Mother's Day Out

Hi K.! I've visited Stonebriar Church in Frisco. They have a wonderful MMO program. They're very organized and have great resources for children. They're website is stonebriar.org and I'm not certain that the MMO program is listed or mentioned, but you can call the office for information.

There is a magazine that they are required to give parents upon enrollment at regular daycares, but if it is simply a MDO program, I do not know if they still do. Anyway, it has a list of questions commonly asked.

The laws are strict on facilities that provide care for MORE than 2 days a week (5 hours max). If the facility only does 2 days at 5 hrs each day, then they are NOT watched very closely by the law.

I encourage you to find a center that provides an option of 2 days for parents even though the center provides care for the rest of the week. This way you can be SURE that the teachers are screened and have been through 1st aid and CPR. Their facility is also inspected for various things and monitored by the law.

Blessings on your decision to entrust your little ones to others to build bonds and trust in you. It is healthy for kids to be able to trust others that you also trust. This helps to teach them many of life's lessons: academically, spiritually, and emotionally.

From a former child care worker (Day Care, Preschool, and PDO experience),

P. <><

Ask to see their licensing book. If they have had any violations, it will be in this book. Call your local Daycare Licensing office, it should be a division of Dept. of Human Services and ask about their record. Suprisingly, just because it is a church or in an affluent neighborhood doesn't mean a thing. All daycare centers in Texas are regulated the same way, held to a certain standard, no discrimination. Ask how they screen their employees. Is there a minimun age? Are they moms themselves? Do they do background checks? What is the discipline policy for the kiddos? How many kids to a room? Take an entire day, get a sitter and go walk around the centers. Stand outside the door, position yourself where the workers/teachers can't see you and listen. If I noticed a bad smell, I would nix it. Smells tell a lot about a place. Also, ask about curriculum. Organized activities make a huge difference as to whether or not your babies will like it. Call ahead and make appointments with the directors, ask what is a good time for them. You will need about 30 minutes. Don't let any staff or directors make you feel like you are crazy, or wasting their time. Most parents don't do this, so you may get some mixed responses, but stick to your guns. If this happens, say "I can see your are too busy for me right now, is there a better time when I can come back?" You will be happy in the long run you took this time, especially when you are out getting your errands and such taken care of. You will know your babies are in good hands. Blessings to you for being a great mom.

I made sure the teachers were background checked and that they had a policy for child pick-up (signing in or out, only pick up with a Driver's Liscence they have on file, etc). I also made sure they have a curriculum (ABEKA is what ours uses) and minimal nap/rest time if any.

When I enrolled my little ones in a MDO program (The Heights Baptist Church off Renner & 75-- they LOVE it!!) I asked the following questions, as they were very important to me:
What training/qualifications do the teachers have?

Do they all know child/infant CPR?

What type of plan do you have in case of emergency (i.e. some "bad guy" gets into the church during MDO times-- NOT a fire drill type plan, they ALL have those, but you'd be surprised at how stunned many are when you ask about other "emergency plans"!!)?

How do they discipline?

Do they "make" the children nap if they do not want to, or how do they handle that?

Am I able to come and see how my children are interacting-- randomly w/o "scheduling" it?

If my child gets hurt or is crying for an extended period b/c they "want their mommy", at what point do you call me to come pick them up?

If my child gets pinched, bitten, etc., do you let me know upon pick up?

Do you have any paperwork that comes home with me telling me how my children did today (did they eat their lunch? nap? if so, for how long? what did they do in class today? Etc.)

Hope this helps!!

I don't know that much about questions. I researched centers and asked for referrals from several different groups, including Mothers of Multiples of Plano. I received a number of referrals for Hunter's Glen Baptist Church in Plano near Custer & Spring Creek. A neighbor had 4 grandchildren go there and they were very happy. I placed my twin girls there and it was really excellent; they had fun, and they learned colors & shapes and it was a great experience. I have enrolled my twin boys there for this coming year. I think MDO is a great experience for twins to help round out the socialization skills. If you are near plano you may want to check out the Plano Mothers of Multiples at www.pamom.org. Good luck!

My son was in the MDO program at First Baptist Church McKinney for 3 years and my twins will start in the fall. They are 2. I was very happy with the program and my son learned a lot!