Is new daycare expecting too much?
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Anonymous
| Given that it's not considered developmentally inappropriate if you start walking at 17 or 18 months, expecting a 16 month old to walk several blocks is asking WAY too much of many 16 month olds. |
Anonymous
| It is absurd (and dangerous!) to expect a 16 month old to walk holding a rope. And no sippy cups!?!? Neither of these things should be implemented until a 2's room, if then. |
Anonymous
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Our day care switches from bottle in the infant room to open cup in the toddler 1 room (which starts at 12 months). HOWEVER, the infant room teachers start working with the babies on this skill starting at 9 months, so they have 3 months to get the hang of it. The kids in the toddler 1 room still get one bottle (young ones) or sippy cup (older ones) before nap time. I believe the bulk of the kids in the classroom (12-21 months, roughly) are in a buggy for walks with some of the kids holding hands with a teacher. The switch to just walking (perhaps with a rope? I'm not sure) likely happens in the twos room, which starts at roughly 21 months. And I'm sure some transition is expected.
The fact that your daughter is new to the center & they don't appear to be willing to work with her through this (obviously large) set of transitions seems like a red flag to me. If these were the expectations upfront & they weren't expecting to work with your daughter on them, they should have said so from the get go. |
Anonymous
| To me it is irrelevant if the daycare is expecting too much, the question is if you THINK they are. Maybe you think a different setting and expectations is a better fit for your kid -- that's not a right or wrong -- it's a what fits. |
Anonymous
| In my kid's toddler classroom (age 1-2) at a large daycare center they are still in the buggy for outings, and they drink from sippies or straw cups. At 16 months my daughter is a great walker but no way would I expect her to be able to walk 4 blocks holding a rope! |
Anonymous
Exactly. I think 3 days is a little early to throw in the towel but ultimately it may not be the right fit for your child, even if it may work for other kids. I would talk with the Director about what the plan is with the teachers to acclimate her to the requirements for the room and reinforcing with the teachers that they need to work with her. |
Anonymous
| Our center has cups only starting when they move to toddlers at 12 months. I was nervous about it, but they filled the cups with very little and all the other kids had gotten practice in the infant room on cups (we started at 13 months in the toddler room). But rope walking was a 2s room skill. The toddlers were still in the buggy, with some of the ones on the older end of the room spectrum walking while holding the teacher's hand. My kid never took to the buggy and mostly walked holding hands, but no way would she have been able to do the rope walk thing until closer to 2. |
Anonymous
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Walking toddlers on a rope anywhere near a public street seems really risky...
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Anonymous
| It is too much, but the blaming attitude of the teachers would worry me most. Sorry op but I think you need a new situation. Caring teachers would couch this in terms of helping your daughter adjust, not suggesting that she is being a problem. |
Anonymous
| These are well beyond the expectations for this age group at my center. I work in the same building, so have a chance to observe what goes on in the 12-18 month and 18 - 24 month classrooms throughout the day (the two rooms are connected). Toddlers across this age group are still working on eating and open cup skills - there are a lot of messes. Several kids in the 18-24 month room are still using sippy cups. And there is no rope walking until the 2's. If someone needs to be picked up while in transit, they're picked up (though to be fair, our playground is on-site, so there's no need for the kind of walking you're talking about). |
Anonymous
Agreed. At that age at DD's center they would have the stroller and some kids would walk, but they would rotate and adjust based on the kids' ability to walk. And while they did transition kids to open cups, DD used her straw cup until they told me she was able to use the open cup without any problems. |
Anonymous
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As the mother of four and a home daycare owner I would say they're asking for a lot! My youngest is 16 months and is well on par with the milestones I would expect and is learning to drink from a regular cup - but still uses a zippy type cup for most feedings. 2-4 block walk on a rope - NO! That's too much for such a young child - some children don't walk until that age. My son started walking at 10 months and loves to walk/run, but I wouldn't push him to walk several blocks at a time. They need a stroller for young children to use during walks to/from the park.
Friendliness is another issue. You should feel the warmth and sincerity from teachers for both you and your child. That's the mark of a good center - people who really want to be there. I have a good relationship with all of my parents and children. If the child is crying on day 3 I wouldn't read too much into it, but with the other issues it may be worth another look at other places for you. Check us out at earlychildhoodmd.com! |
Anonymous
Yes. They want what's easier for them versus what is best for the child. And you're paying them (probably a pretty penny!). |
Anonymous
| Developmentally inappropriate. More importantly if it's not a good fit, find someplace else. My DD could not have done either at 16 months. |
Anonymous
That is a red flag to me. I know some 15 month olds that aren't even walking yet. How on earth would a child that age walk over and use a water fountain?!?!? I'm so confused. What kind of boot camp are they running there? This would not be okay with me. |