, your vacation, providers vacation)? Do you feel this is fair or unfair?
I never questioned or thought it odd to pay for holidays or vacation days, I paid a weekely rate every week, and that was fine with me, although of course it would have been great to get those days at no cost, but I would never expect that.

7. If your child attends an in-home daycare, do they provide preschool? Do you feel that it is equivalent to what they would learn at a center? If not, at what age will your child be attending preschool?
There was no preschool, if he were still there I would have started preschool at 4.

8. Do you feel that education or care is more important for your toddler (ages 1 - 3)?
Care should always come first to that age group or any for that matter, but I dont think care has to suffer to provide some education.

[Mommy2One]

My response

I'm going to answer this about the provider that we had the longest. She watched a few kids part time (with varying schedules) in her home. Our daughter was there from 14 months until 23 months. She provided care for our little one 3 days/week from 7:30 until 5:00.

1. What irritates you most about your provider (in-home) or center?
She didn't volunteer as much information as I'd like. "Hey that person sleeping on my couch is my 12 year old nephew who's spending the day here." "Today for lunch the kids had..." It was probably my fault in large part for being too shy to ask a bunch of questions. She was great about communicating about more important things. She also quit with just a couple days warning due to a family emergency. At first I was very upset about that but I've since gotten over it, so to speak, as I don't think she had another option and I truly think it was without warning for her as well.

2. What do you like most about your provider (in-home) or center?
She had a lot of the same parenting values that we had. She was naturally professional and organized. She was flexible and understanding and very reliable. Her home was inviting with plenty of sunshine and space to play and sleep. And, of course, she seemed to like my daughter and my daughter seemed to like her.

3. Did you pick your daycare based on gut feeling, references/reviews, accreditation, location, or budget? Other?
Budget and location were constraints we worked within but otherwise they weren't a factor. It was mostly gut feeling, which was based on the provider's interaction with us, interaction with our daughter, whether her home (especially her children's bedrooms) showed love and care for her family, her own children's behavior (did they seem age appropriately polite and well adjusted), her responses to our questions and general alignment with our values. One other thing I liked, but didn't realize it until we had another caretaker, is that she always collected my daughter from the playroom and carried her to the door at pick up time, which made the transition much easier for all of us.

4. Do you prefer to chat each day with your child's caretaker at pick up and hear about how their day was or do you want your child ready to walk out the door and have little to no interaction with the caretaker?
Ideally I'd like my daughter to be ready (we always had a bag and sippy cups and shoes and stuff to collect) and I'd like a quick run down of the day: what the kids ate (to avoid duplicates at home), status of any ongoing issues (constipation, weaning, potty training, etc.), notification of any problems or upcoming special events/changes. It's usually a bit chaotic at pick up time with the other kids vying for attention and I usually still have errands to run or dinner to cook so making extended small talk every day wouldn't be my preference but it's not something I'd think less of the provider for either.

5. Does your provider (in-home) or center provide diapers, wipes, food, drinks? Are these included or at an extra cost?
I provided diapers and wipes. I also provided 2 snacks and her juice and milk. This was voluntary because I wanted her to have 100% juice, whole milk and healthy snacks like fruit and yogurt which the sitter may not have been budgeting for and may not have had another reason to have on hand. She provided lunch, water and sometimes extra snacks. If a provider was preparing meals and snacks like some of the ones I've seen on here then with lots of lean meats, whole grains, fruits and veggies it'd be more convenient to let her handle all the food/drinks. I'd be willing to pay extra for it (or just a higher base fee with the cost already figured in).

6. Do you pay for days your child does not attend care (sick days, holidays, your vacation, providers vacation)? Do you feel this is fair or unfair?
If I chose to keep my daughter home I still paid - fair. The provider also had about 6 holidays/year that she wanted to have off paid - fair. If she wasn't available then she pro-rated the week - her decision. I wouldn't mind if the provider had a few paid days off (personal/sick/vacation) each year, especially with advanced notice because we can use a vacation/sick day and still get paid myself and the cost is already in our budget. It would be difficult for us to accommodate extended or frequent paid time off - we would have to find and pay for alternate care, enlist relatives and/or use up all our vacation time (it's nice to to have a few days that we can take off for our own special days/activities). For the right provider with enough notice we would probably try to work something out, even if it meant saving $10/wk for a few months to be able to make double payments during her vacation. It would definitely be helpful if the provider could recommend someone for alternate care during their time off (if it was going to be 2-3 weeks) and give the alternate a heads up that the provider's clients might be coming to her for temporary care.

