In-Home Daycare vs. Center

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We don't live in DC anymore and had our child after leaving, so take this with a grain of salt, but:

1. Centers have oversight that homes don't.
2. Home daycares around here use TV. Our center does't. EVER.
3. Security is tighter, and by that I mean that the home provider's son's friend can't just wander in.

Big generalization. Our home daycare has no TV. There are many, many good in-home providers who don't use it.

[Anonymous]

My first child attended a home daycare with a mixed age of kids until he started PK3 at 3.5. We always planned to pull him at 2, but he was thriving so much we stayed. Last summer at age 4, we had him in daycamp while school was out, figuring he'd enjoy the structured activities and being around older kids. We took him to the home daycare for 1 day while camp was on break and he begged us to let him stay the rest of the summer (which we did).

Our younger child attended the same home daycare until 17 months. We had to switch the younger child to a center due to a job change. It's been 4 months and not a week goes by where I don't miss the home daycare. The center is nice, but it's just not the same. The owner and her assistants were (and still are) truly like family to us.

[Anonymous]

OP, you received excellent advice regarding touring centers and in-homes. There are great centers just as there are great in-homes, and I think people are getting hung up on the "VS." part, as if it were a one-size fits all proposition.

We had every intention of enrolling our daughter in a center, until crunch time came along (returning to work from mat. leave) and nothing was available (even though I got on the wait-lists when 7 weeks pregnant). We chose an in-home and almost two years later are thrilled with that happy circumstance. Could we have been equally as happy with a center? I'm sure.

One thing I think may be generally true among in-home daycares (and I use the term loosely as not to be berated by crazies) is that there has been complete consistency of the care-givers in our in-home daycare. I was talking to our neighbor who has a DC the same age as our DD, and is in a center, and she was able to count 11 different teachers in the last 1.5 years for her child. I'm NOT saying that's the norm for a center, but I imagine the average turnover in a center is higher.

Having said all that, your child is a bit older. We are planning to transition our child to a center between 2.5 and 3 years because at that point, we are looking for a bit more structure than our in-home provides. So if you're interested in minimizing moves from one spot to another, and think you'll want to be at a center at some point in the not too distant future, it may make sense to start off at a center vs. in-home.

[Anonymous]

Unless you know the home care provider personally (family friend, relative, etc.), my preference is for daycare.

[Anonymous]

For us, we toured both and found one center and one in home we liked. We just both had a feeling that our child would be taken care of and there weren't any obvious issues/feelings that made us uncomfortable. Ended up going with the center because the in home wasn't ready when they had anticipated. We may switch when the in home is ready, but we are liking the center so far.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son is in a center and my infant daughter is at a home daycare. I definitely prefer the center. One day the home provider overslept and didn't answer the door. Plus the take home report has a lot of misspellings of simple words (poop) that I worry what she's teaching the toddlers.

Oh please -- half of the assistants in our daycare barely speak any English. Trust me, our daily sheets have TONS of spelling errors and I guarantee my kid isn't being taught proper grammar. But honestly, at 3 years old, does it really matter? I doubt your daycare provider is teaching anyone how to spell poop.

PP here. At my son's center, they speak English and send handwritten notes home everyday on what he did. No misspellings so far. And they are teaching him letters and words. He's three yrs old and comes home with his "homework". It could be a picture of a bee with B-E-E spelled out for him to trace and color. I'm not trying to make you feel bad, but yes at three years old, they should be trying to teach him something.

That's really not in line with current thinking on early childhood education.

[Anonymous]

We ended up going with a center for a couple of reasons. One was that I liked the idea of more eyes and ears. If a teacher is having a bad day, there are others around to pick up the slack. If a teacher is mistreating a kid, there are others around to notice and intervene. I also liked the security aspect.

A center can certainly have a more institutional feel. I liked ours because it was well-lit and clean, and all the teachers seemed to know all the kids, not just the ones in their classroom. They had some long-term substitutes who filled in for staff vacations and sick days, and the kids all knew those ladies, too. The infant room teachers clearly loved babies and were always singing to them and holding them. The kids got lots of playtime, but also some fun activities like Power Tots and dance and music classes that a center is able to do because of its size and greater resources.

Ultimately, I think a good center and a good in-home will have slightly different advantages and disadvantages, but they aren't really diametrically opposed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, you received excellent advice regarding touring centers and in-homes. There are great centers just as there are great in-homes, and I think people are getting hung up on the "VS." part, as if it were a one-size fits all proposition.

