Um Help

Hello! My name is J.. I was wondering if you are still looking for a Affordable Childcare Provider. Where are you located? I am a stay at home mom of 3. 2 of my boys are in school, and I have a 4 year old little girl, that will be sarting kindergarden this fall. I live in the Spotsylvania County. Please email me back if you are in need of a AFFORDABLE CHILDCARE PROVIDER. I have reasonable rates and great references.

Thanks J.
____@____.com or ____@____.com

I work for Great Bridge Children's Center on Fresno Drive, right off Allen, which is a cut-through between Johnstown and Battlefield. I really love it, my kids go there as well. Just wanted to share that info! The phone number is ###-###-####. Good luck!

This is a very difficult decision to make. My son was in a daycare "center" for his first year and now he's in an "in home" daycare. They both have pros and cons. 1st, the daycare center has much more structure, but it's loud and the kids have to take "community" naps. 2nd, you have no flexibility with time schedules. If your late they charge you an arm and a leg. Through trial and error the best situation I found is a small in home daycare. The one I use doesn't take more than 5 kids. They each have their own private room to sleep in. and the sit down to a kitchen table for meals. BTW, it's only 1/2 the cost of the daycare center!!!

You don't say where you live...
Visit several places, follow your gut, ask for References, if the place is a licensed daycare they should have spot check records that you can see, etc. Basically follow your gut. We checked out two places for my son, one, from the outside looked quaint (it was older), but when I walked in I couldn't stand it. It was less expensive then the other place, but I couldn't picture myself dropping my kid off there everyday. We chose the other place.
M.

Hi,
I am a teacher in a day care center, as well as the parent of a child in the day care. I looked at your profile thing and it says that you are in Baltimore, unfortunately, I am in southern Va so I can not offer any advice on specific day cares. I can however give you some pointers as to what to look for.

First, you need to decide if you want your baby to be in a child care center, or in a private home care situation. In a child care center, your child will have trained teachers who know what your child should be doing during the different stages of development. In a private home, your child will get more individualized attention (maybe) but the person may not be trained as well.

After you make your decision, you should visit several different places in your area. Visit the places that you are interested in several times at different times of the day. Watch the way the teachers interact with the children in care at the time. You want to be sure that the teachers are talking to the children and paying attention to what the children are doing. You also want to make sure that there are plenty of toys that are age appropriate for the classroom. Check out the cribs that are in the room and make sure that there are plenty of cribs for each child to have their own (in Va this is a licensing requirement). Ask lots of questions like how often they change diapers, if they go outside, what they require that you provide and what they provide for the children. Also ask how often they sanitize toys, since babies love to put things in their mouths. You should also ask what their policy is about sick children, if they are kept in the classroom or if they have a special place for them to wait for their parents to come get them.

I hope this information is at least a little help. If you have any other questions, please feel free to send me a message, I will be more than happy to help!

Cleanliness is a huge issue in child care. Make sure the teachers are washing their hands as well as the children's hands.

The information that the others gave is right on target. You can look at the website www.mdchildcare.org to find childcare homes and centers in your area. I have a 2 1/2 year old and a 7 year old. I put both of them in a daycare home until they turned 2 years old. I felt better having them in a family like enviroment while they were so small. When visiting any daycare for the first time dont make an appointment, just stop by. That way you can see the place as it usually is. If they tell you that you need to make an appointment to get information I would't trust it. Make a list of your concerns so that you don't forget to ask anything (any smokers in the home daycare, any pets, any guns, what curriculm will be followed even for infants). Infants should not just lay around all day they need stimulation just as any other child. Make sure they have an open door policy so that you can check on your child anytime you desire.
Hope this wa helpful

You have received some great advice from the other moms. I wanted to add that some daycare centers have video cameras set up so you can see what is going on all day from your computer. That was a big plus for my neighbor - she could click the window open at any time and see what her child was doing and what was going on in the center.

You might want to consider that option.
LBC

Definitely put in early (consider those fees to hold a slot insurance) and visit the places. Visit at different times/more than once if you need to. The center my husband and I chose we both visited before we accepted the slot. We had two slots available in our timeframe, but before she actually had to go to daycare, another place called and had a sudden opening. Don't let the 9-12 mo. wait list scare you.

I had good luck asking my coworkers where they sent their kids and if they would recommend anywhere/not recommend anywhere.

And don't just look at the bottom line. We turned down a situation that would have been cheaper, but we didn't feel entirely comfortable. Friends of ours have an offer from a neighbor, but they can't stand her kids' behavior. I suggested that they keep looking. If she can't control HER kids, what will happen to theirs? Ask for references. Look around at the facility - not just where your baby will be but where baby will be later if it's a daycare center. Are the other kids happy? How do the staff react to their needs? Does ANYTHING set off your radar? Trust your instincts.

What is important to you? I wanted my baby to develop a schedule, not be forced into one. A center that let her be herself was important to me. Her center is in a church - which suits me fine, but maybe wouldn't suit you. I like that it's a good mix - they listen to holiday carols as well as "Jingle Bells" around Christmas. If we stay there through preschool, they have a program that gets kids ready for MCPS kindergarden requirements.

A good place is immeasurable. I don't always like to drop off my baby, but I know she's somewhere where she's happy, loved, and safe. That helps a lot. I can drop in anytime, or call, and I never have a problem. I also like that while she's in a center, it's homey and her class isn't huge. Max is 6 babies.

Good luck!

M.,

I would love to have an opportunity to speak with you about your childcare needs. I have been working with families placing primarily live in childcare providers (au pairs) for the past 18 years. Give me a call ###-###-####.

Dr. Sharon Thomas-Parker