Starting Your Toddler in Daycare

I shared earlier that we are expecting our second cub, now slated to arrive any minute as today marks week 37 for us. The journey has been interesting to say the least but of course our focus has been on preparing our current cub for the transition and all the "joys" that are expected. The first joy  being daycare/childcare.

We have been very fortunate to have my mother care for our little cub while we both work. Additionally, ALL my family still resides in the metro area so I have a wealth of babysitters from which to choose. Coincidentally, my now two year old son has never been cared for by a stranger. I am sure you can imagine my anxiety surrounding the whole daycare thing and placing my cub's well-being in the hands of a stranger.
Having heard that this daycare search can be a bit of a hassle and that there are waiting lists and all other kinds of nonsense, we began the hunt for a place early this past summer. I did all the internet research and took days from work to go scout out these places. Beyond ensuring my child’s safety and providing general care I wasn’t sure as to what I really wanted in childcare. As a matter of fact, even after my internet research I wasn’t aware of half the stuff possible. With all that being said I was not properly prepared for what would happen during the daycare hunt. Here it is in a nutshell...

Start with your budget
I thought this was logical. No sense in looking at a daycare/childcare/learning center/academy that I can't afford. Well problem...No one advertises their cost/expenses. Each facility wants you to come in for a tour/consultation then discuss "tuition". By the way why is it called tuition? Moving right along. I am convinced they do this so you will come in, fall in love with the facility and staff, and enroll your child regardless of your budget. I can't lie; this almost happened to me. After visiting three locations, none of which did I know all the costs before meeting the staff and touring the facility, I felt so defeated by my options versus my budget that I almost selected the facility that was $6,480 over my budget. Seriously!!!

So maybe you should…

Start with what you want to achieve
This may be a little more logical. That way you have an idea of what items you are willing to go without and what items are must haves. When I rated the three places I visited, Daycare A was like Heaven. It was everything you wanted in a daycare for your child plus things you never knew you wanted. This was also the one $6, 480 over my budget. The next one I visited, Daycare B, felt like something on Elm Street...a complete nightmare. This was the one in my budget. They met the bare requirement; someone will watch my child and keep him alive Monday through Friday. I of course visited these two places one behind the other and felt utterly defeated. I am that type of parent that wants to give my child the moon but I couldn't afford the moon and what I could afford was a nightmare. Well on to Daycare C. This place is completely middle of the road. They definitely offered more than Daycare B but would not be ensuring my cub's slot into Princeton like Daycare A. They were a little more than what I budgeted, approximately $800, but I'm willing to forgo some hair, nail, and me day shopping to make this happen.

Some things I wasn't prepared for during the hunt

1. They have curriculums they follow for two year olds. Daycare A came with textbooks and homework. The cub is two!!!! I almost fainted once the curriculum director, don't even get me started on the fact that there is even a curriculum director, began explaining which methods they utilize at the academy. Daycare C has a curriculum they follow but no textbooks or homework.

2. They will evaluate and progress your child to ensure they are always in the proper classroom. I mean I was in the advanced classes and stuff in grade school but evaluate my child on what? Who can actually say Elmo? They are two. I just got excited the other day because my cub finally picked his own nose. I guess he won't be in the advanced toddler class huh?

3. They have rooms where you can come to the center and watch the classroom the entire day or, if you are Daycare A, log into a computer from work/home and watch the classroom. I'm told this assists in resolving conflicts or validating stories. It's also about trust. I don't know. If I need to do all this I would rather not have my child in daycare.

4. They expel children from daycare. I have no opinion on this I just wasn't aware.

So today was the first day of daycare for our cub. I will share that adventure in my next post. Stay tuned.....