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I'm starting my second trimester and since I will be a single mother I will need to put my infant in daycare about 6 weeks after I give birth. I have no clue about daycare and I will be financially strapped so I am wondering how do I go about finding the right daycare for my child to be? How much attention/ teacher/infant ratio should I be looking at for around $140 a week? Are there subsidie programs and does the quality suffer? Are all the horror stories about daycare true? How do you find the right one? What are the average hours? I was told to start looking now and that there can be a waiting list for infants. Is this true and are there down payments required? Will they feed my breast milk as long as it's bottled? AGhhhhh.... Any input would be greatly welcomed... Anyone else put their infant into daycare and how did you handle your feelings about it? In the state of South Carolina do day care workers need to be licensed?
<tomany2count>
Posted
Hi Singlepreg. I can't give you all the information about in South Carolina but I can give you a little insight on daycare, I hope. One way to find a good daycare is by asking around. Find out who like who and why and the other way around too. Just because Jill does not like a daycare does not mean it will not work for you. Then call and speak to them, make visits to the daycare, I recomend you make a couple surprise visits also. If they don't like you just popping in I would be uncomfortable. I would start looking now and keep your eyes and ears open. Find someone that you are comfortable with. As far as adult infant ratios here in In. it is 3 to one by law. Now to be honest I do not allow that ratio in my daycare. I would have a very hard time taking care of 3 babies plus other children so I won't allow my staff to have more than 2 infants per adult and that depends on the infants. Some take more attention than others. Now as far as your other questions, ask the daycare. We feed breast milk if it is given to us. I do not require it to be bottled but I prefer it. Some Moms like to freeze it and bring it that way so there is less waist. I also ask that the Mom bring some formula to keep on hand just in case we run out of breast milk. I also have Moms bring the babies diapers, bottles and change of clothes. Most of my Moms bring a package of diapers and put their name on them so we keep them straight. I also take subsidezed funs from the state for daycare. I personally don't think it makes it less of a daycare to do so. I have some really great Moms on the program that just need the extra help. You can check with your local child services in your county to see if you qualify for a program or not. As far as licensing in your state I really have no clue. Here we do not have to be licensed but the standards are different if you are not. They are a little higher to be licensed. I also have all my staff get a cpa in child care when they come to work for me. You may have something in your area for that too, I don't know. Well I hope I was of some help. I wish you and your new arrival the best. God bless.
<Tucson Superwoman>
Posted
Here in AZ the ratio is 5 :1, I know because I worked in infant rooms a long time ago! It was difficult but managable...however with a child that is colicky or has other problems, the teachers do not usually have the time to give the babies they need. My daughter, who is now almost 6, started daycare when she was 1 month old! The teachers there loved her and to this day her first teacher still sees her. Not all daycares are good though, I always look at the cleanliness of the place..and see if the teachers seem friendly, because a lot of them are not! Not to scare you, you just have to go with your gut instinct, alos you can call lisencing and see if there have ever been bad reports on the daycare you may want to put your child into, because all daycares go through licensing at least once a year, more if a complaint is made on them. Good Luck!
<singlepreg>
Posted
Thank you so much for your input. I checked on the South Carolina laws and it's 6:1 for infant care! I think that's a lot of infants for one person to handle personally. I will take your advice on shopping around and visiting daycare's. Thank you again for your response!
quote:
Originally posted by tomany2count: [qb] Hi Singlepreg. I can't give you all the information about in South Carolina but I can give you a little insight on daycare, I hope. One way to find a good daycare is by asking around. Find out who like who and why and the other way around too. Just because Jill does not like a daycare does not mean it will not work for you. Then call and speak to them, make visits to the daycare, I recomend you make a couple surprise visits also. If they don't like you just popping in I would be uncomfortable. I would start looking now and keep your eyes and ears open. Find someone that you are comfortable with. As far as adult infant ratios here in In. it is 3 to one by law. Now to be honest I do not allow that ratio in my daycare. I would have a very hard time taking care of 3 babies plus other children so I won't allow my staff to have more than 2 infants per adult and that depends on the infants. Some take more attention than others. Now as far as your other questions, ask the daycare. We feed breast milk if it is given to us. I do not require it to be bottled but I prefer it. Some Moms like to freeze it and bring it that way so there is less waist. I also ask that the Mom bring some formula to keep on hand just in case we run out of breast milk. I also have Moms bring the babies diapers, bottles and change of clothes. Most of my Moms bring a package of diapers and put their name on them so we keep them straight. I also take subsidezed funs from the state for daycare. I personally don't think it makes it less of a daycare to do so. I have some really great Moms on the program that just need the extra help. You can check with your local child services in your county to see if you qualify for a program or not. As far as licensing in your state I really have no clue. Here we do not have to be licensed but the standards are different if you are not. They are a little higher to be licensed. I also have all my staff get a cpa in child care when they come to work for me. You may have something in your area for that too, I don't know. Well I hope I was of some help. I wish you and your new arrival the best. God bless. [/qb]
<singlepreg>
Posted
Thanks for the tips! Do you have any advice on making the most of your time with your infant once the infant is put into daycare? Do infants get confused as to who their mothers are? Thanks again for the license tip - I would've never have thought of that.
quote:
Originally posted by Tucson Superwoman: [qb] Here in AZ the ratio is 5 :1, I know because I worked in infant rooms a long time ago! It was difficult but managable...however with a child that is colicky or has other problems, the teachers do not usually have the time to give the babies they need. My daughter, who is now almost 6, started daycare when she was 1 month old! The teachers there loved her and to this day her first teacher still sees her. Not all daycares are good though, I always look at the cleanliness of the place..and see if the teachers seem friendly, because a lot of them are not! Not to scare you, you just have to go with your gut instinct, alos you can call lisencing and see if there have ever been bad reports on the daycare you may want to put your child into, because all daycares go through licensing at least once a year, more if a complaint is made on them. Good Luck! [/qb]
<Tucson Superwoman>
Posted
I dont think infants get confused at all, I believe they instinctively know who their mama is. However, I think it is great if they take well to their caregiver....I would want someone to take care of my baby like it was their own. I would just say to try and hold your baby a lot when you are with her...and it is great if you do try to breastfeed for awhile and can express milk to take to the daycare because then the baby is getting something that is something only you can give. I know thats easier said than done though, I did it for about 4 months before I had to stop breastfeeding-still-as long as you can do it I would say go for it, becasue it keeps the baby healthy too because of the natural antibodies breastmilk produces(plus it helps you get slimmed down faster!)
<aunder75>
Posted
I just want to add, when you visit the day care center, if there are other parent around picking up there children. Ask them how they feel about the center.
I also don't think that infants get confused. You know about that bond that can't be broken, like when you pick out your childs cry or voice out of a thousand. Good Luck
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