Totally agree with going no frills. We had the same situation last year except that our first choice was always the low frills choice. I was actually turned off by pushing of a curriculum on infants and young toddlers. I just wanted her to be able to play and be loved. The savings will be so worth it so long as the teachers are loving. Save your money for when it's pre-k time. Good luck!

$300 more a month? Seriously? What kind of daycare imposes that sort of annual increase on parents? That's ridiculous. Every center goes up a bit each year but I've never heard of that large an increase.

Anonymous wrote:We were faced with this, and we switched.

Best decision I ever made. I didn't know what was missing at the center until I found it elsewhere (and saving money didn't make me sad, either, but that wasn't the main reason I was glad to switch).

So to clarify - you switched centers because the first one become more expensive, but as it turned out you found the second center to provide much better care/environment for your child?

Anonymous wrote:we are at a church daycare, and if you can say the general vicinity of the daycare, I can confirm if it's ours.

Honestly, I think church daycares are the best kept secret. Teachers are so motivated to be there, and I'm actually surprised by all that my toddler has learned is such a small amount of time. The class sizes are small, and the love and care the kids get is so much more than a center (we were at a center before).

OP here - it's in Ward 5 in NE DC.

We were faced with this, and we switched.

Best decision I ever made. I didn't know what was missing at the center until I found it elsewhere (and saving money didn't make me sad, either, but that wasn't the main reason I was glad to switch).

we are at a church daycare, and if you can say the general vicinity of the daycare, I can confirm if it's ours.

Honestly, I think church daycares are the best kept secret. Teachers are so motivated to be there, and I'm actually surprised by all that my toddler has learned is such a small amount of time. The class sizes are small, and the love and care the kids get is so much more than a center (we were at a center before).

Anonymous wrote:We have a daycare that is cheap and no-frills, but provides a very loving, safe, and stable environment, and we could not be more pleased with it. If you can swing it, I wouldn't compromise on loving (and, of course, safe!), but I don't think curriculum, etc., at that age is that important for the dramatic difference in price.

I was skeptical about the notion of a "curriculum" for the very young ones too. But what I realized is that a "curriculum" can actually just be a very good way to provide age-appropriate structure. It also helps the school administration communicate with and set expectations for the staff in an organized manner. I think it helps to guide the staff who might not otherwise have the initiative or knowledge about how to plan a day. Basically gets everyone on the same page about what the day should look like, without having to make it all up or leave it up to chance. A free-form day might be find for one church lady taking care of 3-4 small babies. But when the ratios get higher, and the kids get to the toddler phase, the structure created by a curriculum can be very helpful.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with the pp that said that a 9 month old just need attention and a sweet caretaker and some toys and outside time and someone to talk to them during the day. Save the enrichment and skill building until they are 2 and up.

This
We went to a local daycare ctr close to work and DD loved it, really thrived there. It was in am older building and the toys were older. Staff were top notch though and there was no turnover in any of the 3 classrooms she was in. We loved it. We paid $600 for 10 days a month. Friend of mine drove her kid farther to shiny happy Goddard and its preschool curriculum for 12 days a months and spent $1,000. Crazy difference.
play doh is play doh........
AS long as the teachers like kids and care about their development they will be fine.

Wow, where is this? Can you share?

We have a daycare that is cheap and no-frills, but provides a very loving, safe, and stable environment, and we could not be more pleased with it. If you can swing it, I wouldn't compromise on loving (and, of course, safe!), but I don't think curriculum, etc., at that age is that important for the dramatic difference in price.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Caring teachers who will provide continuous positive interaction with your child are more important than curriculum and toys. If the 2nd choice is also clean & safe, I would go with that.

This. My kids are in a church preschool. The oldest's teacher just got her degree, but she's been working with kids for 30 years. She was an amazing, amazing teacher. Some people just have it. A degree doesn't guarantee that.

Yes, there is no guarantee that the more expensive place is worth the extra money. However, the one time I enrolled my child in a daycare that was significantly cheaper than others in the area -- almost half the price! -- it was a truly terrible place. The salient point is that OP feels confident in the caregivers she has now. Sure, sweet, loving church ladies who like kids and give them lots of outdoor time and read books would be great. But there's no guarantee that that's the case. Instead, you could get a dark basement, with blocked fire exits, angry minimum-wage workers who dislike kids, unprofessional management, and constant illegal ratios, that essentially mean your kid is warehoused for 9 hrs/day in a windowless room.

OP I think this comes down to how YOU feel about it. Gut feeling. Which place makes you feel comfortable leaving your child there? If the other daycare makes you feel just as comfortable, send the kid there.

I'm a big believer that good care is so important at this stage in life. I'd much rather spend money on good childcare in those early years than private school later on. But that's just me As PPs have mentioned, a nice facility doesn't always mean good caregivers, either.

Anonymous wrote:Caring teachers who will provide continuous positive interaction with your child are more important than curriculum and toys. If the 2nd choice is also clean & safe, I would go with that.

This. My kids are in a church preschool. The oldest's teacher just got her degree, but she's been working with kids for 30 years. She was an amazing, amazing teacher. Some people just have it. A degree doesn't guarantee that.

"No frills"is not necessarily not as good as the other. It is ALL about the provider/teacher.