In-Home Daycare vs. Center

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
If you take your child to a home, they will have visitors whether it's family or the repair man. That's a given, a home is not a center.

You don't think center employees get visitors or centers get repairs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think there are good and bad in both. I worked in a few centers years ago. Many parents liked the hours so they could have their child there from 6-600 p.m. They are open most days in the year. It wasn't as structured as people think. Too many children per provider, not enough one on one attention; and many aggression problems because of so many kids. Kids are usually more sick in centers. Centers are much more expensive, but you are paying for that convenience.

Home daycare is as good as the person who is running it like anything else. It can be great if you find a provider who is reliable and has made it a career. Your child is getting more one on one attention, many do preschool which can be a much better deal for the parent. On the downside once you have chosen a "home", it functions as a home so it's not a parent's business who they have visiting, a parent can't hang out, and basically there's less control. Of course with a center they often have many staff changes because of low pay etc. Overall, both can be good and bad depending on ones needs imo.

Too many children per provider? There are strict regulations on this. Our center had 4 providers for 6 infants; 3 providers for 6 older infants; 4 providers for 9 toddlers; etc. All state regulated. I much prefer the accountability and structure of a center, especially because the children are always doing age-appropriate activities. I don't want my 3 year old being looked after all day by the same person who's focused on an infant - I'd rather have him with a group of kids his age learning responsibility, letters, days and months, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
If you take your child to a home, they will have visitors whether it's family or the repair man. That's a given, a home is not a center.

You don't think center employees get visitors or centers get repairs?

That was in response to someone saying that the home daycare wouldn't have visitors because it disrupts the kids. The provider is watching the children, but she may have family from out of town etc. I think the main point being there are differences in centers and a home that a parent needs to be realistic about.

[Anonymous]

In-home daycare is not a monolithic entity. There can be huge variations in quality from one provider to the next, but if you can find a great one it really is the best of all worlds.

Our in-home daycare has 12 kids and 3 providers. The proprietor has designated an entire floor of her home (full-daylight, walk-out basement) as daycare space. They have both a baby room and a separate space for older kids. For the 3-4 year olds, there is a pre-school curriculum. There is no TV and she is fully regulated by the state, with unscheduled inspections. They have a music teacher, a science program, a backyard playground, home-cooked meals, and do incredible art projects. When I was in labor with #2, she watched #1 for me until late into the night. And above all else, we know our children are loved. I couldn't imagine paying hundreds of dollars a month more for a center.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I vastly prefer centers.

No TV or screen time, ever
More than 1 adult = safety and security/checks and balances
Center is usually open even when schools/govt are not
Socialization
More room to play/run around/experience a larger environment
Structured activities/daily report
Set learning goals, even from infancy; I truly believe my daughter is verbally advanced because of her daycare experience

It's fine that you prefer a center and your reasons are totally valid, but the bolded line above is complete bullshit - look around your kid's room and you will see children with varying verbal abilities and other skills. Just like how my 2 1/2 year old who has been in a home daycare (where she gets, gasp, screen time in the form of kids music!) since she was 4 months old speaks at a 3 1/2 year old's level (per her pediatrician and my MIL who is a speech pathologist at a major university. She also knows all her letters, numbers, shapes, and colors.

yep. you can learn a lot from Little Baby Bum.

[Anonymous]

Exactly. There can be quality care in licensed and unlicensed daycare.

[Anonymous]

Great daycare can be grandma, the home sitter, or a center. It all comes down to personal preferences.

[Anonymous]

I would prefer a nanny for an infant/toddler and then a center. If you can't afford the nanny, I would do in home daycare for an infant/toddler.

If your child is close to 2, I would go with a center for sure. So many more activities. DS LOVES his friends at the center. It is like one big play date everyday plus some learning. Facilities are really nice with a huge yard and playground and also indoor play space for bad weather days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would prefer a nanny for an infant/toddler and then a center. If you can't afford the nanny, I would do in home daycare for an infant/toddler.

