I enrolled my 15-month old daughter Kyleigh in a day care yesterday. When I initially talked to the school owner, I was delighted because we seemed to have similar point of view on child care, and she sounded very warm and caring. Later I visited the facility and Kyleigh participated in a short activity session. Everything looked great.
I went back there again the next day because the school owner invited me for a second preview session. However, I saw a few things I didn't like. I am not even talking about Kyleigh's shyness, which I posted in a previous article. I am talking about the things the teachers did (or did not do).
I was a little bit thrown off when I saw the teacher attempting to pass a saliva-covered ball to Kyleigh. I was actually glad that Kyleigh didn't take it because she was being shy. I understand kids drool, but I would think the teacher should have a towel ready at any given time to wipe the toys. We even do that at home - we wipe the toys if Kyleigh got her saliva on them. I think it's even more important at the day care because the saliva come from so many different kids.
Then, it was story reading time. The teacher showed the kids a picture of a strawberry in a board book. Then I was horrified at what I saw - the teacher asked each kid whether they wanted to eat the strawberry, and pushed the picture of the strawberry (the board book) against the kid's mouth. Some kids stuck their tongues out and licked the strawberry picture. The teacher didn't wipe anything off the page and simply moved on and pushed the book against the next kid's mouth. It was so disgusting in my eyes.
The kids were playing in a mulch covered dirt playground during the outdoor time. Even though the teachers kept saying, "No, don't put that in your mouth," the kids still picked up the mulch pieces and put them in the mouths. When the teacher ran over here to wipe this kid's hand, another kid put the mulch in his/her mouth on the other corner of the playground. So the teachers were just playing "catch-up" with them. The teachers told me that they would wash the kids' hands after they go back in, but I saw many kids already put their dirt-covered hands in their mouths several times while they were still outside.
Are all day care centers pretty much like this? I don't know. Maybe my expectation is too high, but we practice much better hygiene at home. We constantly have a wet clean wash cloth ready. As soon as Kyleigh touches something dirty, dusty, or sticky, we wipe her hands. As soon as she drools on the toys or surfaces, we wipe them down. Kyleigh has been really good about not putting anything she picked up in her mouth, but I am afraid she might learn the bad habit from the other kids once she starts to play with them.
So, the "perfect" day care is not so perfect in my eyes any more. I still completed the paperwork and paid the enrollment fees, because I tried to convince myself that the other day care centers wouldn't be much better. I think I need to seriously analyze the financial impact of me quitting my job, so I can care for Kyleigh at home myself the way I wanted. That will be a very scary change of my life, though.
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Comments: 24
I made this choice with my daughter, and we adjusted our lives so that I could stay home. I wouldn't trade this time I have been able to spend with them when they're so small for anything. It's not always easy, but I haven't regretted it.
I have looked into the in-home care type of care givers early on in my search. I decided to go with a "center" because we believed the interaction with many kids (about 9 in the class) will be good for her.
I think I am more convinced that I need to think about staying at home.
As to staying home: I did because I KNEW what daycare was really like. it is all about the money and NOT about the kids. We struggle financially but my kids are happy and healthy.
Also, I understand, you want the best for her, but children can only be sheltered so much. There will be no place or no one who will do the job you do.
And in reality - being in a room with a dozen other preschoolers is going to spread the germs no matter how many times the kids get their hands washed. period.
My biggest fear is they would lose my child and not notice because he was so shy.
I did notice clean up was good. So, I suggest speaking up. The teacher may not even realize she is over looking some things. It can't hurt. If things don't change I would start looking for another daycare.
I send my daughter to day care and there's no doubt that they will get sick. It's inevitable. However, it's also good for them because it builds their immune system. It's just not convenient because everyone in your house gets sick too! As long as they are mostly clean (still not sure about the book thing) and they take good care of your daughter (feed her, keep her clean sort of, teach her new things, don't let other kids hit her), I would say you are fine. Watch your daughter for signs that she is not enjoying herself and just keep an eye on other stuff they do.
If in the end, your gut tells you to find someplace else, that's what you have to do.
While I didn't follow my kids around with wet wipes, I did try to keep the dirty fingers out of the mouth and food.