I'm in MD and I believe masks are a requirement, yes. But if an in home provider doesn't wear one all day, I'm probably not going to change her mind.

We did wind up putting in the paperwork and enrollment fee for option 2, the center. I wanted more of a homey environment for my DC and would have liked to find an in home I was comfortable with, but I guess health stuff comes first.

Are you not in this area? I thought masks were a requirement for adult providers in in-home daycares too. Maybe I am wrong about that, but check your local regulations

I'd go with #2 based on what you are describing. That said, I'm under no illusion that ours wear them properly all day, I've seen photos of them wearing them under their noses.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks. We think we are going to go with #2.

Next question: when to ask for the start date?! Don't want to send the kid NOW with the worst covid spike we've had, but don't want to lose a spot for when things are better, either. I asked the director when they anticipate needing to fill an opening and she said "when do you want to start?" Sigh.

I would try for mid January around the inauguration, because it’s over 2 weeks after holiday travel.

I was wondering about February...March...I don't know. In my county, numbers are sticking to the post-Thanksgiving peak and haven't even started falling. It's going to take a while, isn't it?

+1 14 days is not a magic number. That's just the recommended amount of time to wait after one individual has been exposed to another. If things go like people are expecting after the holidays, people are going to be passing it around at high rates for a while. You really have to just consider your risk tolerance and your need for child care. If nobody in your household is at high risk for serious disease/death from Covid, and you truly need child care, just do it now. Your child needs dedicated care and attention.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks. We think we are going to go with #2.

Next question: when to ask for the start date?! Don't want to send the kid NOW with the worst covid spike we've had, but don't want to lose a spot for when things are better, either. I asked the director when they anticipate needing to fill an opening and she said "when do you want to start?" Sigh.

I would try for mid January around the inauguration, because it’s over 2 weeks after holiday travel.

I was wondering about February...March...I don't know. In my county, numbers are sticking to the post-Thanksgiving peak and haven't even started falling. It's going to take a while, isn't it?

Anonymous wrote:Thanks. We think we are going to go with #2.

Next question: when to ask for the start date?! Don't want to send the kid NOW with the worst covid spike we've had, but don't want to lose a spot for when things are better, either. I asked the director when they anticipate needing to fill an opening and she said "when do you want to start?" Sigh.

I would try for mid January around the inauguration, because it’s over 2 weeks after holiday travel.

Thanks. We think we are going to go with #2.

Next question: when to ask for the start date?! Don't want to send the kid NOW with the worst covid spike we've had, but don't want to lose a spot for when things are better, either. I asked the director when they anticipate needing to fill an opening and she said "when do you want to start?" Sigh.

Anonymous wrote:Definitely number two. What’s up with no masks?? Very bad sign.

This, no question.

I work at a preschool, and we wear masks all the time, and the kids do too.

We also strive to do our masks-off time -- eating -- outside. We take the kids outside for snack unless it's raining hard. I think this is a good practice, since unmasked and indoors is the worst for covid potential exposure.

Can you ask about the practices of each provider? I'd think that #2 is better, since they are more formalized and have protocols. With #1, it really depends on how the family provider chooses to do things.

I saw a different thread on here where someone had a neighbor who is a family child care provider who was having a big party at her house on the weekend, and the poster wanted to tell on the provider to the families. Getting a feel for the family provider's general approach to COVID, to isolating, etc, would be important. And her family members' exposure too.

#2 for sure. I'm a home provider who uses a mask & face shield, along with 2- 5 hours outside.

We're at a center. All of the providers wear masks and the kids who are old enough wear masks as well.

Does the in home allow parents inside? Do they have additional family members that live there or stop by occasionally? The in home can end up being higher exposure despite having a lower number of children.

Hopefully by next summer/fall we don't have to worry about these things anymore.

I understand why an in home provider would not want to wear masks (who likes them) since they are the bosses. Daycares don't get the choice. Anyhow, we went with #2. Daycare with stricter enforcement of masks, even the 3 year olds.

My 1 year old is also in a divided classroom in a center, and it's been fine. We had her at a similar in-home temporarily while the center was closed. The in-home provider did have a mask but we often saw her without it. But our main reason for sending back to the center was we liked the center more for our daughter (less cluttered, better ratio, better communication).

You can't know which will be safer. There are too many variables. What does the home provider do in their free time? How at-risk are the families at each for Covid infection?

Just choose what is best for your child's development. Sounds like option 2 from what you have said.

Our youngest is at Option 2, has been since June, and so far, so good (knock wood). Of the folks we know who went with Option 1, all have had multiple periods of closures for COVID-related concerns, and one set of friends all got COVID from daycare. Providers not wearing masks is a complete deal-breaker. Yeah, our center costs twice as much as most in-homes, but since we're actually able to use it without interruption (again, knock wood), we'll gladly pay.

Definitely number two. What’s up with no masks?? Very bad sign.

We are trying to figure out which day care option to use for my 1 year old DC sometime in early 2021. Is there any way to figure out what's safest from a COVID standpoint, or should we decide based on other factors?

1. Family day care, up to 8 kids but only 6 at a time, from a total of 5 families. Big question marks are that providers don't wear masks and they don't get outside much due to covid guidelines for playground use

2. Big center, 6 kids per class but two classes share a large divided classroom, so potentially twice as many people total indoors. They have strict precautions around teacher mask wearing, no parents allowed onside, lots of hand washing, and they go outside once or twice a day.

We are leaning toward 2 because masking and outdoor time seem important, but does the larger number of people cancel that out? Neither has had outbreaks yet that they have shared. Thanks for any input on how to weigh these factors.