7. If your child attends an in-home daycare, do they provide preschool? Do you feel that it is equivalent to what they would learn at a center? If not, at what age will your child be attending preschool?
No, our provider didn't offer preschool and sent her own son out of the home for preschool. As my daughter gets closer to that age we will evaluate our care situation and her needs and make a decision then. I'd always assumed we'd send her to preschool at 4 years old because (in my mind) that's what everybody does. I think I'd be looking for the school-like atmosphere more than the skills (which we can teach her at home) so she's not shocked by a 7 hr rigidly structured day on her first day of kindy.

8. Do you feel that education or care is more important for your toddler (ages 1 - 3)?
Definitely care - nutrition, safety, and a good afternoon nap are important. I don't want my daughter (26 months) doing any kind of forced learning (flashcards, worksheets) but at this age education is easy to fit into playtime. At home we discuss the color and shapes of her toys. We count pictures in books or as we stack blocks. We've made "vegetable stew" and "fruit salad" with her toy food and discussed which are healthy choices and which are "treats." We read books and sing songs and I try to give her opportunities to use a variety of art supplies like crayons, markers, pencils, paint, glue sticks, and recently scissors. I would think that kind of education would be fairly easy to fit into a daycare day too, even if it's in relatively limited quantities and a group fashion.

[Unregistered]

1. What irritates you most about your provider (in-home) or center?

I don't know that I am really irritated about anything. Sometimes she seems really stressed and that concerns me a bit but I haven't been irritated with her.

2. What do you like most about your provider (in-home) or center?

She loves my kids, really loves them. Her house is very clean and they have real set routines and my DD's thrive there.

3. Did you pick your daycare based on gut feeling, references/reviews, accreditation, location, or budget? Other?

Gut feeling and location. Most daycares in my area that are not centers are around the same cost so that didn't come into play as much but I just liked her right away when I met her.

4. Do you prefer to chat each day with your child's caretaker at pick up and hear about how their day was or do you want your child ready to walk out the door and have little to no interaction with the caretaker?

I want to chat. I usually stay 10mins or so chatting about things, not necessarily my kid.

5. Does your provider (in-home) or center provide diapers, wipes, food, drinks? Are these included or at an extra cost?

We provide diapers, wipes and breast milk (not that she could do that anyways!)

6. Do you pay for days your child does not attend care (sick days, holidays, your vacation, providers vacation)? Do you feel this is fair or unfair?

We pay a flat weekly fee no matter how many days she is open. I do think it is fair and I willingly pay it because I love her and she takes great care of my girls!

7. If your child attends an in-home daycare, do they provide preschool? Do you feel that it is equivalent to what they would learn at a center? If not, at what age will your child be attending preschool?

We have a unique situation in that 2 days per week a preschool teacher comes to our daycare and teaches for an hour each day.

8. Do you feel that education or care is more important for your toddler (ages 1 - 3)?

Care. I just want her to be loved and taken care of and I will work on letters and numbers at home.

[dave4him]

Going to base this off the daycare my oldest was going to before we pulled her out at 3 1/2.... My niece goes there now and its only gotten worse

1. What irritates you most about your provider (in-home) or center? Lack of communication.

2. What do you like most about your provider (in-home) or center? Friendly staff.

3. Did you pick your daycare based on gut feeling, references/reviews, accreditation, location, or budget? Other? My other niece had gone there and location.

4. Do you prefer to chat each day with your child's caretaker at pick up and hear about how their day was or do you want your child ready to walk out the door and have little to no interaction with the caretaker? I like to get them and maybe get a short 3 sentence sum of the day.

