https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Mon, 11 May 2026 14:52:22 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/touring-day-cares-while-pregnant#post-231279 Mon, 23 Jul 2012 13:32:58 +0000 regberadaisy 231279@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>In addition to what everyone else has already said:<br /> I asked about what happens if we need someone to come pick up last minute. What do we have to do? (I like this because it tells me how strict they are on security)<br /> Overall cleanliness of the place<br /> Education level of head teachers. Does everyone on staff have some sort of child ed degree?<br /> how do paid holidays work?<br /> do we get refund for going on vacation?<br /> Do they offer diapers/wipes </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/touring-day-cares-while-pregnant#post-231223 Mon, 23 Jul 2012 12:55:16 +0000 littlebug 231223@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We did this a few weeks ago, and here is the list of questions we asked at each place.</p> <p>-What is the cost per week/month?<br /> -What are your hours? how much do you charge if i'm late to pick up my child?<br /> -What is the adult to child ratio?<br /> -Does each child have their own cubby? crib?<br /> -How often do you sterilize changing tables and toys?<br /> -What is your policy regarding sick kids? when do you call us and when do you send them home?<br /> -Do i have to pay for days my child is sick or on vacation?<br /> -What holidays are you closed?<br /> -Can i make unannounced visits? is there a place for me to nurse?<br /> -What are your security measures? how will my child be checked in and out?<br /> -Does the staff have first aid training? infant and child cpr?<br /> -Does the staff go through background checks?<br /> -Do you do cloth diapering?</p> <p>Also, we found that most places' rates are based on a 10-hour day, so your "late" fees start when you go over your set pickup time, not necessarily closing time. This is important for us because with our commutes, we have about 10 1/2-11 hour days. We realized we will need to come up with a new system in order to make our days 10 hours! </p> <p>We also wound up asking about outdoor play. And finding out if it was just a glorified babysitter or if they do structured, education-focused play. We also asked about sign language (most of the places we visit taught sign language starting around 6 months, and one place even taught Spanish!). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/touring-day-cares-while-pregnant#post-231190 Mon, 23 Jul 2012 12:26:03 +0000 matador84 231190@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Definitely make child-teacher ratio a priority. If the number of children exceeds state guidelines they are out of compliance in a huge way! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/touring-day-cares-while-pregnant#post-231105 Mon, 23 Jul 2012 11:36:24 +0000 Lozza 231105@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Honestly, the best way I found to be able to know what I was looking for in a daycare was just visiting a lot of them- once I'd seen three or four, I felt like I had a good feel for whether or not I liked them.<br /> A lot of it for me was intangibles- there's a daycare near our house that is NAEYC accredited, which is a good indicator, but it just felt hectic and crowded and a little out of control when we visited. At the daycare we ended up going with, the staff was incredibly friendly and seemed really happy to be there, and like all the teachers really got to know and love all the kids, regardless of whether or not they were assigned to the same room. Also, the kids at that center just seemed really happy and relaxed, whereas the general vibe at the first center was definitely more anxious. At one daycare, I happened to be visiting around the window when parents were dropping kids off, and on a whim I approached one of the parents on her way back to the parking lot and asked her about her opinion of the center, and I found that really helpful. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/touring-day-cares-while-pregnant#post-231101 Mon, 23 Jul 2012 11:33:41 +0000 Mrsbells 231101@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I agree with the points posted by @hellobeeboston:<br /> Especiall getting a "feel" of the place. You also want to get a look at the infant room and see how the layout is and what types of cribs, swings, etc they have and how many. How organized the place is and how well adjusted most of the babies seem to be. I also looked at their kitchen area to find out how they heated up the milk and how well they keep track of feeding and changing diapers. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/touring-day-cares-while-pregnant#post-231094 Mon, 23 Jul 2012 11:28:19 +0000 hellobeeboston 231094@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We also just started touring daycare's - first one was BAD. Second one was really good, we're going back for another tour -- then visiting a few more.</p> <p>I'm curious to see what other say - some things we've been looking for:<br /> - specifically look at infant daycare &amp; how it is in there<br /> - teacher to student ratio<br /> - # of years teachers have been employed at daycare<br /> - safety - what precautions are taken to get in &amp; out<br /> - pricing (obviously)<br /> - flexibility<br /> -ability to drop in whenever we want<br /> - how they move the kids up into different groups -- the last one we saw broke up the kids in lots of 'classes' -- so they kept the groups really small, kept the kids with kids that were all the same age within a few months, then how they advance<br /> - outdoor space/playtime<br /> - and lastly we've just been wanting to get a 'feel' of the place.</p> <p>we've been doing random drop in visit unannounced to see how things are, then sometimes set up a scheduled meeting - but we like doing the random drop in to catch them off guard.</p> <p>We are also thinking about meeting/interviewing some nannies to see how that could possibly go. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/touring-day-cares-while-pregnant#post-231078 Mon, 23 Jul 2012 11:21:00 +0000 DillonLion 231078@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm scheduling a few tours this week for prospective day cares. I am currently 22 weeks pregnant. We haven't decided if I will be a SAHM mom yet or not. It really depends on what the actual pricing is for our local daycare options, so we want to see the locations, get pricing, and start crunching the real numbers. If we do decide to go the daycare route, I'm hoping to get a good feel for the places during these tours so we can ultimately make a decision about where to send our LO.</p> <p>What type of things should we be looking for? Any specific questions we should be asking? What did you look for in your day care for your LO? </p>