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

[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!