Worried About Daycare - Nashua,NH

i agree with the others, #1 sounds best IF it feels as good or better than #2. the food thing wouldn't bother me, but no playground on site and fewer staff members is less than ideal.
but sometimes the 'ideal' ones just don't have the right vibe.
i'd start out with #1 but be prepared to switch gears if necessary.
congrats on the new job!
khairete
S.

DayCare 1 gets my vote 100%.

Now, my child is only 3 but at his I would not be able to have him walk to a park. He requires a full-fenced in playground or could dart. Also, packing food is a pain. The daycares serve healthy meals and my son has started eating so healthy because he is exposed there, and it's eat that or nothing.
He is not full-day but joins for preschool. I had to nix any that didn't have a fenced-in playground.
Plus, one small room might get old, so option 1 sounds great!

Daycare 1 seems like the better choice, unless your children have food allergies. Then I would go with daycare 2 and pack their meals. If your paying around the same amount, I would go with the one who supplies lunch and save yourself some time and maybe a little bit of money!

I would trust your instincts, and take a second tour of both if you need to.

With only these facts to go by, daycare 1 sounds better to me. The walking to the park thing makes me a little nervous, especially since you say they have fewer workers. Not that they wouldn't keep a good eye on them, but with kids....you turn away for one second and anything can happen. My daughter is 6 and she had a walk a thon around the neighborhood for school this past spring. If I hadn't chaperoned, I would have been very nervous about that and they had a police escort! :)

I'd also think about pros and cons like hours and funds and transportation. How do they handle food allergies? How likely are your kids to eat the food provided if it's provided. We turned down a daycare that provided formula for babies, but only 2 brands, and you paid whether you used it or not. My DD was breastfed and I felt like I would be subsidizing someone else's kid and it was already VERY expensive. My DD also has a food allergy and I still provide her lunches. If your children don't eat the snacks, will they be OK til dinnertime? If the teachers seem happy, ask about turnover. And look at the kids. Adults can fake it, but kids don't. If they aren't genuinely happy, then you'll see it.

On paper, I'd probably use #1. My DD's school has people who have been happy and very very unhappy. Unhappy people tend to talk more than others. Talk to the parents of the kids you know who attend and try to determine if it's about that parent or if it's about that program. I have a friend who is a bit pushy and things have to be just so for her to be happy. She was very negative about a program her daughter was in -- didn't 100% meet her expectations. So I weigh her personality when I talk to her about kid stuff. (For the place in question, the academics were very good, but people didn't like the vibe of the school, and neither did I, in the end). Do visit them both and think about your kids and how the "feel" of the place would be for them. I had a daycare option when DD was an infant that had a lot going for it, but in the end I couldn't make myself really like it.

I was leaning towards one because you said 2 has fewer staff. The fact there is not a playground on site would be another reason for me.

I agree with going with your heart.

I'd go with daycare number one. Having a playground near the program is a wonderful thing. If it's hot, they can do short playtimes, same with cold, and it's not a production to get them to-from. I also found that the park bathrooms are sometimes less than desirable.

But the biggest seller is that the teachers seemed friendly and like being there.
With more staff, you have less chance of something happening which might impact you, personally. More staff means more permanent teachers who know the programs and can step in for each other. Less staff might mean that a sub who is unfamiliar with the program may be called in to help if teachers are out.

Me, I'd go with option 1. Having worked in daycares before, this sounds like the better option.

ETA: For what it's worth, I have had to carry children who decided they 'weren't going to walk' or had a tantrum on a field trip. Not fun. Can't imagine doing it for a quarter mile and YES, these things happen!

Unless there are other issues you haven't shared with us, (is your son an eager eater, or a picky eater?), I would choose Daycare 1.

More staff, play area on site, food prepared... and they are most likely preparing a well-balanced meal, following nutrition guidelines.

Walking the kids to the park twice a day bothers me.... with fewer staff members, how easy is it to watch the kids in a park/playground?

I would always consider safety first. More staff and onsite playground make 1 the best option.

Is the building equally secure?

For me I would also look at the curriculum if everything else was equal. I don'like worksheets. I like more structured play or hands on activities.

If there is a chance of Making mom friends or having kids that will be in same elementary w my kid I would consider that too.

Vibe says slot did they both feel good?

Day Care 1 sounds better, especially the happy/friendly part. It sounds so much better than I don't understand why you are questioning it. What does #2 have that #1 does not?

I agree, go with the vibe.

Day care 1 absolutely. It's actually more like a regular child care facility. They sound more like a regular place.

I like the idea of the school providing the food. Seriously, you don't know the condition of the home of the kid sitting next to your kiddo. They could have maggots in the sinks or roaches in everything. I've seen customers come into restaurants that I work in and they have roaches crawling in the ladies purses. It's so nasty to bring stuff from home...

I also like the idea of the playground on the property because, even though I know they'd take precautions, accidents still happen. Drunk drivers still drive on the sidewalks or into red lights and cross walks. I would not choose that site due to the playground specifically.

