Those who have kids in childcare...

mummy2girls wrote: ok guys my openeing of a dayhome is approaching:) I am on a house hunt right now...LOL.... exciting stuff. This is my question...

What about your childs dayhome do you wish they provided for the kids and the parents? when you walk in the door what makes you say.. man I wish...

What about the dayhome do you LOVE?

What do you hate?

Do you like the idea of feildtrip in vans? or would you rather it be a close to the house trip like to the park?

CantWait replied: When I walk in the door, I want to see the fire escape route, what they've done today, or what they've eaten and apprx how much.

I prefer that field trips were close by, but I think with time as I would get more comfortable with the provider van trips would be fine. It would also depend on driving record. I never checked these with my old dayhome, but it's definetly something I would do if I ever used one again.

mummy2girls replied:
Thats what i plan to do for sure have the menu plan for the week and actuivity plan for the week posted. And then have fire escape route posted as well... and a fire extinguisher by the door as well:)

What i would do for sure is have a driver record done so each parent will get a copy:) I did that with the job i have now for the parents because i do take the girl places in my car and its completelt clean. no demerits or anything:)

C&K*s Mommie replied: When we used a dayhome I was at ease with the locked door from the outside of the home. That at least said that strangers could not just walk in as they please. What threw me off was the entrance through the add on (where the dayhome was) was stuck, I found this out just before I took Christian out because of the long backwards commute I was doing everyday. The assistant had to use a screwdriver to get the door unjammed! My nephew was on the inside of the house sleeping, so that really put me at unease then. So all working doors, is a plus! Up to code, no hidden surprises. Any documentation in plain sight. If you will be registered, or licensed, I would like to be able to see that. Any work the children have done. Clean toys, good selections. Multiples of things. Area for the kids to be comfy, have a place for homework, or crafts, specific area for eating and napping. All the things you have at your home for Jenna now (minus the multiples of toys) only expanded for several children. KWIM?

mummy2girls replied:
wow that door thing threw me.. hopw crazy is that?!?

Thank you for the ideas... I am going to be liscenced through the agency so the parents that call the agency will see that and everything to prove i am:) Any time the consultant comes for visits i will post that for all the parents to see and the remarks she says about my dayhome:) I am going to have an art work wall. so when the kids do a craft they can have the option of bringing it home or hanging it on the wall:) i will have a napping room, and a crafts area as well with tons of craft items:) I love to do crafts so that will be a defenite thing:)

what did you mean by minus the multiple of toys?

Brias3 replied: Wow, Shelly, sounds like you have it all planned out nicely! I'd probably suggest the same as others so far, just wanted to say that if you lived closer, I'd send mine over to you in a heartbeat! Good luck

BTW, I love the idea of the art wall!

luvbug00 replied: When Mya was in a home day care the lady had all documents in frames on the wall. She had a folder with a devider for each child and had a checklist in for each child that she would mark off and comment on. ex.

Mya ____


napped from ____ to ____

ate ____ , ______ , ____ ( chicken or whatever ) and ______ finish ( did or did not)

piddled ___
pooped ____ ( and if need be the consistancy)

extra comments:
she ate well and really enjoyed the blocks blah blah blah..


I really enjoyed how she feed the kids lots of diverse foods , not just "kid friendly"
stuff (she was latina so it was arroz con pollo and stuff like that) and it really expanded mya's tases for food. she also made the parents sign the kids in and out and had a copy of all our licences on hand to ensure it was us.
God I loved her!! GOOD LUCK!!!!

luvmykids replied: I love and miss Mema so much She was the lady who had the home daycare the kids used to go to ....

Basically everyone else has said what I would've, I loved the fact that one time when FIL went to pick up the kids she asked for his ID even though I had told her about him, given her a description of him, and the kids were telling her that it was grandpa. She also went and checked the seats in his truck to make sure they were buckled in correctly.

I liked that she had the parents sign a copy of the discipline policies too, and the sick kid policies. She was very much a hard a** but I loved it because I knew it was for the sake of the kids.

mckayleesmom replied: I have never put my kids in daycare....but I do occassionally look at them when driving by and stuff, so I would have to say location. I see all these daycares that have playyards really close to highways or streets...they are fenced in, but still. I would never bother with them because I would be afraid a car would vere off the road and come plowing into that yard during playtime...So..no houses by roads...or at least no houses with playards near roads.

danahas4monkeys replied: My kids arent in childcare anymore but when they were I liked that she did arts and crafts with the kids. I wouldnt mind field trips as long as they had help if they had more than 4 kids. I think you are on the right track with all you've mentioned.

Dana

Hillbilly Housewife replied: The thing I liked best from the daycares when my kids were in them was that each one had an agenda that the provider would fill out everyday (10$ about, check book stores) that had their overall mood, appetite, if the had a potty accident, if they played nice, napped, etc etc.... and she had a pin up board with the weekly menu including snacks. I loved that - because I knew that the kids had, for example - some chicken rice and green beans for lunch, so I didn't feel too bad about making sandwiches, cereal or Kraft Dinner for supper.

coasterqueen replied: I like seeing the calendar right when I walk in telling me what's going on there that month. A place to put their coats, etc. I LOVE the sheets she gives me telling what the girls ate, when they ate, what they drank, when they drank, when Megan goes poo and pee, what new things she did that day. I LOVE getting emails with cute pics of what the girls did.

I don't like that she's not as clean as I'd like. Don't like all the dogs, but the kids do.

I don't mind long distance road trips. My provider takes the kids to St. Louis over the summer and that's 1.5 hour drive or so. Each parent has to sign a permission slip as to if their kid can go to this place or that place. Megan hasn't gone on a long distance trip with Terri, but Kylie has and has loved it every time.

My3LilMonkeys replied: I think everyone has given you some great suggestions! My kids haven't ever been in day care, but I particularly like the checking of ID's for pickup.

mummy2girls replied: Thanks guys... these all help!

Nathansmom replied: When I was unsuccessfully looking for a dayhome for Nathan some of the things I diskliked, no nap room, not enough cribs/playpens for everyone to nap, not seeing enough room for all the kids to eat (highchairs, small table, only 2 chairs)

What I did like was a play area separate from the eating areas, a childproof house, and a nice schedule posted of activities and meals.

I would think that for the beginning short trips would be best for field trips, but if the kids are with you for a while, then longer van trips would be alright.

One thing I really didn't notice at any of the places I went was a really "warm" environment, most of them looked too "faked" to me. I happened to be looking over Christmas, so most of the other kids were never there, but it seemed forced to me, like it wasn't a naturally fun place, if that made any sense at all.

My lack of finding a dayhome was the #2 reason I decided to work at home (besides being able to be a sahm mom that is.)