Potential New Daycare? Your Thoughts, Please!

[small_steps]

21 is definately young but though it's uncommon, there are many 21 year olds out there that do have their acts together. If she is very mature for her age I would go for it. She obviously has her act together and knows what she wants out of life.
Go with your instincts on this one. Maybe check references if she has a couple for you to call.

[kayla]

Alot of my families chose me because they said i was young and had more energy, they felt like older providers were burnt out..

[Crystal]

Her age is fine. She has experience, education and clearly, based on your description, a passion for working with children. She also has her Mom there, which is helpful

During the observation, you should not ask any questions. That is what the interview was for. The observation is simply for you to observe her, in action, working with the children. If you have questions, ask her when would be a good time to call her.

What you should look for during the observation is how she interacts with the children. How she speaks to them, her body language with them (which is sometimes more telling than their words) how the children are with her, how she handles behavior issues when they arise, etc. You should also observe her assistant as well, in the same way.

Good luck. I hope, whomever you choose, that your child and your family find the perfect fit

[CheekyChick]

Here are the most important questions you need to ask:

1. Is she licensed by the state?
2. Is she CPR/First Aid certified?
3. What is her emergency evacuation plan and does she run drills every month?
4. I would ask why she limits her "parent obvservation" to 30 minutes. I think a parent should stay as long as THEY need to stay in order to get a good idea of what REALLY happens during the day.
5. I would ask her what her policy is on "drop in" visits.

Good luck in making this very important decision.

[SilverSabre25]

Here are the most important questions you need to ask:

1. Is she licensed by the state?
2. Is she CPR/First Aid certified?
3. What is her emergency evacuation plan and does she run drills every month?
4. I would ask why she limits her "parent obvservation" to 30 minutes. I think a parent should stay as long as THEY need to stay in order to get a good idea of what REALLY happens during the day.
5. I would ask her what her policy is on "drop in" visits.

Good luck in making this very important decision.

Are you kidding me? That would invite parents to stay the entire dang day! She probably limits the observations out of common sense and good business practice, really.

[parent needing help]

Hi everyone, I'm back! Thank you to those who gave me tips about what I should look for and I tried to blend into the background as much as possible.

I was able to go over to observe yesterday. My daughter caught a cold, so my husband had to stay home with her while I went and visited.

First impression - this was probably the most calmest place in the world. There was no crying, no screaming, no yelling, no tantrums.........it was very peaceful. I ended up staying just over an hour total and during that time, there wasn't one tear shed by any of the children, or tantrums thrown. I realize that 1 hour isn't a wonderful judge of the daily life in the daycare, but I was blown away.

The children she has in care are so respectful to the provider, her assistant, and to themselves and each other that I'm pretty sure I had a permanent smile attached to myself. They were sitting down for morning snack when I arrived and each child said "thank you" when they were served, "please" when they wanted more water, and "may I get down please?" when they were finished. There was a few children who bumped into one another when they were pushing in their chairs at the table, and their immediate response was "excuse me" or "I'm sorry". All of the children, with the exception of the three youngest who were probably younger than 18 months and still in high chairs, were responsible for throwing away their trash and putting their cups into the sink, and they all did a very good job. I was then able to watch as they started preparing to go outside on a neighborhood walk. I'm not sure how the provider did it, but she managed to change 8 diapers in less than 15 minutes. It almost always takes 5 minutes each diaper change for just my one child and I thought THAT was quick.

The assistant stayed inside with the babies while they went down for a morning nap and 2 other children who didn't have proper outdoor attire. The provider went outside with the other 5 children and they were all "hooked" up to a thing called a Walk-a-dile(?). I'm sure other providers would know what this is but it looked pretty cool and the children knew just what to do after they were strapped in. We took about a 15 minute walk around so that she could show me the park they visit and during this time all the children listened great, held onto the walking rope thing and were great about staying on the sidewalk. Again, I was impressed.

The last 15 minutes I spent was watching the children free play. They were allowed to pick any activity they wanted and it was pretty fun to see how much fun the children had in the elaborate kitchen/dress-up/pretend area.

I left feeling on a wonderful note and I am going to go with this provider. I think she has a good manage on the children she is caring for and I want my daughter to have manners like the other children she had in care. I think my daughter can benefit from the preschool program she does at age 3 and the provider is so friendly. Her age was something I was iffy about - I remember when I was 21! But, I do believe this provider is mature, educated, and she seems like she has a real love for what she's doing. I am usually a good reader of people and I think this provider will work out well for what we wanted for our daughter.

Thank you for the help everyone. It was very much appreciated and it allowed me to see from other providers points of view. I have a hard time seeing another side if I haven't been on the other side personally, so I do think you all helped me.

Thanks again!

[cheerfuldom]

I am so glad your observation went well! She sounds very organized. One hour with so many little ones and no crying is amazing, just like you said. I don't know if I would pass that test with my 7 kiddos here