Opinions on Home Day Care Centres

[mrsmac]

My DS goes to FDC with a lady I have known for 15 yrs (i taught 2 of her kids) He loves his carer and the other kids and he gets so much attention and love. They do regular spot checks and he brings home a little "report" each time saying what he as doing when the checker called in and even if the TV was on or not! I love it for little kids as there is continuity of care and they are not one of a large group all the same age.

[mollycat]

I am a carer with Family Day Care and have been since 1995. I am still in contact with a lot of my original families, one set of parents is my second sons, godparents, and i'm now on second generation care - the nephew of one child from about 12 years ago. I started FDC because I was a sook - we needed the 2nd income, but didn't want to leave my son, i did try to go to work when he was ten months old, but lasted 3 weeks. My husband was retrenched and we moved in to in-laws house, after about 18mths, we moved into a rental and i began day care, i haven't looked back. I think the smaller groups are better for the kids, although i have nothing against LDC or pre-schools, and some 4-5 year olds, need the extra stimulation of more children. We regularly attend our scheme playgroup and play days with other carers. We have excursions to play cafes, parks and special events (such as those offered in pre-schools, - petting zoos, dentists, etc) so the children don't miss out on experiences.