We had every intention of enrolling our daughter in a center, until crunch time came along (returning to work from mat. leave) and nothing was available (even though I got on the wait-lists when 7 weeks pregnant). We chose an in-home and almost two years later are thrilled with that happy circumstance. Could we have been equally as happy with a center? I'm sure.

One thing I think may be generally true among in-home daycares (and I use the term loosely as not to be berated by crazies) is that there has been complete consistency of the care-givers in our in-home daycare. I was talking to our neighbor who has a DC the same age as our DD, and is in a center, and she was able to count 11 different teachers in the last 1.5 years for her child. I'm NOT saying that's the norm for a center, but I imagine the average turnover in a center is higher.

Having said all that, your child is a bit older. We are planning to transition our child to a center between 2.5 and 3 years because at that point, we are looking for a bit more structure than our in-home provides. So if you're interested in minimizing moves from one spot to another, and think you'll want to be at a center at some point in the not too distant future, it may make sense to start off at a center vs. in-home.

This is great advice. I've toured several of both and have found a couple centers and in homes that we really like. When it comes down to it, the "choice" will probably be made for us- whoever has a spot!! I just hope I'm not back to the drawing board and scrambling a month before we need care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son is in a center and my infant daughter is at a home daycare. I definitely prefer the center. One day the home provider overslept and didn't answer the door. Plus the take home report has a lot of misspellings of simple words (poop) that I worry what she's teaching the toddlers.

Oh please -- half of the assistants in our daycare barely speak any English. Trust me, our daily sheets have TONS of spelling errors and I guarantee my kid isn't being taught proper grammar. But honestly, at 3 years old, does it really matter? I doubt your daycare provider is teaching anyone how to spell poop.

PP here. At my son's center, they speak English and send handwritten notes home everyday on what he did. No misspellings so far. And they are teaching him letters and words. He's three yrs old and comes home with his "homework". It could be a picture of a bee with B-E-E spelled out for him to trace and color. I'm not trying to make you feel bad, but yes at three years old, they should be trying to teach him something.

I think it's SAD that your 3 year old gets homework. He should be playing, not learning how to spell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My first child attended a home daycare with a mixed age of kids until he started PK3 at 3.5. We always planned to pull him at 2, but he was thriving so much we stayed. Last summer at age 4, we had him in daycamp while school was out, figuring he'd enjoy the structured activities and being around older kids. We took him to the home daycare for 1 day while camp was on break and he begged us to let him stay the rest of the summer (which we did).

Our younger child attended the same home daycare until 17 months. We had to switch the younger child to a center due to a job change. It's been 4 months and not a week goes by where I don't miss the home daycare. The center is nice, but it's just not the same. The owner and her assistants were (and still are) truly like family to us.

Me too with the bolded parts - we were going to move my DD to preschool at age 2, but she's just so happy we decided to wait an extra year (fortunately the other child her age stayed too).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks back, everyone. I am still wondering, for knowledge, are these in-home centers places where children stay until age 3, and then its the norm to send the child to preschool? Or, do some parents opt for daycare until it is time for Kindergarten? Sorry for all the questions.

I think you want to minimize the amount of transitions you do. For both you and child. It's awful touring and interviewing and getting references and hoping you picked a good one. Choose a center that has a preschool program and stay there until Kindergarten.

Most people I know have their kids in a daycare center until age 2 1/2 and then transfer them to a full day preschool -- we are in Arlington, it may be a geographic thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Before someone jumps all over me, yes, I forgot my closing parenthesis

NP. PP has the right to her beliefs about HER CHILD. The only "complete bullshit" here is your comment.

Do you REALLY think your kid is verbally advanced because of DAYCARE? COME ON!!!!!

NP. I feel the same way about our center. Don't care that you doubt it.

Another new poster and I absolutely believe that as well.

I mean great for you and your kids. Whatever.

Based on your writing ability, yours probably aren't verbally advanced because of your conscientious teaching. We all see it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks back, everyone. I am still wondering, for knowledge, are these in-home centers places where children stay until age 3, and then its the norm to send the child to preschool? Or, do some parents opt for daycare until it is time for Kindergarten? Sorry for all the questions.

I think you want to minimize the amount of transitions you do. For both you and child. It's awful touring and interviewing and getting references and hoping you picked a good one. Choose a center that has a preschool program and stay there until Kindergarten.

Most people I know have their kids in a daycare center until age 2 1/2 and then transfer them to a full day preschool -- we are in Arlington, it may be a geographic thing.

Huh? In MoCo the best centers start with infants and transition kids through toddlers into the full day preschool program. Kids stay at the same place until they start kindergarten.

[Anonymous]

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

[Anonymous]

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.