Printable View
HI :) I'm new to this site and was wondering if I could get a little insight from the parents who have their little ones in dayhomes. What is/was most important to you when finding a provider, what hrs to you think to be the best, what are your expectations for play vs. learning time at a dayhome.??? thanks
My child is in a daycare, not dayhome right now, but if I was looking I would want:
- safety! 1st aid courses etc.
- time of 7am - 5:30/6ish to allow for parent to work and have time to drop off/pick up.
- Reasonable child to care giver ratio + compatible age ranges of kids
- Hot meal included...snacks can be brought from home or provided
- Basic daily structure...not set in stone. ie: Outdoor time (if weather good), art twice a week, free play for X/hr per day, naps roughly x to x...etc., educational component spread throughout (letter of the week, numbers, colors), no TV, have toys that are rotated for 'freshness' that teach motor and reasoning skills + imagination encouragement (shapes, puzzles, latches, ride em cars)
- Something setting your care apart...ie: Weekly toddler yoga :) Or spring hatching of chicks Or drum circle....something unique :)
Then again, I could be a totally over the top parent with mucho expectations. I am curious to what the group says :)
Where do you live, in Calgary,? My plan for the fall is very structured though fun. 830 snack, 9 music,915 story time, 945 free play , 10 to 1045 outdoor door play, 1045 clean up & snack time ect ect. New things daily, but changing activities daily
I'm new to this. But why can one post get close to a hundred views and no replies ? I thought the point of the site was to help each other out. ......
There's not a lot of parents on here. It's mostly providers.
Oh I thought the point was to get parents. Hmmmm well since u r here. Do u run a day home
.?
If your child is in day care why did you choose that over day homes?
Yes, I'm a childcare provider. My program is much different though, so I'm not likely to be much help to you. I use a very play based, child led approach.
I think maybe because not many parents come to this forum. And the providers all do different things, hours, service depending on local needs.Quote:
Originally Posted by adorable ages
I am in PEI. Most people are fishing industry, tourism or office hours. I do the office hours people - so my hours are 8am to 5.30pm - we are a little place with not much traffic and not in the city. People do not travel far to their work just into town.
My friends in Nova Scotia have more demand for shift work and military. Lots of hospitals in NS for the Maritimes so lots of nurses and doctors who do shift work.
It's changes a lot base on location and the type of work people do near you. Then you need to see what type of worker you want to come to your day care and do hours that work for them.
I am a parent! I love reading the forums and gain a lot of insight into what providers go through on a daily basis. Mostly, it reaffirms my thought that I am one of the good day care moms, and also makes me pay my appreciation to our daycare provider even more so, after hearing what a lot of you go through on a daily basis.
To adorable ages - one of the things about our dcp that I appreciate the most is that she has family to backup her care. So, if she is unable to be there that day for whatever reason, her mother, or sister is there - I've been there more than a year and have never had to scramble at the last moment to find someone else. This is worth it's weight in gold to me!
Of course safety, and past experience, and her curriculum are up there too but for me, it's knowing that my son will always be cared for.
She also does a variety of activities with the children, making use of different senses each time. She usually takes the time throughout the day to text me a photo - it means so much to see him having a good day and enjoying himself. Hope this helps! Good luck to you :)
Also - I have my 2 y/o in a dayhome because I like the home setting - the smaller groups, the more personal care. When he is 3+, we will be looking to transition him into a pre-school as for us in Ontario, school starts at 3/4!
Thx for your imput. I 100% agree that knowing your child is safe while also having fun is so important. I have a daily report set up to give a break down of the child's day, with everything from what they ate, what they enjoyed most and what their mood was. I love the idea of daily texts of pictures. I also have a photo disc of quarterly activities, playful moments, times at the park and craft building. Something for the parents to keep and treasure of the moments their child had, but that they sadly missed. I find we can never have enough photos of our children. :):):)