Day care questions???

[millerpjm]

I'm not sure where to post so I'll start here... I am going to be checking out a local day care center for my son. I have a regular sitter (a very good friend and SAHM) who watches him now but she will be taking a vacation and can't take him. What are some things to look for in a daycare? What should the child to adult ratio be for infants? I am very nervous about this and would appreciate any and all advice!

Jen

Proud mama to Thomas (4 1/2 months)

[momtoemma]

Here in OK, the state ratio for babies up to a year is 4 babies to 1 caretaker. I think this is high, but in my searching for daycares, nearly all of the ones I visited follow this guideline. I think they also have a max of 12 babies as well. Good luck on your search! The lower the ratios the better!

Stephanie

[smomom]

We have a United Way Agency in my county in Kansas that offers information on day care requirements and providers. You may want to check the yellow pages or local United Way chapter to see if an organization exists in your area that can give you some more information. This agency sent me with a provider listing, licensing requirements, and checklists of what to look for in a provider.

Good luck!

[sarasprings]

In NYS there is the Child Care Coordinating Council (or something with a similar name) where you can check for a list of registered centers/home providers and ask if there have been any grievances filed against them.

We had problems with child care last fall (and I know what to look for because I trained caregivers, set up home day cares, and done yearly ratings on centers when I worked for a military child development program ), so I would say try to get references from people you trust. If you choose a day care, I would stop in at different times during the day before you put your child in it (and get some friends to help if possible) to see what is going on, how chaotic it is, etc. DS was in a center where the baby room held up to 8. Even when there was only 5 or 6 children, a third caregiver was always around during high activity (feeding, mostly) times.

I wish you well.

[lisams]

I worked in a day care when I was going through college, and I would suggest you really watch the interactions between the teachers and children. Good things are: adult getting down to the level of the children and on the carpet with them, adults actively playing with the children (instead if sitting them with toys), adults responding promptly to child's needs or crying, adults with calm caring voices. If they are feeding or diapering, watch and see if it is more like an assembly line, or if there is talking/singing/eye contact/playing with the child during these activities. Look to see what kinds of toys and how many there are. Ask how long the teachers have been working there - you don't want a center with a high staff turnover rate - that is very confusing to young children. Most importantly look at the children. Do they look happy and well cared for - a babies face will not lie! Don't be afraid to stay for a long time, and then come back at another time during the day. If for any reason you feel like your visits/observations are not welcome, that's not a good sign.

Good Luck!
Lisa

[Sarah1]

Another thing I would really look closely at is cleanliness. I have a good friend whose son is in daycare, and she was telling me how they steam clean the floors each night. Ask how and when they clean everything.

As far as the caretaker to baby ratio, I believe at my friends' daycare it is 1 to 3. At my gym, there is a childcare center and the caretaker-infant ratio is also 1 to 3. I usually take DD there once a week, and when there are 2 other babies in there with her...let's just say if there was another baby there, I think it would be pretty rough!

Good luck and like other moms said, don't be afraid to stay a long time and ask a lot of questions. After all, your baby could potentially be spending a LOT of time there!

[SeekerMage]

Another thing to check out if your local YMCA...atleast in Chicago they have a child care hotline kinda service where you can get a packet of information about what to look for, what centers and sitters are registered etc.

Also while you are there look at the supplies they have. The amount of toys, what kind of food is served, though for an infant you may supply your own some centers have snacks etc. Also check to see what the routine is. The center I worked at was a Kindercare and they have a pretty good schedule of naps, snacks, play time, craft time etc. Even for some of the little ones. I think this is really good because it teaches interaction with the other kids etc. Really check out the cleanliness and supplies though because I was at a center that was lacking everything! not enough toys (I actually brought in a swing so we had more than one for a room of 12 babies!) Make sure they have exersaucers, swings, bouncy seats, etc enough for all the kids. Also a rocker in the room if Im not mistaken is a must for all centers as well. I hope that you find a good one because there are a lot out there that fall between the cracks...I do think that you have been given a lot of good suggestions by everyone though!
good luck!