What are ABC Centres Like???

Liam is starting Kindy next Wednesday at ABC. Has anyone had there children in ABC and is there anything good or bad I should know about the Centre???

Raven

Hi Raven - my children haven't attended ABC, but i worked for them for 6 years. I could tell you lots of stories, both good and bad, but I think you find those at any early childhood setting. If Liam has a caring and enthusiastic teacher, then everything will be fine. I guess the key is to communicate with the teacher so that you know everything that happens throughout the day.

Sam,

Olivia (who is nearly 3) and Charlie (18 months) both go to a local ABC Centre, and I am MORE than happy with the care. It is a small centre, with no staff turnover, and the "teachers" are, without exception, lovely. Both Olivia and Charlie only go one day a week, but they both adore their carers and love going to "school" as they call it.

I must admit, next year when Olivia turns 4, I will send her to the local government kindy, rather than keep her in ABC......I am sure the ABC program is good, but I know our local kindy is exceptional.

So I guess it is a case of making sure you are happy with the one you have chosen.......

Very best of luck...........

I can't speak highly enough of the ABC centre here where Ashlea went up until she started school. Everything about it was FANTASTIC

Having said that, each centre is different to the next, and the staff are generally the biggest factor is what makes a centre good or bad

My youngest goes to an ABC centre here, and it is excellent,
By far the best education and care etc in the whole town,, and we have about 6 different choices where i could have sent him.
They provide all meals and drinks,, that are very nutritious, and never junkfoody or sugary etc. They have beautiful rooms and excellent toileting facilities, and also offer a WIDE range of activities for the children to participate in,, not just a couple of things that they expect each child to do one after another.
All toileting,sleeps,meal size eaten etc is recorded and posted for parent to read as they enter the rooms, and parents are allowed to drop in any time of the day to see how things are run etc, and the staff are brilliant and caring to each and every child there.
If your child is in nappies,, they are even supplied in the fees each day they go as well!!
No,, I dont work for the centre at all lol, just one very happy satisfied mum when i get to go in each day i have my son there and see a bunch of really happy active kids enjoying themselves :)

Hi Raven,
Well I've worked in child care for the past 11 yrs and my advice is if you feel happy and your kids are happy then chances are the centre is the right one for you.
I've never worked for ABC, but I've worked with ladies who have and like JazMum said, there is always good and bad stories. Whats right for you may not be right for someone else.

Look around the centre and ask yourself these questions:
Are the other chn going there happy? Do they look bored or are they entertained?
Are the staff friendly, attentive to the chn and happy? (look to see if they seem overworked/understaffed)
Is there an even mix of young and mature aged staff?
Is there a pleasent atmosphere? You can usually tell as soon as you walk through the door.
Does it smell clean and look clean?
And most importantly...
Will you be content to leave your child there?
If you ans yes then you've found the right centre.
I hope this helps and he enjoys his new daycare.;)

I just put my DD in ABC and she loves it. Not so much dropping her off, but she enjoys herself during the day. The staff are friendly and everybody seems to know my DD by name, I'm assuming they know all the kids. There is only 11 or so kids in DD's group so its a small yet friendly thing.
Its good.

Hi, my daughter is at ABC 2 days a week and I find them to be exceptional. I had a hard time placing my daughter in daycare and the staff were fabulous they let me ease into it and were there with a hug when I had tears streaming down my face, lol. We need to provide all the meals at our centre so I know exactly what my daughter is eating and how much. My only tip is to make sure that you label everything with your childs name so that you get everything back.

Thanks for the help Ladies :)

Liam started last Wednesday, there was a few tears from him when I was leaving but the teachers said he was fine after I left. When I went to pick him up that afternoon he was having that much fun he didn't want to leave...lol.
On Friday morning when I dropped him off for his second day, his teacher said to me that he is making friends and seems to be enjoying himself. I didn't even get a "C ya later Mum" out of him. He was straght outside playing, So what more can I ask for.

Raven

Sounds like hes having an awesome time!!

Hi

My son goes to an ABC centre. Its only 2 years old so its nice and modern. I looked at another ABC and it was old, dark and had some strange smell that freaked me out. The centre he goes to now is good. The only bad thing I have to say about it is there is one staff member that my son doesn't like and I don't like her either she is a bit mean and has no communication skills.

I took my children out of ABC along time ago. I was sick of paying top dollar for less than adequate child care. The centre seemed too cold and unnurturing. Unnurturing / mean staff should not be employed at child care centres.

Despite ABC lovely ads on television, most ABC centres are far from nurturing.