If your child is close to 2, I would go with a center for sure. So many more activities. DS LOVES his friends at the center. It is like one big play date everyday plus some learning. Facilities are really nice with a huge yard and playground and also indoor play space for bad weather days.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When you find a good in-home, it's like a second home and family for your baby. All the loves, cuddles, and personalized attention of family, with the oversight of regular check-ins from various levels of government. That last part is what varies greatly by jurisdiction - in Arlington, my provider was inspected 2-3 times per year by the city, and at least once a year by USDA for the nutrition of the food. There were regular free trainings, ratio was capped at 3 kids to 1 adult, and overall, it was just a wonderfully run program. But I've since moved to Marlyand where inspections are once a year, providers who shouldn't pass are listed as having no violations, and the ratio is 8 to 1. There are still jems in the mix, but they're harder to find.

A center can really vary - obviously the bad cases make it in the news, it can't be as personal as other options, but there is some reassurance in having an extra set of eyes.

Another big problem with centers is the high turnover of staff. My relative had a lady in her neighborhood babysit her children until school age. Not licensed, great care and she did a lot of learning activities, and one on one. They are all still very close, went to their college graduations, and weddings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the home daycare fans, how do you deal with the lack of oversight?

That's the thing...I wouldn't really consider there to be a lack of oversight. We did a background check, talked to 5 references (2 of which were from our listserv and not provided directly by the care-provider), and have years of clean state and county inspection records to look through. We have relationships with the other parents with children there and they're also happy with the care provided.

Ultimately, you place trust with the person you leave your child with regardless of whether that's at an in-home or at a center. Honestly, I feel very good about doing the vetting of our care provider myself rather than relying on a center to do it with the person they've employed.

But if there's one person working there....

Maybe I am missing something.

You are missing the fact that home daycares are licensed by the county and state and have to undergo multiple inspections (most surprises) a year.

We left DC before having our baby, but I can tell you that 90% of the home daycares in my current area are not licensed and only have one person working there. And one of those providers is currently in jail for murdering a toddler.

[Anonymous]

I can tell you every state has unlicensed and licensed care. Home, or centers you can have good and bad working in both. Talking about the horror stories of the home daycare lady, I can equally give you the ones of the centers. I can give even more examples of all the horrible parents providers have seen and dealt with.

[Anonymous]

OP quickly in again. Again, thank you for the continued conversation. Like several of you have mentioned, I can imagine that positive and negative experiences can happen in both types of care settings.

Amid all this, a headline popped up in my news thread, disturbing and upsetting. (I only caught a mini-preview, and it was enough for me; this is the heading:
Day Care Director Caught On Camera Beating Child

A day care director in Florida was arrested after police she she was caught on video hitting a toddler and slamming him to the ground during naptime.")

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They both have pros and cons. I think when they are babies the home environment is better, more nuturing and not as noisy and stimulating as a ctr.
But as they get older you want more than most home daycares can offer. Unless you find someone who does K readiness type stuff for the 3 and 4 yo's.

Personally for an almost 2yo I would do a ctr, otherwise you may be looking again in a year or so.

Where do you live in Moco? I can rec a home daycare in Rockville and one in Burtonsville

I would love to hear recommendations in Rockville and Burtonsville!! Looking for my 1yo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP checking back. Wow, I didn't expect my thread to become so busy ... I can see that there are many opinions, and I respect that.

The option to tour is a good suggestion, though I have a feeling it will still be tough to figure it out. I don't have any personal recommendations to go by (e.g., a place used by a friend/family member), so reading up here from others is very helpful.

PP, or any other who does not mind to comment again, is age 3 the time to certainly transition to a daycare or preschool?

We transitioned to a "preschool" from our daycare at 2. The daycare center had huge class sizes (2s class was 26 tots), and we felt dd wasn't getting much individual attention. We chose the center for many of the same reasons pps have mentioned, and it was fine for those reasons. However, we are much happier with the smaller preschool dd now attends.