Signed Cam up for Daycare - Now I have a question for you...

CAMSMOM1 wrote: I finally decided on which daycare Cam will go to. I have searched, and searched for daycare centers/homes and they have all be really expensive.

So I finally picked the one that is 5 min. from our house, is open till 10:00pm & Saturdays, and is the least expensive out of the other daycares I looked into....it's still going to be $540.00 a month. (I only bring home 1,000). But Im excited for him to be around the other children, and I know he'll have a lot of fun.

But...here's the question. They do montly field trips. This month, they are taking the kids to the zoo. I asked them, how do you keep track of 15 toddlers? And they said, "There are 3 teachers, and chaperones (sp?) that volunteer to come. (parents of the children)

I am having a hard enough time leaving Cam with teachers I don't know, and it's really hard for me to trust these chaperones/parents that I dont' know, and are not fingerprinted, ect.

I can't take off from work everytime they have a field trip. And I know I'll be really paranoid the entire day. I know he'll have a blast, but I still worry.

I guess this turned into a vent. But would you be worried too? Or should I just chill out?

My3LilMonkeys replied: Yes, I would be worried. B/C like you said, you don' t know these people or their qualifications. I would probably be paranoid for the first 3 or 4 or 100 trips, but I would probably still let Brooke go because I know she would enjoy it.

And I am not trying to scare you more, but if at all possible, pop in and check on Cam at unexpected times throughout the first month or 2 just to make sure everything is as it should be. I'll give you an example - the building where I work has a day care. Every day I see them take the 1 & 2 year old class out for a walk - 8-10 kids walking and a quadruple stroller with 4 kids in it and 1 kid SITTING ON THE CANOPY of the stroller. I have made several angry calls to the day care about how unsafe it is but since I'm not the parent of one of the children at the center they ignore me. I'm quite positive that the parents of the children have no idea what is going on.

Again, I'm not trying to scare you - just make sure you keep as close an eye on the center as you can until you feel it is a comfortable place for him.

mckayleesmom replied: Is it 3 teachers and chaperons only or like 3 teachers and a couple chaperones too?? Like more then 3 adults.? 15 kids is alot for 3 people to take on at the zoo. Well....I haven't begun that part of my kids life yet....but I know I will need therapy before I do because I have to come to grips with my fear of my babies riding in cars with other people.......So right now I would say no. Maybe you can volonteer every once in a while so he is not left out on activities, but not go on the ones without you present.

Mckaylee is counting down till she can ride the big school bus....and Im pretty sure that will throw me into some prozac pills...

b&bsmom replied: I used to work in daycare and I totally agree to check in at unexpected times. I have taken 2yr olds to Discovery Zone which is a play area inclosed with tunnels and balls and such, I have gone on trips to orchirds, and the like. If there are parent chaporones going that would make me feel a little safer because parents were there as well. You will be amazed how they can take these trips and keep track. I am sure they have done it alot and have a system. You will be worried you are a parent and who wouldn't. Just try and relax a little and let your child go. I had one overprotected set of parents and not only would they not let their child go on the field trips but she was not allowed to go outside because the mulch made her clothes to dirty and she wasn't allowed to go out under 50 degrees and it was just insane. I would love to know what happened to her because I can not imagine growing up with parents like that. Hope all goes well.
sorry so long

MommyToAshley replied: If it were Ashley, I would opt out of the field trip unless I could be there as well. I think she is too young to go on these kinds of trips without me, but that is just my personal opinion. I tend to be over-protective.

C&K*s Mommie replied: with Dee Dee. I would opt out for the time being. It is not mandatory that all children go anyhow, and they need you to consent to your child even being taken on the daycare van/bus in the first place. When I was looking at daycares, I had hesitation when it came to putting my initials in the spot for agreeing to let them take my child on a van/bus.

If you do decide to let him go with the class, do check in periodically. Check in peridically anyhow, while he is even at the center. I did that with Christian when she was in a dayhome, and in a center.

kayla's mama replied: I would opt out also. I get real leary when Daycares have field trips...We have had too many here that the drivers leave kids inside the vans and they end up dieing because of the heat. Don't mean to scare ya but it does happen. I don't think that I would allow Kayla to go on any field trips unless I was able to go with her.

ilovemybaby replied: I would find out what the adult:child ratio is supposed to be and if it is 1:5 then they are abiding by the law. I know it's hard to trust others with your child especially since you don't know them.
I used to work in a daycare centre and I think the ratio was 1:5. They had two qualified workers plus me. I can't remember how many kids were in that room... but we managed.
The daycare centre Abby will be going to next year has 30 kids and 2 qualified teachers plus mothers who volunteer. They apparently only have to have 2 qualified workers for 30 kids.
I am really nervous about sending her there... I'm not so worried about who is looking after her or how they cope but just everything in general... other kids picking on her or hitting her .. you know things like that. I know she needs to go so she can learn to stick up for herself and so she has that social interaction with other kids. It's going to be so hard though.

The important thing to remember is that on these field trips they have the 3 teachers there too. So they are watching the volunteers.

jacobsmama replied:
Me too Ann. I"m glad to see that you picked somewhere and got one thing off your plate but just remember you make all the calls. So I agree with others to drop in on them and wait until you are more comfortable with it.

I will come watch Cam for ya OK ??