5. Does your provider (in-home) or center provide diapers, wipes, food, drinks? Are these included or at an extra cost? We always had to bring our own diapers and wipes thats all.

6. Do you pay for days your child does not attend care (sick days, holidays, your vacation, providers vacation)? Do you feel this is fair or unfair? Yes it was unfair. hmmmmmmmmm maybe i need to think that one over.

7. If your child attends an in-home daycare, do they provide preschool? Do you feel that it is equivalent to what they would learn at a center? If not, at what age will your child be attending preschool? Actually she did learn a lot there which makes me hold my own standards higher for my stay at home kids now.

8. Do you feel that education or care is more important for your toddler (ages 1 - 3)? Very important

[Unregistered]

We have been through 3 centers so far... I just wasn't satisfied with the first two as my answers will reflect these two centers

1. What irritates you most about your provider (in-home) or center?
1st center- my child was bitten 11 times. Teacher and director blamed my child. Now I learned this is same thing is happening to other children since we left. Turn over of staff.
2nd center- lady was nice enough but very unorganized, would do personal business while children would run around and play. not consistent with schedule or discipline. Not healthy snacks provided. We decided after seeing what she provided that we would provide our own.
current center- nothing really irritating but here is what I wish she would change: Hours. She is open at 7:45 to 5:15. I occasionally need a bit later and wish she was open from 7:30-5:30. She writes up daily when they nap and how often they have a diaper change. I wish she would include what they ate for snack and what they did that day.

2. What do you like most about your provider (in-home) or center?
1st center- they provided organic lunches, curricullum based.
current center-Very caring, consistent with discipline as needed. Lots of fun activities. always singing and dancing. Set routines. Great outside play area. Very clean and organized. My child loves it there!

3. Did you pick your daycare based on gut feeling, references/reviews, accreditation, location, or budget? Other?

I did research on different centers. We got on wait lists early, (when I was pregnant) because the daycare situation here is very slim. I also talked to several parents about where they send their child. The current day care took drop in days and our day care at the time was closed for the day and so that is really how we got to really know them. When things went down hill with our first situation we had our little one on that wait list.

4. Do you prefer to chat each day with your child's caretaker at pick up and hear about how their day was or do you want your child ready to walk out the door and have little to no interaction with the caretaker?

I really like to chat with the daycare provider. I really want to know how his day has gone.

5. Does your provider (in-home) or center provide diapers, wipes, food, drinks? Are these included or at an extra cost?

We provide diapers, wipes. They provide some food (snacks). Parents also provide snacks. We provide lunch.

6. Do you pay for days your child does not attend care (sick days, holidays, your vacation, providers vacation)? Do you feel this is fair or unfair?

we pay for all days. No I don't think this is fair. I think the parents should get a break with some vacation days just like the provider takes vacation days. Our first center did give 3 vacation days and holidays but then took this away when they became financially unstable.

7. If your child attends an in-home daycare, do they provide preschool? Do you feel that it is equivalent to what they would learn at a center? If not, at what age will your child be attending preschool?
My child will attend preschool at age 3

8. Do you feel that education or care is more important for your toddler (ages 1 - 3)?

Care.

[Unregistered]

I'm not the one who made that post, but it makes sense to me (though I do agree that the cost is very high). It's a convenience issue. As a parent working full-time, to have to find alternate care for five weeks a year is really unappealing. It's especially unappealing if the provider gets more vacation time than you do. At a center, the only times they're going to be closed will be the holidays that most of us get off of work anyway (Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc.). You don't have to worry about finding an alternate caregiver at the last minute if your daycare provider or the provider's child is sick. Personally, I'd rather pay a bit more each week than have to pay for a full week of not receiving care while my provider is on vacation. There's just something about paying for a service you're not receiving that rubs me (and obviously others) the wrong way—especially if you would have to pay double for that week for an alternate provider (I personally am able to use family as a free backup, which I am very grateful for, but I'm sure there are those who do not have that option and it could be a real hardship for some families). That said, I don't think it's worth complaining to my provider about. It was not a deal-breaker for me.

