Anonymous wrote:We've had the same issue but on Capitol Hill. We have just kept looking at more and more places, and (we think), we may have finally found something we like.
I have analogized the whole process to looking for a house. Just as there is no such thing as the perfect house, there is no such thing as the perfect daycare.
Each daycare has its pluses and minuses and it's a matter of balancing all the factors. What's most important to you? Cost? Commute? Quality/enthusiasm of the teachers? Quality of educational programming? Whether the daycare provides food or you have to pack the child's lunch? Whether the daycare has its own outside playground or the kids have to go to a park nearby? And on and on. You could make a list of what factors you consider most important and balance accordingly. And just keep looking until you find the one that's right for you.
Also, I recommend looking at the inspection reports for these daycare centers. I don't know what it is in Maryland, but in DC there's OSSE and OSSE maintains a database of inspection reports. I cannot believe how many of these places have been found out of compliance with respect to things like background checks, cleanliness/safety of the classrooms, etc. Having a recent clean inspection report seems like a decent indicator that the place meets the basic requirements. But of course not all such places meet our other criteria, and so I totally understand where you're coming from in agonizing over which daycare to send your child to.
Good luck with your search and I hope you eventually find the right place for your family!
+1 this is the link to see inspection results for Maryland child care centers, family child care homes and preschools :
https://www.checkccmd.org/