But I do have to ask. Why isn't your 4 year old starting school with big sibling? They are plenty old for an actual pre-K program and the school will always be better than any child care setting because they are regulated by the education regulations instead of child care regulations.

I would be concerned with what kind of food is served at #1, but otherwise that would be my choice. An on site playground was NECESSARY for my kids, all of them were talented escape artists at that age (they all attended preschool at a Montessori school, not daycare per se, but my concerns were the same).

Assuming costs are similar, I think #1 gives you more flexibility. They have more staff, so if there is an absence or an issue, they'll have more coverage. The on-site playground is very nice especially on an iffy-day where they can be outside and still scoot inside if the rain starts. Same thing for those snowy NH winter days. Bundling up a bunch of preschoolers into snow suits and boots and then walking to the park at Day Care #2 just isn't going to happen (or isn't going to be any fun if it does).

Providing their own food (whether or not it's a money saver for you) is going to save you time, and it also teaches kids that everyone who sits down at the table eats the same thing. This helps you at the dinner table at home so no one is demanding that you be a short order cook. Sometimes it gets them to try new foods more easily than they do for you. One has to assume that they are taking food allergies into account. Besides, a lot of times when kids bring snacks/lunch from home, they see what the next kid has and they turn their noses up at their own food. Uniform food solves all that.

I wouldn't worry about things like curriculum as long as you see that things are varied - as a teacher, you know that kids need to learn to move from station to station with the group, they need to do auditory, visual, tactile and verbal things. So if the teachers talk about, say, the weather and get kids to learn to sit in a circle and take turns on different days saying what kind of day it is (hot, cold, cloudy, windy, rainy, etc.), if there is story time and puzzle time and art time, if there is gross motor and fine motor skill time, and plenty of socialization, then it sounds balanced. It doesn't matter if it's non-academic - and usually it's better. When I was teaching, it was much harder to work with a kindergartener who had been drilled on letters and reading, numbers and math, but couldn't walk in a line or transition from one activity to another. That doesn't mean kids shouldn't be exposed to academic subjects but it does mean I wouldn't choose a preschool program that boasts those things.

But since you say the programs are similar, and you're happy with them, I'd choose on other criteria. Don't worry about a negative review - a lot of times it just wasn't a good match, or the parent is difficult to please.

So, given that it's August, I'd quickly decide and put down a deposit right now to secure your spot.

And if your gut tells you anything different from what we've said here in our answers, go with your gut! You know best!

Good luck with your new job - hope it's wonderful.

I'm sure you've visited both places. Without seeing either place, I owuld probably pick Daycare 1. It just sounds more like the one my kids go to. But what does your heart tell you?

When I looked at Daycare Centers, I was very nervous. I was nervous for all the obvious reasons - I'm leaving my baby!!! But I was also nervous because I kind of wanted a check list or list of questions to help me decide. What I soon learned is that the director takes care of all that in the shpeal he/she gives during the tour. What really matters is which place made me feel good and think, "Ok, I could see my baby here. I feel good about leaving him here."

You gotta go with your gut!

No contest. Option 1. There is no way I would want my child to walk 1/4 mile 2xs per day to go to a public playground. (a woman in my neighborhood lost her 4 yo during a morning walk to the bus stop when her son stepped out into the street and was hit by a car. She was right next to him).

If both are relatively equal, I would go with option 1. Having a playground is a huge plus for me. We used to go to a program that would walk through the community but they did have a playground onsite. A quarter mile each way seems far for little legs. Whatever you choose, your child will do best if he doesn't feel stress over it from you.

You may not have time to get the info back now, but check w/your state board on daycares - if there were any issues, there will be a record - including what they did to correct any issue.

I would pick #1 based on the fact that they provide the food and snacks. It will make life easier for you and your child will get to try different foods.

While it is nice that #1 has a playground on site I actually prefer the idea that the kids are walked to and from the local park. That way I know the kids are getting enough exercise.

ETA: Ideally the daycare with the on site park would still take the kids out for walks.

Daycare #1 sounds better, EXCEPT for the food issue. That would have been a deal breaker for me. Most daycares provide a rotation of chicken nuggets, hot dogs, macaroni & cheese, fake pizza and a lunchable/processed meat sort of meal. Goldfish or fruit snacks (candy) for snack. If that is what daycare #1 offers, I would not consider it at all. The number of staff members is generally dictated by the state and very few centers staff above this level so perhaps Daycare #2 has fewer total children (not just pre-schoolers). I personally like the idea of the kids leaving the building and walking to a park. However, on days too cold to go outside (or thunderstorms), the smaller building might be a problem.

CONGRATULATIONS on the job!!! How exciting for you!

Personally? I would hire a nanny if you are having concerns. If you aren't going to do that? Between the options you have given, I would go with option 1 - as I'd rather have a better teacher/student ratio.

Having them provide the food will also help your son and his eating habits - if he's NOT a picky eater, he will be more open to trying new things.

Congrats again!! Good luck!

I think option 1 sounds great.