Any online resources to help find a good daycare?
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Any online resources to help find a good daycare?
Thank you for your past comments!
We are not satisfied with our current daycare for our toddler that was recommended by a colleague . Besides word of mouth and looking up state inspections, any online resources that bogleheads recommend to find a good local daycare?
Thanks!
We are not satisfied with our current daycare for our toddler that was recommended by a colleague . Besides word of mouth and looking up state inspections, any online resources that bogleheads recommend to find a good local daycare?
Thanks!
Re: Any online resources to help find a good daycare?
Try to find a daycare that is NAEYC accredited. Our 5 year old is enrolled in an accredited daycare program and we are very pleased
https://www.naeyc.org/
Grifin
https://www.naeyc.org/
Grifin
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Re: Any online resources to help find a good daycare?
I don’t think there is a silver bullet for daycare. What works great for one person is terrible to another.
The state records and ratings are a good starting point. But I would definitely tour several of them, meet the teachers, and get a feel for the school before enrolling. And even then, you may find out you don’t like the school!
The state records and ratings are a good starting point. But I would definitely tour several of them, meet the teachers, and get a feel for the school before enrolling. And even then, you may find out you don’t like the school!
Re: Any online resources to help find a good daycare?
Neighbors? Nextdoor?
This might not be possible. My kid's daycare is still not letting parents in the building for now.regularguy455 wrote: ↑Sun May 15, 2022 8:53 pm But I would definitely tour several of them, meet the teachers, and get a feel for the school before enrolling.
Re: Any online resources to help find a good daycare?
Usually there are local area parenting Facebook groups. I've done searches in my local parent groups (there are 3 or 4 of them, one general to the area, one or two focused on special interests like "My Town Hiking Families" and the like).
Re: Any online resources to help find a good daycare?
+1
There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your Expected Returns
Re: Any online resources to help find a good daycare?
Try your local "childcare council" or equivalent state agency for good daycare providers.
In many states the state will have all of the licensed providers on a site where you can search for any and all violations by each site.
Word of mouth at various child and sibling activities/functions also can be very helpful.
We have never found NAEYC to be an indicator of quality of childcare.
In many states the state will have all of the licensed providers on a site where you can search for any and all violations by each site.
Word of mouth at various child and sibling activities/functions also can be very helpful.
We have never found NAEYC to be an indicator of quality of childcare.
Re: Any online resources to help find a good daycare?
+2
You may also wish to ask local people on Nextdoor for daycare feedback & advice.
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Re: Any online resources to help find a good daycare?
Thank you, all, for your helpful comments. It sounds like there is not a great nationwide online resource to evaluate daycares , except possibly NAEYC which seems to have gotten mixed reviews in this thread. Will definitely update it I find something helpful.
Re: Any online resources to help find a good daycare?
This won’t be as easy as an internet search, but often times kindergarten teachers have well-informed opinions regarding specific daycares. They have first-hand knowledge based on the preparedness of the children entering their class. If you have a connection to a teacher at the elementary school your child would attend, that may be worth looking into.need403bhelp wrote: ↑Wed May 18, 2022 1:01 pm Thank you, all, for your helpful comments. It sounds like there is not a great nationwide online resource to evaluate daycares , except possibly NAEYC which seems to have gotten mixed reviews in this thread. Will definitely update it I find something helpful.
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Re: Any online resources to help find a good daycare?
My wife joined a number of local Facebook groups - daycare, soon-to-be moms, etc. I just talked to as many people as I could (word of mouth). In the end, the decision was so important to us that I created an Excel spreadsheet and personally walked through eight different places.
Perhaps there is a business opportunity here; I for one would have been willing to pay a decent amount for good data on daycare providers, given how important it is to us. I suspect that, like many other highly regulated industries closely involved with government, there are so many intricacies that it can be difficult to quantify daycare outcomes...and many of the businesses themselves would likely not want to release said data.
Perhaps there is a business opportunity here; I for one would have been willing to pay a decent amount for good data on daycare providers, given how important it is to us. I suspect that, like many other highly regulated industries closely involved with government, there are so many intricacies that it can be difficult to quantify daycare outcomes...and many of the businesses themselves would likely not want to release said data.
Re: Any online resources to help find a good daycare?
Join one of those Facebook Mom groups, they have a ton of recommendations. That's how we found our pediatrician when we were not satisfied
Re: Any online resources to help find a good daycare?
NAECY was not an effective way to determine the value and quality of a daycare center.need403bhelp wrote: ↑Wed May 18, 2022 1:01 pm Thank you, all, for your helpful comments. It sounds like there is not a great nationwide online resource to evaluate daycares , except possibly NAEYC which seems to have gotten mixed reviews in this thread. Will definitely update it I find something helpful.
State agencies often have any violations on their site for at least 3 years - at least the 3 states i am familiar with.
Some of these 'violations' can be quite meaningless and some very concerning so reading them carefully will help you decide.
Re: Any online resources to help find a good daycare?
Word of mouth is best, by far.
Online is very hit and miss, even with local-community focused groups like Nextdoor.
Best bet - ask any of your local friends and neighbors with kids - you'll be surprised how knowledgeable even one person can be, as most parents do quite a bit of research themselves before choosing.
Online is very hit and miss, even with local-community focused groups like Nextdoor.
Best bet - ask any of your local friends and neighbors with kids - you'll be surprised how knowledgeable even one person can be, as most parents do quite a bit of research themselves before choosing.
Re: Any online resources to help find a good daycare?
Word of mouth is best, by far.
Online is very hit and miss, even with local-community focused groups like Nextdoor.
