No playground and a basement sounds so depressing! OP your kid will spend 10 hours per day here on average.

Anonymous wrote:All else being equal, no windows and no playground is a deal breaker for me.

All else is never equal, though.

OP, most daycares in downtown DC are going to have limited outdoor space and windows. That is the nature of the beast. You should ask #2 how the children get outdoor time, what playgrounds they visit and how often, etc. Given Bambini's location, it's not out of the question that they walk to a playground in the surrounding neighborhood once a day and do other stuff closer to the center.

All else being equal, no windows and no playground is a deal breaker for me.

OP again: The in-home daycare is $500/week which I agree seems high. Bambini goes down in price with age so it looks like she would be at the higher toddler rate for just a couple months and then down to $1875/month which seems reasonable to me for DC. Until now, she's been at home with me.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- The center with no windows is Bambini in downtown DC. So no playground. (I wish I could find one with a playground attached but the only one I saw was School for Friends which we did not get into.) Thank you to everyone for your input- very much appreciated!

If a home daycare is priced anywhere close to the price of Bambini, you are being hosed. Bambini is great, but it is SPENDY.

Agree. I went to tour when they opened. I hear now the price is a few hundred more. Why does the in home charge over $2k? Do they have a special program?

I prefer a center at 2 years old but dislike that there it is in a basement with no playground. I would continue looking. You are paying good money for a center and you should not settle. My DD is a little over 2 and she loves the playground at her preschool and they spend so much of time outside.

OP: where is your child now?

Anonymous wrote:OP here- The center with no windows is Bambini in downtown DC. So no playground. (I wish I could find one with a playground attached but the only one I saw was School for Friends which we did not get into.) Thank you to everyone for your input- very much appreciated!

If a home daycare is priced anywhere close to the price of Bambini, you are being hosed. Bambini is great, but it is SPENDY.

OP here- The center with no windows is Bambini in downtown DC. So no playground. (I wish I could find one with a playground attached but the only one I saw was School for Friends which we did not get into.) Thank you to everyone for your input- very much appreciated!

If the center with no windows is the one i’m Thinking of near Montgomery Mall, I would go with it. DC attended and had a great time there. I must say it also bothered me initially being in a basement with no windows but it was fine. The classrooms are quite bright and after a while you forget there are no windows. They have great activities for the kids and the playground is great.

Good luck in choosing.

#2, at 2 a bigger center is much better. But I would still keep looking for a better center. Is the room a part of a bigger room with windows?

No windows? That’s terrible- go with #1

# 2, providing there is ample outdoor time. The activities and expectations are more likely to be developmentally appropriate for her age group.

I would also keep looking.

For a kid who is already 2, I would do the center. We had DC at an in-home as an infant, which was fine, but they really were not able to provide the same degree of activities and (play-based) learning as the center we used after he turned ~20 months.

If you have to ask, you don't seem thrilled with either so keep looking. If I only could choose between those two, I'd probably do #2 as even though #1 has 4 caregivers, are they all always there?

I'm having very hard time deciding which daycare to chose for my two year old daughter. Similar prices and distance from home/work. Option 1 is a home daycare with about 10 kids of various ages and 4 caregivers. To me, the advantage appears to be more individual attention. One downside: very small space. Option 2 is a bigger center where she would be in a classroom with 11 other kids (12 total) her age and 3 teachers. So less individual attention but more time with kids her own age and maybe more structured learning. Also, they provide meals and snacks that seem healthy. Downside: the classroom is underground so no windows which I really dislike. I don't know which will be better for her!