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

[Anonymous]

I am discovering that there are negatives about every daycare. None of them are perfect. If you generally like your daycare but recognize that there are negatives about it, what are the negatives that you have decided to live with? I think hearing from other parents will help me set realistic expectations.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Parking can be tight at drop-off/pick-up. It's expensive. But I could go on for a long time about the positives, so I'll take those (minimal) downsides.

[Anonymous]

For the center: The food and meal choices. More protein variety than at home but it’s a limited rotation overall and kind of skews toward kid food. Snacks aren’t fresh fruit but instead canned. But they cut out the juice. For the in home: not quite enough notice for summer vacation to really plan well in advance to have our trip align.

[Anonymous]

I love our daycare but the negative is definitely the price.

[Anonymous]

lack of outdoor space, mediocre communication, staff turnover

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:lack of outdoor space, mediocre communication, staff turnover

+1. The class sizes are smaller than any other center we visited, and the space is cozier, too.

[Anonymous]

Price and mice

[Anonymous]

Bad communication and organization from the administrative staff to parents. I only know what's going on if I stay after pickup and chat with teachers. The food and snacks are meh.... not as healthy as I'd like. Staff turnover, but I really think that's just par for the industry.

The key is that none of the cons have anything really to do with DDs happiness. She LOVES it, loves her teachers, is learning a lot and does fun activities. Plus the location is very convenient to our commute so we spend more time together at home and less in the car. Those are big pros to me.

I've toyed with switching a few times but like you said, it seems none of them are perfect. It's kind of a devil I know at this point. It's such a short phase in a kid's life at the emd of the day.

[Anonymous]

Mine is a preschool for 18+ months only. I don't like the lack of green outdoor space: only a flatop with lots of play equipment.
But it's small, the teachers are wonderful, meals are homemade and healthy (hot soup every day and lots of fruit), and dd loves it and learning a lot and making friends.

[Anonymous]

Loved our daycare until DD got to age 3.5. She didn't need to nap anymore and if she did she was awake until 10pm. She only went 3 days a week so on the off days we didn't do a nap and she was asleep by 7.30. Tried talking to the daycare and they said she didn't have to actually sleep but she had to lay down and it was for 2 hours. They said she could look at books, but she couldn't read so that didn't last more than about 10 mins and then she would fall asleep.
This ended up being the reason we pulled her out of daycare when we did. We adjusted our work scheduled and found a sitter for the afternoons.
Aside from that we loved everything else.

[Anonymous]

Lots of canned produce served at lunch. Half wall dividers between some classrooms instead of full walls.

[Anonymous]

The building is pretty old, no bathrooms in the classroom, communication can sometimes suck but the teachers are warm and lovely and the kids are happy.

[Anonymous]

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

[Anonymous]

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.