I've found our ABC centre to be very nurturing. All the staff are fully qualified and love their jobs. I especially love that all the staff know my daughter & I by first and last name. It makes me feel as though they have taken an interest in us as a family. My daughter is only 13 months but is involved in craft and learning activities that I could never teach her at home so I think they are great.

Again, I will reiterate that it seems to vary from centre to centre, as with any childcare/centre/organisation.

At the ABC that Olivia and Charlie attend, all of the carers from all the different age rooms, and the cook, ALL know my children, chat with them, and know what they are up too/are interested in their personalitites and their development. I spend around a fair amount of time at drop off and pick up with my children/with the carers/with the other children, and I have always found it a very warm and friendly & exceptionally nurturing environment.

I think the trick is to investigate all the child care options in your area, and pick one that feels right for you and your family.

My step daughter atttends an ABC centre & she is developing into a very well adjusted, sociable and intelligent young lady.

Raven I forgot to ask before: Where abouts is the ABC you are sending your child too. My son went to a centre in Leopold a few years ago which I think is an ABC now.

Oh I forgot to tell you all how he went.
Firstly, spunkymonkies he went to Drysdale. We have pulled him out of there after only 3 weeks of him starting as he hated going because the teachers were not watching the kids, I almost tripped over an 18 month old baby who was crying and the teachers were standing there chatting to each other and she was still crying when I left. Everytime I dropped him off he would cry and say "Don't want to play with the kids Mummy and the Teachers don't like me" I just couldn't send him back to that and will never send him to any ABC centre again.

Raven

We lived in Clifton Springs and couldn't get him into any centres there thats why we went to Leopold also the ABC was still being built at that stage he was on the waiting list. He only went for a few months he hated it and I would constantly be told how sooky he was. I hated that because he is no more sooky than the next child. I tried the occassional care offered at the community centre and he did enjoy that and it let me get my cleaning & shopping done. I also took him to the Clifton Springs playgroup which is held at the golfcourse he really loved that and I also enjoyed meeting up with some of the other mums I made some good friends there.

thats really sad raven. I hope you can find another centre for your son. Madison is at an ABC centre 1 day a week and the staff are just wonderful, its a great centre, and Madison loves going, she has made a bond with one of the staff members which is great and she goes with one of her friends from mothers group.
I hope things work out.

I too have heard conflicting stories. My Bro sends his DD there and have had no issues at all. A new centre and the staff have been great.
My cousin does alot of relief work for several ABC's in her area and she said they all depend on the staff as to how they run and the feel you get from them. She definately has her favourites to work in. The only bad points were in relation to carer supplies eg: gloves/paper towel. Instead of having heaps and in each room plus in storeroom sometimes they are really low and you need to go in search.

Both our girls go to our local ABC and they love it. Obviously like Lucy has already pointed out it really depends on who works there, like ANY child care centre. We didn't pick ABC because of the name we picked it because of the staff, pure and simple.

To True Kirsty,it does depend on the stuff. I have booked Liam into the Kindy just down the road for 4 year old kindy next year and he is on the waiting list for this year. I have spoken to some of the Mothers up at Kayla's school and they have told me great things about teachers in the kindy. So it should good from here on in, I hope anyway.

Raven

Hi Raven, good luck with the kindy. I really liked both kindys in the area. We went to orientation at both of them everyone was really nice.The kindy in central road is a bit bigger so they have a few more resourses but both of them are good..

Personally I wouldn't send my children to ABC. I don't like the monopoly they have over the industry. They don't let the government departments in for their checks and don't let their staff talk to any media about what happens in their centres. Because of their monopoly they have the money to have the best lawyers and because of this every time a major news paper has tried to run a story on what is happening with ABC they send the lawyers in with threats to sue. It's VERY wrong. I only have ABC centres around me. There are 5 of them within 5 mins of one another. Even 2 of them are a few blocks apart! Everytime a child care centre opens up they buy them out. It shouldn't be allowed to happen. It's about time the government did something about this!

My Son has been to 3 ABC centres... the second one i absolutely LOVED. he loved his carer.. she was fantastic! the whole centre ran smoothly, it was just wonderful. no ifs or buts...

The first centre he went to was ok, wasn't overly fussed but it was the only childcare in walking distance, as i don't drive. as for the last ABC centre.. wasn't impressed at all. he went for 2 weeks and i pulled him out because i didn't like the centre, the carers... the layout... but i think i had high expectations because of the ABC i'd just taken him out of. lol

He's now in family day care. and i couldn't be happier, he looves his carer and she's fantastic!! and it's so much cheaper which is always a bonus!!

Good luck finding a childcare you and Liam both like.
Eryn xoxo