Best bet - ask any of your local friends and neighbors with kids - you'll be surprised how knowledgeable even one person can be, as most parents do quite a bit of research themselves before choosing.
Online is very hit and miss, even with local-community focused groups like Nextdoor.
Best bet - ask any of your local friends and neighbors with kids - you'll be surprised how knowledgeable even one person can be, as most parents do quite a bit of research themselves before choosing.
Re: Any online resources to help find a good daycare?
I do not know what state you reside in but in the states I am familiar with there exists extensive data on child cared centers that go back at least 3 years. You look up each center by name and address and they have access to the license, owner, director, building limits, inspections, violations and any other issues.Maverick3320 wrote: ↑Wed May 18, 2022 2:08 pm My wife joined a number of local Facebook groups - daycare, soon-to-be moms, etc. I just talked to as many people as I could (word of mouth). In the end, the decision was so important to us that I created an Excel spreadsheet and personally walked through eight different places.
Perhaps there is a business opportunity here; I for one would have been willing to pay a decent amount for good data on daycare providers, given how important it is to us. I suspect that, like many other highly regulated industries closely involved with government, there are so many intricacies that it can be difficult to quantify daycare outcomes...and many of the businesses themselves would likely not want to release said data.
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Re: Any online resources to help find a good daycare?
When we were selecting a daycare, we did the following while each step helping us narrow down our list:
- Searched for closest daycare centers to us
- Asked family, friends and neighbors who lived in the area
- Looked them up on state's website for any violations
- Checked Google/Yelp for reviews
- Searched in local Facebook community groups for daycare recommendations plus specific daycare names
- Scheduled onsite visits after we finalized our daycare list
Re: Any online resources to help find a good daycare?
This is an incredibly helpful thread. We bought some time by having our mother-in-law stay with us for a while, but eventually she has to return to her home country, so the clock is ticking. I've called dozens of places in my area, and none them ever pick up the darned phone. I finally got through to a few of them, but most of them are 18+ months of age only. A bunch closed during the pandemic, only a few of which have any plans to reopen, and mostly too late. We've gotten on exactly 1 waitlist so far for a place far out of our way, with no ETA for availability. It is an absolute cluster. It never occurred to me to use Facebook because I generally don't use it (I only have an account for linking with a very specific application). It bugs me that the only way to get some things like this done nowadays is to sell one's soul to the Markiverse or whatever. I gave up Facebook like 10 years ago when I realized it was consuming my life, and I really have no desire to get on it, but at this point, I would subject myself to torture if it meant these daycares would start answering their phones.
Re: Any online resources to help find a good daycare?
This is one area where I believe for the most part, paying a premium is worth the cost. I live in the suburbs outside a large city and have been very pleased with 2 day care centers we have used so far for our toddler for the past 3 years. Both schools had lots of professional, well-educated, like minded parents involved. We wanted to stick with a corporate franchise (Primrose Schools and Goddard Schools) as I believe it provides an extra layer of accountability and skin in the game for the owners. The schools themselves were almost always very clean, had lots of modern facilities and materials, toys, games, and were very well staffed with several Manager/Directors (one for Education/Curriculum, one for Operations, an onsite owner, etc.) Security was also very good, each parent only gets in with a swipe card.
Both schools use an app where you receive multiple pictures per day on what your child is doing, and provide a summary email each day. We have found this to be very helpful in discussing over dinner what our tot did that day.
The Dept of Education in my state gives out stars ratings for day care, but after looking into the matter, the criteria is vague (to me) and a minor issue could knock off a star. Stars could also be added for providing economic/tuition assistance to some, which without sounding harsh, did not want to delve into.
Both schools use an app where you receive multiple pictures per day on what your child is doing, and provide a summary email each day. We have found this to be very helpful in discussing over dinner what our tot did that day.
The Dept of Education in my state gives out stars ratings for day care, but after looking into the matter, the criteria is vague (to me) and a minor issue could knock off a star. Stars could also be added for providing economic/tuition assistance to some, which without sounding harsh, did not want to delve into.
Re: Any online resources to help find a good daycare?
Don’t give up. Keep calling, someone will answer eventually. My personal experience is 3/3 on daycares with long waitlist becoming available sooner than expected. In one case we were told 18 months and we started 2 weeks later. People in line ahead of you decline the spot, or they hire which creates more space.
Re: Any online resources to help find a good daycare?
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My personal experience is 3/3 on daycares with long waitlist becoming available sooner than expected. In one case we were told 18 months and we started 2 weeks later. People in line ahead of you decline the spot, or they hire which creates more space.
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This happened to me too, at a center where many of the children had disabilities of different sorts (center located near a children's hospital). I hit it off with one of the admin assistants talking about disability justice, and then our exchange became a lively conversation in the hall with two teachers and the admin.
Not to amp up the pressure even higher but I recommend putting your best foot forward with everyone you meet. I hadn't realized that I was being interviewed. But after that wonderful visit, "18 months" flew by faster than I'd ever imagined.
My personal experience is 3/3 on daycares with long waitlist becoming available sooner than expected. In one case we were told 18 months and we started 2 weeks later. People in line ahead of you decline the spot, or they hire which creates more space.
[/quote]
This happened to me too, at a center where many of the children had disabilities of different sorts (center located near a children's hospital). I hit it off with one of the admin assistants talking about disability justice, and then our exchange became a lively conversation in the hall with two teachers and the admin.
Not to amp up the pressure even higher but I recommend putting your best foot forward with everyone you meet. I hadn't realized that I was being interviewed. But after that wonderful visit, "18 months" flew by faster than I'd ever imagined.