Seeking advice: Twonky and daycare

[sigerson]

Today I cold-called about twenty local daycare centers (family and group) to ask about availability in January. While I found out some good information and have a few leads, talking with sen_no_ongaku made me realize: We don't know what we're really looking for in a daycare.


We don't know what things are must-haves, what things are nice-to-have but not essential, what things are entirely irrelevant. Distance from home? Accessibility to T? Flexible hours or strict pickup policies? Number of caretakers? Kinds of toys and activities? Hourly rates? Lots of kids or few kids?

So I'm asking the parents out there who have used daycare: What have been the best things and worst things about the place(s) you've used? What is your sine qua non? What things have you really liked but could live without?

I don't expect consensus, of course, nor do I expect to be wanting the same things--but right now, we don't really know where to start. So, internets: any advice?

Comments

[mjhamilton.livejournal.com]

We use an in-home daycare.

In MA, home daycares are required by law to be licensed. The license is required to be posted somewhere visible. Besides the legality issue, the licensing means that there are periodic inspections.

Also, I would ask if the DC is on the federal lunch program. I've found that the lunch program does unannounced inspections about once per month, and they require menus to be submitted weekly. While food isn't the biggest issue for a little baby, I like the extra level of monitoring.

If the daycare accepts low-income children where the parents get financial assistance for tuition, it will get additional inspections. The first daycare we used didn't accept vouchers, and I later found that the woman cheated on her taxes among other things.

Why I prefer an in-home DC vs. a center: 1) No turnover in the care provider. I think it is better for K (and now E) to be able to bond with their caregiver. 2) I like mixed-age grouping. I think it is good for little kids to have older children to imitate. Centers tend to be strictly same-age groups. 3) It seems closer to an "at-home" situation to me.

Things that can be difficult: 1) Hours are not very flexible (as in open/close times). 2) If provider is sick, the DC may close.

Also, it is a normal practice for home daycares to expect some paid holidays. Some will also want a paid vacation (mine does not). I would expect this, but avoid a DC where the time off is excessive. My provider takes the major holidays (Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, etc.) and one week of vacation.

As far as cost, we are pretty far out of the city. Our daycare is $165/week. One of the local centers a friend used is $200/week. When we lived in Arlington, K went to a place in Cambridge that was $350/week or $7/hour. I couldn't afford any of the centers there as most charged more than I was making at the time. I think the Bright Horizons I priced was around $2200/month or something equally scary. Nannies are going to be $15/hour and up.