If you like your daycare despite the negatives, what are the negatives?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We love our daycare (the BCC Shoe), but parking for drop-off and, especially, pick-up is terrible

It hasn't gotten much worse in the last few months. I've been there for many years and it used to be pretty unusual to be unable to get a spot. There must be more tenants/guests of tenants using the spots, but it definitely has made things a little less convenient.

Whoops. HAS gotten worse recently, to the extent that wasn't already clear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been frustrated that my daycare seems to be closing/delaying more than it used to. But when that's the first complaint you think of, that's pretty good.

Wonders in Bethesda?

No, Shoe in Bethesda.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lack of communication seems to be a theme! That's my complaint too. About our in-home daycare (that she runs like a business, which I like, but sometimes she skips the more personal updates) and our bigger 100+ kid preschool.

Yes, the USDA "food chart" means that ritz crackers count as "whole grain carbs" and american cheese counts as dairy. That's possibly the most nutritionally devoid snack I can think of, yet it persists anywhere that provides it's own food and ticks the bureaucratic boxes of "healthy" somehow. My in-home daycare provider said she can't offer watered down juice (ex: if a kid is a bit sick and needs more fluids) because is only allowed to offer things that are 100% juice, milk or water. It's ridiculously stupid. Apple juice cut with water is MUCH better than straight liquid sugar apple juice.

TBH PP, this would make me wonder what other things this grown adult has misinterpreted out of ignorance. Not that it's a "safety" issue necessarily...but people who make statements like this always strike me as very authoritative in their own incompetence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lack of communication seems to be a theme! That's my complaint too. About our in-home daycare (that she runs like a business, which I like, but sometimes she skips the more personal updates) and our bigger 100+ kid preschool.

Yes, the USDA "food chart" means that ritz crackers count as "whole grain carbs" and american cheese counts as dairy. That's possibly the most nutritionally devoid snack I can think of, yet it persists anywhere that provides it's own food and ticks the bureaucratic boxes of "healthy" somehow. My in-home daycare provider said she can't offer watered down juice (ex: if a kid is a bit sick and needs more fluids) because is only allowed to offer things that are 100% juice, milk or water. It's ridiculously stupid. Apple juice cut with water is MUCH better than straight liquid sugar apple juice.

None of the daycares we looked at even offered juice on their menus. Just water and milk. If you want anything else you have to provide it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lack of communication seems to be a theme! That's my complaint too. About our in-home daycare (that she runs like a business, which I like, but sometimes she skips the more personal updates) and our bigger 100+ kid preschool.

Yes, the USDA "food chart" means that ritz crackers count as "whole grain carbs" and american cheese counts as dairy. That's possibly the most nutritionally devoid snack I can think of, yet it persists anywhere that provides it's own food and ticks the bureaucratic boxes of "healthy" somehow. My in-home daycare provider said she can't offer watered down juice (ex: if a kid is a bit sick and needs more fluids) because is only allowed to offer things that are 100% juice, milk or water. It's ridiculously stupid. Apple juice cut with water is MUCH better than straight liquid sugar apple juice.

TBH PP, this would make me wonder what other things this grown adult has misinterpreted out of ignorance. Not that it's a "safety" issue necessarily...but people who make statements like this always strike me as very authoritative in their own incompetence.

There have been a couple of things our daycare has claimed are required by regulations. I looked at the regulations and found nothing remotely requiring it. I'm not sure whether it is simply misunderstanding the regulations or finding it easier to defend a policy by blaming it on the regs. None of them have been particularly big deals so it hasn't been worth pushing further.

[Anonymous]

I wish our daycare took more pictures to send to parents. I want to see what she's up to (and that she settles after drop off). I also wish they had fewer snacks. She eats breakfast at home, gets a handful of cereal mix upon arrival (when all the caregivers haven't arrived yet, so I think it's an easy way to keep multiple kids entertained), a morning snack, lunch, and an afternoon snack. It seems like a lot of food for a one year old! Besides that I am very happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Administration is pretty awful. But that doesn’t affect the day to day and the kids are happy. Wonderful teachers.

+1

Bitchy snooty admin

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wish our daycare took more pictures to send to parents. I want to see what she's up to (and that she settles after drop off). I also wish they had fewer snacks. She eats breakfast at home, gets a handful of cereal mix upon arrival (when all the caregivers haven't arrived yet, so I think it's an easy way to keep multiple kids entertained), a morning snack, lunch, and an afternoon snack. It seems like a lot of food for a one year old! Besides that I am very happy.

