**My boys at their Halloween party at daycare. I left my camera and asked if they could snap a few pics…yet another awesome thing about my daycare!**
So I will be heading back to work this week after a wonderful summer at home with the boys. Not that it will be easy to go back to work, but it is much easier to go back to work when you love your daycare the way we love ours. We have been with our daycare since my oldest son was nine weeks old, and he is now four and a half.
I have heard all of the nightmare stories from friends about their daycares that didn’t work out for various reasons, and every time I listen to one of them talk about their struggles, I say an internal “Thank you!” to fate for connecting me with our daycare. If you’re in the market to look for a daycare, here are some things I think you should think about. These are some of the reasons that we LOVE our daycare. (Here is where I insert the personalized shout-out to Children’s Connection daycare in North Branch, MN. You guys rock!!)
1. Communication is absolutely essential. If you’re scouting for a daycare, ask how they will let you know what went on during your child’s day. At our daycare, the students have individualized sheets sent home during their first couple years that let’s you know what they ate, when they slept, when they changed their diaper… All of the things that you want to know about your little one’s day. (Well, maybe you didn’t want to know about the three poops. But still…) Each room also has a board where they post the day’s activities. BONUS points if the teachers have little stories for you about your kid that day. I always love getting a taste of what my kids’ days were like. It should also be okay for you to call and check-in on your kid if need be. Ask about their policies.
2. Food is something else to check into when picking a daycare. Do you have to pack your child’s food or do they provide it? Our daycare posts a menu for the month so that I know what my kids ate for the day. This is great for several reasons. One is that I don’t double up on meals if I remember to check the menu. (Lasagna hot dish for lunch? We’ll be skipping the lasagna for dinner.) I also love that my son will eat vegetables at daycare that he doesn’t eat at home. Must be the peer pressure of the other kids eating green things, but I am on board with that kind of peer pressure. Daycare only serves applesauce each day? Keep looking…
3. Special activities will also make a daycare stand out. I’m not saying that every day should be a three-ring circus. Certainly, you don’t want your child to think that every day has to be full of crazy things. But there should be the occasional activity that is different than the normal day-to-day routine. In the summer, our daycare does all sorts of special things…bringing in speakers, field trips for older kids, ice cream, water play days… I love that our daycare does a Christmas program as well, on top of all sorts of other fun activities. You are probably more likely to get these kinds of things from a center than a home, so consider how important these “extras” are to you.
4. Learning, duh! I want my kids to have fun and be well taken care of, but they also need to be learning a thing or two as well! Even babies learn, through singing and reading stories and interactive play. Make sure when you’re considering a daycare that there is a licensed teacher there. Ask to see what the “lesson plans” are for the week. If a provider can’t tell you what the kids will be learning…you may want to keep on searching.
5. Recommendations are also something to consider. Do you know anyone that sends their kids to the daycare? Will the daycare give you references if you are interested? Obviously anyone can toot their own horn and tell you that they will be great for your child, but I think it is worth the effort to ask around and get opinions from people you trust. Before we enrolled our kids at our daycare, I already knew three families that used them…and loved them.
I could go on and on, as there are many things to consider when picking someone to take care of your child, but these are some of the most important things to consider. Also trust your gut. If a daycare looks and sounds great, but it just doesn’t feel right to you…don’t send your kid there. You have to be comfortable with your choice.
If I needed any extra validation that my daycare is awesome, it came to me when I picked up my younger son from daycare one day when he wasn’t feeling good. I barely got a smile out of him when I walked into his room to get him. However, as we made our way out, we passed by a wall that had all of the teachers’ pictures posted on it. My feverish, unhappy son reached out to touch the picture of one of his teachers, said her name, and smiled. This made my heart happy. Even when down and out, my son still loved his teachers.
Good luck to you if you’re searching for a daycare! I hope that these suggestions help you to find the perfect daycare for your child!
Howdy! This post couldn’t be written any better!
Reading through this article reminds me of my previous roommate!
He constantly kept preaching about this. I’ll forward this post to
him. Fairly certain he will have a good read.
I appreciate you for sharing!