MM'sMama replied: Way to go Ann I am so proud of you! I know this was hard for you. Cam will love it esp. having kids his own age to play with! Good for you!

Honestly I wouldn't let Cam go on unless there were more adults going (teachers and chaperones). When I worked child care we NEVER took the kids under 3 on field trips other than to places like story times at libraries, children's museums/discovery centers that were well monitored, and play places that were gated in and kids had to be signed in and out of. And even when we did and for the kids 3-7 we always had 2 kids per teacher/aid so 2 kids per person.

Nina J replied: I would be worried. Perhaps someone you know can volunteer on the day? Maybe your mother or something? Just a thought.

I'd probably opt out of the field trips, I'm assuming they would still run the daycare as normal for the kids who arn't going.

CAMSMOM1 replied:

That's a good question. I don't know what they do for the children who don't go on the field trips. I will call them tomorrow to find out. Thanks for writing that, it's a good reminder.

I'm glad I'm not the only one that is over-protective, or leary of field trips. They said there would be 3 teachers, and chaprones...but they didn't know how many chaprones/volunteers there would be.

I don't feel comfortable with a person/parent that I don't know, watching my son. She said they all stay in a group. So that makes me feel a little better.

But like Nicole said, someone will be driving Cam. That doesn't make me feel good either.

But I can't take off from work, everytime they have a field trip. And they do this every month. I know how much Cam loves the Zoo, and I don't want him to miss out on that. But I would be a nut-job the entire day.

I will be checking up on the center once he starts, to observe. Today when I was there, I was talking to his soon-to-be teacher, and there was a little girl who fell asleep in her lunch, and I noticed it way before they did. (I didn't say anything, cause I wanted to see when they would notice) .

Thanks for the reassurance. It's good to know I"m not crazy for feeling this way.

Halo42101 replied: I am not a parent yet but I think it's normal to feel that way. Just keep checking on Cam when you can as a reassurance. I hope Cam has fun at his new day care center. God bless.

Hugs & love from,
Jessi

Momof3inMe replied: I use to work at a daycare also and I understand where you are coming from. We use to have parent that would ask if other family members could come with us b/c mom or dad couldn't get the day off. We use to use a rope that had rings on it and each child held a ring with a teacher on each end and one walking in the middle. We used this rope everywhere we went so the kids were very use to this and did a great job.

I would say go with your gut feeling if you don't feel right about this then dont send him I am sure they will understand.

Great job finding a new daycare!

JP&KJMOM replied: Wow I have never heard of a daycare that does field trips with such young kids. Ours only does 4 and up. I do know that at the center where Karlee is now they do background checks on all employees before they are hired. I would be leary too and yes I am overprotective of mine also. They always get to go on the field trips but if I can't go them my mother goes so I feel better. Good luck and check into him not going because they have to have your permission before he can go.

Mom2BNTN replied: Ann, I am so glad that you were able to find a daycare for Cam that has such convenient hours especially Saturdays. All daycare centers can be expensive, but it looks like for all the hours they are open that the price is fairly reasonable. Not that I would know from personal experience of course (not yet anyway), but one of my friends daughter is in a daycare center and she has told me before that is isn't cheap by no means. I'm sure Cam will enjoy this opportunity to be around other kids and make some new friends. As far as the fieldtrips go......I have to agree with alot of the other Moms. I'm not sure I would be comfortable letting Dylan go anywhere without me and I know you would be a nervous wreck the whole day worrying about Cam if you were not able to go with him. So for now, until you became more familiar with the teahers and some of the other parents you may want to consider not letting him go on any fieldtrips. Once you get to know everyone going on these outings and your mind has been put to ease then I would let Cam go. You are such a good Mom to be so concerned.

boyohboyohboy replied: My son went to a large well known daycare that was very expensive for two years. I would check in all the time at unexpected times, I even had a friend of mine pop in when she was around the daycare. I signed a form that allowed my son to not go on field trips and he was put into another room with the other kids who were not going and they stayed there at the school and followed a typical days routine.
I cant stress enough about asking how your childs day went, and when I went to pick him up I always sat on the floor for a few mins, and you would be surprised what info the other kids in the class will tell you about, as well as see the interaction of the teachers with the kids.
I ended up pulling my son from daycare and now am a stay at home mom, I didnt have much luck with teachers. Its not their fault, they are way under paid.

I also would ask the school who is cpr trained and who is first aide trained. I found that there were days when NO ONE in the school knew how to do cpr or first aide. I also found that there were days when the head director was out, and the only people in the building were lay persons.......

I even went as far to check in the refrig. to see if the milk and other products were out dated, and you would be surprised what I found in there.....

again not to scare you, but you just have to keep a close eye on whats going on. and talk to your child...

I have tons of resources if you are interested in as far as how to check with DPW for sites that have been given to a school, and how to tell whats been addressed in the past as far as complaints and issues that others have had...

Kaitlin'smom replied: the summer part of the pre-school Kait goes to only kids over 4 are allowed on the field trips, so I dont have to stress till next year. However when the teacher does take them outside to go to the playground (its over at the main building) they all have to hold onto this rope thing, kinda like a fuzzy scarf. teacher in frount and helper in back. I feel very comfortable with her there they keep the teacher to child ratio very low.

If your not comfortable letting him go on field trips and you cant go opt out, do they have something for thoes not able/allowed to go?

deffinatly do the pop in thing.