Its such a tough choice, hey. I looked at two other places when choosing a centre for Natty, and I can't exactly put my finger on what I didn't like so much about the other places... They just didn't feel as right as this one. It is a lot further away from our place than the other centres, but it is very close to Natty's grandparents and aunt, so convenient in that way. Here's what I like about it:
1. Most importantly, IMO: The way the staff speak to the children. They seem to genuinely enjoy the kids. Natty particularly loves two carers in her room and speaks of them often at home. One of them told me recently how Natty has improved in her speech and she said, "I'm so proud of her!" and seemed to genuinely mean it. It feels good to leave her with people who like her. The staff from the room she was in last year still talk to us when they see us (they remember her name! But they never knew mine, LOL!). Natty can be very shy and the staff know she takes a while to settle in once she arrives. We hand her to one of the carers and they just hold her until she is ready to join in.
2. The place is still pretty new, so although there always seems to be sand all over the place, it still feels "clean", KWIM?
3. The layout of the place is great. There are 4 rooms, two ajoined by a bathroom and the other two ajoined by another bathroom. Then the outdoor area spreads across the whole back of the building, with an area fenced off at one end for the little kids (so they don't get trampled). They have a big sandpit, climbing and balancing equipment, bikes... Can't remember what else as Natty seems to live in the sandpit.
4. It has taken a while to present itself, but Natty has learned heaps. She has learned to count (we're up to 16 now, LOL!), sing the alphabet (well, her own little version of it anyway), learned some Japanese words and how to count to 10 in Japanese, learned loads of songs and they always do heaps of craft. Probably this is something that she'd get at any centre, but it just cements in my mind that she's in a good place.
I HTH a little. As for the biting, I think that's something you'd find anywhere. But you've got to be happy with how the staff deal with it.