I took my daughter to a home daycare when she was younger, and had no problem paying for holidays because I was paying much less overall. In the center she was in prior, they only looked at her as a number, and we wanted her to be in a home environment. As for parents complaining about paid holidays, I am aghast. This is the person watching your child, so we were happy to show her a lot of appreciation. Paid holidays, gift cards at Christmas, brought snacks, ect because she took care of our most prized possession.

For backup, I had a current deposit at a center, and was able to do drop-ins so it all worked out. As for one parent wondering why the nephew was sleeping on their sitters couch, it really wouldn't be their business. When you choose a home, I would assume the other members of the home have people visiting; friends and family, even a neighbor. As a parent my only concern was my child was well cared for.

As for communication, there was plenty and it was common sense to me not to monopolize her time. It was obvious her attention needed to be on the other children, and since this was her home I usually didn't venture out of the foyer unless invited to do so. Pretty much kept it short, got the basics and could see my child was happy, and she would always tell me about her day as well.

I cannot fanthom being jealous of my sitter getting more vacation time than me. Why I think centers accomodate certain types of people who merely view them as paid staff, or leave them long hours. We liked the low ratio of children, and the one on one attention. Though when my child went to a center I also treated her caregivers just as well. We never forgot them at Christmas, and knew it was a hard job that we respected.

[Unregistered]

This is an old post but as a newbie and parent I've found the responses helpful so thought I would chime in. I have an 11-month-old little boy in center-based care.


1. What irritates you most about your provider (in-home) or center? Sometimes I feel like I'm being pressured to do things like get him off a bottle, push more table foods, etc. If it were totally up to me I would let him do those things as he's ready. However, I do understand that in a group environment they can only "customize" things so much. Also, as a first-time mom I do appreciate the input and advice very much.

2. What do you like most about your provider (in-home) or center? The providers genuinely seem to love and care about my son. Most of them have been there for a long time and he always seems happy when I pick him up each day.

3. Did you pick your daycare based on gut feeling, references/reviews, accreditation, location, or budget? Other? We initially looked at the center because of both a reference from a trusted friend and the fact that it was convenient to home. We placed him there after we visited and both my husband and I felt very comfortable with the center and providers. Even with the reference, if we hadn't felt comfortable there we would have kept looking.

4. Do you prefer to chat each day with your child's caretaker at pick up and hear about how their day was or do you want your child ready to walk out the door and have little to no interaction with the caretaker? Please, please take the time to chat with me if you can! My son spends so much time with his caregivers that I want to know about his day and how he is doing. I'm a first-time mom and if there are suggestions or concerns about him, I appreciate the advice and support of these ladies who have more experience than I do.

Also, if he's been fussy or had a rough day, please be honest and tell me! I love hearing he's had a great day, but not if it isn't true. I don't take it as complaining; as a mom, I feel I have a need to know so I can put him to bed early, give him extra cuddles, keep an extra-close eye on him, etc.

5. Does your provider (in-home) or center provide diapers, wipes, food, drinks? Are these included or at an extra cost? Once he is on table food, the center provides food and drinks. For now, we bring our own wipes, diapers, and bottles as well as purees and other baby-type snacks since they're all eating different things.

6. Do you pay for days your child does not attend care (sick days, holidays, your vacation, providers vacation)? Do you feel this is fair or unfair? We pay a weekly rate, no matter how much he attends. I have no problem with this at all. I'm paying not only for his care, but also to keep a spot for him. It isn't fair of me to expect any provider, home-based or center, to save a spot that could be used for another child but not pay for it. That said, if he's out for a vacation week we pay half a week's rate. There have also been a couple of times that he was out sick for most of a week and they only charged us for half a week. It was a nice surprise.

7. If your child attends an in-home daycare, do they provide preschool? Do you feel that it is equivalent to what they would learn at a center? If not, at what age will your child be attending preschool? N/A

8. Do you feel that education or care is more important for your toddler (ages 1 - 3)? This is a hard one, but overall I feel care is most important. I want my son to be in a place where he feels loved and can trust the people he is with. I'd like him to be learning as much as he can, but if I had to choose I would prioritize care.