Daycare or in Home Care?

R.,

you'll get lots of differing opinions on this one... my daughter- now 18 mos has been in a large center daycare since she was 6 mos old and I have never regretted it. For us we like having multiple "eyes" on her all day- we also have not had to worry about our provider getting sick- or wanting to take a vacation that did not match our work vacations. Our center groups the children by age so she has been with her same "friends" since she started and since they are the same age- the provider can gear the room, toys and activities to match the developmental level of the kids (instead of varying age groups in one setting) The cons: she has had every cold know to childhood- by her first birthday and when they are sick a larger center is not as flexible as a home based might be. (pro to this is now she has a killer immune system!) She is one of 12 kids to 4 teachers so she does not get constant one on one attention, but again their are benefits to this- as she can play independently and self entertain.

At the end of the day it really is personal preference and what you are comfortable with. Good Luck with you choice- and know that whatever you decide- make sure you are comfortable with the person/people that are with your child all day- if you are... she will be too.

M.

you didn't say how old your daughter was... but what about skipping daycares all together and putting her in preschool? My son just turned 2 and I will be enrolling him in pre-school. The ones I have looked at don't require him to be potty-trained.

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I put my little girl in daycare when she was almost 2 years old. Prior to that she was at a home day care. I am so happy with my decisions at the age she was because at the home daycare, I felt she had enough comfort while I was away. Then when I put her in daycare, I was amazed at how much she learned, due to their structure.

i have a eight month old baby girl. i would stick with having someone i know watch her. i don't feel right taking her to someone she doesn't know. especially with the way people are these days.

Rachael,

You have received some great information. I live in Lakewood on the Long Beach border and have a home daycare. I have been lisenced since 2005. I just recently implemented a preschool cirriculum in my daycare. My assistant graduated LB Cal state with child development and family science. my mother is a 20 year retired preschool teacher that mentors her. I have 3 three year olds in the program right now and 2 more will be joinging them in September. If you look around there are many daycares that offer preschool cirriculum (large family daycare) because one of the criterias to starting a large family daycare is your child developement degree. The benefit to this is usually they are usually less expensive than a standard preschool. I do not charge my parents. As long as the kids are scheduled for daycare I do not charge. If it is not a normal daycare day for them I do charge a small fee for preschool.

Good Luck
M.

My husband and I found ourselves in the same situation.

We have done both. Here are our experiences (only you and your husband will know which is best for you).

1. For our son's first 18 months, someone came to our house. We didn't have to worry about getting him somewhere on time (though she was chronically late which was a HUGE problem). It was one-on-one, and she loved him like her own grandchild. But, if she was sick or wanted time off, we were stuck with no alternatives but to take time ourselves.

A good in-home Day Care will be licensed. But, when we went to visit them, we found that most had kids from 6 weeks to 12 years there. There was no structure, and usually only 1 (occasionally 2 adults) watching all of them.

2. When our daughter was born we moved to a licenced traditional Day Care facility. WE LOVE IT! I just posted on Facebook that we paid $19,870 last year to have them there. Our son was almost 2 when he started, and it was an adjustment for him, but we wanted him to have the access to a structured learning environment and socialism.

Our daughter has been there since she was 9 weeks old. The following week, I was diagnosed with cancer. It was a Godsend to have them there (even with the exposure to germs). The time I did take off during my treatment, I was able to be home with a quiet house that we would not have had under the previous set-up.

We had to visit several places before we were comfortable that our kids were in the right one. When you find it, you'll know. Our Day Care has assisted in potty-training, transitioning to sippy cups from bottles, etc.

The only problem, though, is that as a state-licensed facility, they are limited in how they can discipline yours and other kids.

We have no regrets about having our kids in Day Care. Good luck!

Good morning R., As a mother and a daycare provider let me just say there are many pros and cons, of being a daycare. Daycare (the right daycare) can be a positive
influence for your daughter, it will give her the social skills she needs for pre school/kindergarten. Some daycares are more of a baby sitting set up, otheres do kindergaten readiness, holiday crafts, music, ask a lot of questions. The probablem that I have seen when people use a friend of relative to watch their kids, they get burned out, I have had many enterviews with parents who have told me their friend , mother or in law was watching their child, and just didn't want to do it anymore, that's not going to happen, with a daycare. As a mom R. you need to do what will give you peace of mind, all my dc kids love to go come, sometimes don't want to leave, children love being around other children, I have seen friendsips bond that I didn't know kids this age could do, but it's amazing to see. if you have any questions you can e-mail me at ____@____.com or here at mamasourse. J. L.

A daycare facility is nice because there is routine and a scheduele but a home daycare has the comforts of home. I like home daycares because they seem to have less children so yours would get more one on one attention. Daycare centers sometimes have too many kids and don't have the time to sit down and play with one child at a time. Just my opinion but if you go for an in home daycare look for one that isn't crowded, maybe just a mom that wants to help you out and make a little extra money. That way you know your child is going to get all the cuddle time and extra attention that they need. Hope this helps. Good luck im sure you will make the best choice for your family.