The good, the bad & the ugly...PLEASE tell me about your Childcare Centre

[amy_o]

Personally I chose to put DD in Family Day Care. She goes one day a week to a fantastic lady who was a center director before deciding to work from home. Because of that we are probably luckier that most as she has such high standards but the real reasons I wanted FDC was I liked that it was a home environment and low numbers. There are only 4 kids total on each day. The ladys sons when the come home from school love playing with the little ones, DD is the youngest and they think she is so cute!! I think DD has managed to do things that she might not get to do at a center because of her age. She does all the crafts with the others and paints. The carer has the time to help her because of the low numbers. DD has learnt new skills and matured from being around the older toddlers which is great too. All in all it works for us!!

[Nai]

We use a community cooperative childcare centre. It is very big (100 long day care places) but is a parent run, not for profit centre so parents are encouraged to participate in the running of the centre and have input into the way things are done. I have been on the Board for 3 years and it has been very eye-opening as to how a childcare centre is run.

I like this model and I love our centre
- the carers are creative and really care about the children (they send a staff member to the local schools for the first day of prep to wave goodbye to the kids starting school each year)
- the feel of the centre
- the way they deal with the children and any behavioural issues (DD1 has been bitten 4 times in 3 years but it hasn't worried her)
- the policies that are in place
- the way the children are treated as individuals
- the development books that they have for each child
- the staff retention - many have been there for 10 years or more.

[~Kim~]

Hey Erin, it is hard isn't it? We're from the country too so I understand about not much choice. FWIW when we moved here there are a few centres but only 2 not run by ABC. I don't actually like the philospohis of ABC nor how they seemed to be with 'outsiders' as we were looking for a centre - dunno maybe it's the corporate thing Luckily for us there was a family run centre that we love.
I'm not sure if it's because I'm friendly and chatty or if it's becasue I take an interest in what they do, but all the girls in all the rooms know me and say hello (Heck I even get invited to their staff sendoff lol). I like that. I like that they want to know how we're going. They even sent me flowers when I thought we were going to deliver Nate at 24weeks.
I like that they are happy to comfort upset children. There are always going to be upset ones at the start of the day, but every time there are tears, someone is comforting that child. They cuddle them, nurse them when they are sad or dont feel well. Yep to some that might be a bit iffy, but heck I'm a copper and it doesn't worry me. I'm glad they are similar techniques to ours.
We had an issue with dirt, but they have just recently rectified that with that soft stuff like tennis court stuff. Like Amy, I'm sure we bring home half the sandpit every day but it is a huge sandpit and Darcy loves it.
They have lots of different dressup and theme days which the kids love and the girls all get into.
There are a few bullies and my sensitive little girl has been hurt more than a few times, but we're teaching her to tell a bully that it's not ok to do that to her, or that she doesn't like them doing that to her. Seems to be working.
Gotta go screaming kid HTH

[Erin_25]

Thanks for all the response. I would LOVE to have DS in family daycare....his name has been on the list 6months now!!!! There's just not enough people here who run it.
In regards to staff at the previous centre, them I really liked. They all knew who I was etc & took an interest in DS. It was more the person running it, lack of stuff provided......for example when dropping him off in the morning it was to any empty room of screaming kids & 2 puzzles IYKWIM.
The centre we looked at had much more stuff, more structured based activities (I think that's an ABC thing), so all that was good. But what has prob got me most worried, we were there 10mins or so whilst DS had a great time playing and not ANY of the staff members approached us to say hello or DS & then one little boy was standing in the play area with his pants down wanting to do a wee & a staff member was standing right by him just looking into space!!! it was me who had to say something. Ahhhhh I just don't know!!

[Lolli]

Hi Erin,
I've very recently started ds in daycare one day a week to give me a break. I'm in the suburbs so spoilt for choice but the deciding factors for this one where

*Very new and clean. Huge rooms with lots of outdoor playspace, and a seperate outdoor area for the little ones.
*I could drop in any time, before or after ds started. Some places where really funny when I said I'd just drop in to look around, without an appointment.
*This centre is ok with duimmies and comfort toys. Some others weren't.
*Flexible nap times if required.
*The staff were really lovely and warm and genuinely love the kids in their care.

On the down side...
*Once there was a kid there who was much sicker than I thought someome should be at daycare. Snotty, runny nose and a cough. the carers didn't seem too concernced.
*Occasionally I've seen them leave a baby or small toddler crying for longer than my nerves can handle But I guess they only have so many pairs of hands between them, ykwim? But ds has been a bit distressed as i've left him and they always do their best to distract him and keep him happy. the office staff even let me listen from the office on the intercom for 10 minutes before i go so i know he's not too upset.

HTH. FWIW, ds loves daycare so far, and believe me so do I!!!

[Sweet Bliss]

Our creche is just beautiful.

It is co-op run, and is situated in a beautiful old heritage home that has been extended and renovated. It has a beautiful mature backyard with big trees etc, that is divided in two for the big and little kids.

The rooms are:
Babies Koala room 0-1
Possums 1-2
Kangaroos 2-3
Wombats 3-4
Echidnas 4-5 and Kinder


The staff tend to stay on for years (the carer, who is also the mother of my best friend, has been there for 20 years now), and even travel quite a distance to get to work, because they prefer to work there over anywhere else! I have made many friends for life who are staff.
I love while they are always buying new toys, they have a brilliant selection of old wooden toys etc that the kids never tire of playing with. I know in the babies room the container with the old fashioned wooden pegs get played with more than some of the new whiz bang toys! I was horrified when I toured some other creches when we moved, and they had TV'S..... I also love that they don't mind a bit of a mess to get the kids exploring new things...for instance there was a sunken area of the 2-3 room that they turned into a sandpit during winter.

They have a chef who cooks amazing mostly vegetarian meals like Dahl, Thai Red Curries, Frittatas etc, and there are always leftovers that can be purchased at the end of the day so that you don't have to cook when you get home.

I go in and breastfeed DS during the day, and I am always provided with lunch for free. Being there during the day, I get more of an insider look, and the care that they provide is just amazing. The babies room is so calm and nuturing, it just makes me want to go to sleep!

I wouldn't send my kids anywhere else now! We have been at the creche for 5 years now.

[onthefly]

They have a chef who cooks amazing mostly vegertarian meals like Dahl, Thai Red Curries, Frittatas etc, and there are always leftovers that can be purchased at the end of the day so that you don't have to cook when you get home.

That is AWESOME! (where is this?)

[Sweet Bliss]

That is AWESOME! (where is this?)

In Central Victoria. I know I am spoilt! And, DD eats so many different things that I know if I had of tried to introduce them at home she would have refused to eat. Her fave is Pumpkin and Coriander Dahl. She is allergic to dairy, so they always alter the recipe for her, and the best bit is, by demand the chef has now released a cookbook with all the creche recipes, and it is my cooking bible!! The leftovers are big takeaway container size, enough to feed a family of 4, and are usually only $6!!

[MantaRay]

I love the centre my DS goes to. I love the staff - they really care about the kids, you can just tell. They have more staff on than they need to by law at any one time, they have fantastic ideas, they even have an extra staff member to help the room leader's with their programming. They have huge rooms and so many resources too, but for me, it really comes down to the carers. I think that it's a great sign if you gel with the carers - and even more so if your child does!