Maggie I'm going to move this to the Childcare forum, you may have more responses there.
https://www.bellybelly.com.au/forums...splay.php?f=78

Also... Matilda has been in family day care now for 20 months. I love our carer and feel completely safe with her looking after Matilda. I was a bit funny about going out but she's so good at it (I went on an outing with them to see what she did ). I don't worry anymore. When I go back to work 1 day a week in June I plan on having Jovie with the same carer and Matilda will be starting a kindy type program.

NOW having said that I really love our carer but some pro's & con's about FDC:

Pro:
home environment
continuity of care
able to observe individual children and gear day schedules around children's needs

Con:
It all depends on the particular carer you use. Some are better at it than others
If carer is sick there isn't a back up.
They do take the children out (if this is a concern to you) sometimes

I'm sure there are more pro's and con's but alot depends on the particular carer. I love ours and can not fault her, I have had to put Matilda in with other carers a few times when I've been sick & Liz is full or when Liz has had holidays and I had to get a back up. Both times were okay for Matilda, but not somewhere I'd want to leave her on a longer term basis.