My little man is not in daycare.
Before I started back working I went on a two
month journey asking all the wrong questions to find my son a daycare. The
problems I ran into were waiting lists and cost. Nathan is my first kid so I
never had to talk prices for a daycare before. After touring many programs I
felt like I had found the right one. There was no waiting list, the cost was
reasonable, and it was close to my house. After only a few weeks at the
daycare, I began to see red flags and got a funny feeling in my gut.
Unlike most parents, I only worked part time (25
hours a week) and my schedule was not set. I often showed up at the daycare
unannounced. I quickly saw things I didn't agree with. My son had three
teachers of whom two were never introduced to me or even mentioned. When they only
had a few infants they would send that teacher home and put the kids in the
room with a toddlers. They were leaving the kids in their cribs and let them
cry.
Education not just Playtime
The only time I saw the staff interacting with
the kids was when they were feeding them or changing their diapers. This
really bothered me because I remember telling them that my son was very
interactive he likes people talking, reading, counting, singing, and playing
with him. Usually if this did not happen he would cry. In my tour they assured
me that that would not be a problem that that was their regular routine and my
son Nathan would fit right in. I felt betrayed when I really found out how they
treated the kids.
For $660 a month I felt like my kid should be
learning something it and daycare shouldn't just be a glorified babysitter.
Sometimes in the morning a teacher would be late and it would just be one
teacher with 20 kids. I quickly realized it was time to take my son home. For
weeks I took Nathan to work while I looked for a new daycare. After a
while his grandpa volunteered to watch him for a small fee so I could work.
Recently I went to a women's church luncheon and
talked to a lady sitting next to me about our kids and jobs. Come to find out
she works for the state and her job is the visit and review daycare facilities.
She gave me a list of websites to go to find questions to ask your daycare
before you hire them. Those sites are listed below. She has said that pop up
visits are the best way to find out what your daycare is really like. She suggests
everyone do surprise visits to their daycare as often as they can.
What would you have done in my shoes? Have you experienced
similar problems? Tell me your story and experiences.
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