Virginia licensing requirements dictate when they have to serve food, I believe you cannot go more than three hours without a meal or snack being served which means at a minimum most daycares need to have an am snack, lunch, and pm snack. While it may seem like a lot of food, this is to protect the kids who don’t get fed enough at home for whatever reason or have really long commutes before getting home, which happens a lot in this area. I’m sure there’s a couple kids that don’t get home until 7 or 8 with traffic and eat late.

[Anonymous]

The Director at my sons old Day Care was awful. Her staff and the teachers were wonderful. So the occasional requirement to interact with the Director was painful. It was expensive, but that is the case for most Day Cares not in home.

On the plus side, there was a play ground and a number of gyms in the building so that the kids had a good amount of space for running around and playing. The kids had swim lessons one day a week and free swim one day a week starting at 3. We could enroll DS in 30-45 minute long sports programs during the day (soccer, track, gymnastics, basketball, dance) so he was able to enjoy some extra running around time and learn the very basics of a sport without our having to drive around town. And the PreK program was great. They worked on letters, numbers and writing.

DS complained when I came to pick him up at the end of the day. I would get him around 4 so most of his class was still there.

[Anonymous]

they serve corn as the vegetable

[Anonymous]

Lack of systematic communication from admin.
Price (more than mortgage).
Variability in staff quality.


We’ve been lucky with overall quality, accreditation, licensing, DS’s daily experiences, safety, food, facility, outdoor space / time, curriculum (Reggio/ play-based), materials, etc.

I’m a former teacher and director so I know first hand you really have to pick your battles and negotiate on some things.

I’ll happily trade lack of systemic communication from admin. as long as I feel they are qualified, effective, support teachers, and respond proactively if I have a concern. They do. Bonus points if they are personable and build relationships with our family. Which they do.

However, if they were systematic and didn’t do all those other things, I might not be willing to make that trade.

Ideally, they’d have everything, but it’s a flawed system and DS is happy, healthy, safe, and growing.

[Anonymous]

Preschool: Communication from admin. turnover (they mostly leave to go back for masters or to MCPS for better schedule, so I actually like that they are in ed/kids for a career and have ambition, but the downside is the turnover).

In-home: sugary, carby snacks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We love our daycare (the BCC Shoe), but parking for drop-off and, especially, pick-up is terrible

It hasn't gotten much worse in the last few months. I've been there for many years and it used to be pretty unusual to be unable to get a spot. There must be more tenants/guests of tenants using the spots, but it definitely has made things a little less convenient.

Whoops. HAS gotten worse recently, to the extent that wasn't already clear.

Part of the reason for the worse parking situation is that many of us (especially those who live in the surrounding neighborhood) used to part in the Our Lady of Lourdes parking lot (with the church's permission) and then walk down the concrete steps to cross the parking lot next to the Shoe's building to its' entrance. Last year, a tenant at the building next to the Shoe put up a metal fence between the OLOL parking lot and the parking lot next to the Shoe, straight across those concrete steps. The only way to park there now and get to the Shoe is to either scale the sort of steep grassy hill (tough to do in work clothes and with a struggling toddler or infant) or to walk around the block to the sidewalk (might as well just wait for the spots to open up in front of the Shoe). This fence is annoying, and I think it's part of the reason that the parking at the Shoe has gotten difficult. It's not the Shoe's fault at all unfortunately.

But, it's the one small thing that I don't like about the daycare - I love everything else about it, and wish I'd known about it when our older child was in daycare years ago!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, the only negative that I can come up with for my DS's daycare (he's 4) is the tight parking. It's a real pain, especially in the evening when I am rushing. But otherwise, love everything else.

A close friend was telling me about a negative at her daycare today - for every sickness (no matter what - a cold all the way to more serious), the center requires a note from the doctor before returning to school. I thought most centers would rely on parent trust - for example, 24 hours after being fever free or starting on antibiotics. But this center requires doctor note, which is onerous and expensive.

I actually like the idea of a doctor’s note. I don’t trust some parents to not try to bring their child back too soon.

OMG... you like the idea of taking your kid to the doctor every time to verify that they are in fact recovered from their minor childhood illness? I just cannot imagine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Director at my sons old Day Care was awful. Her staff and the teachers were wonderful. So the occasional requirement to interact with the Director was painful. It was expensive, but that is the case for most Day Cares not in home.

On the plus side, there was a play ground and a number of gyms in the building so that the kids had a good amount of space for running around and playing. The kids had swim lessons one day a week and free swim one day a week starting at 3. We could enroll DS in 30-45 minute long sports programs during the day (soccer, track, gymnastics, basketball, dance) so he was able to enjoy some extra running around time and learn the very basics of a sport without our having to drive around town. And the PreK program was great. They worked on letters, numbers and writing.

DS complained when I came to pick him up at the end of the day. I would get him around 4 so most of his class was still there.

The offerings sound great, where is this?