DH and I hope to start touring day care centers soon. When you went on tours, did you call ahead of time to schedule an appointment, or did you just show up?
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We called ahead because some places require appointments and some didn't. Plus, some places only give tours between a certain time frame (e.g. 10am and 4pm).
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I used to audit child care centers for compliance, and the best way to do it is to drop in unannounced. When people know you're coming they tend to be on their best behavior
Even better if you pop by at a stressful time, say meal time or nap time, and see how they handle it. You can always schedule a second visit to ask the director all your questions.
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I called ahead to make an appointment but every single place I called said I could stop in anytime I liked.
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I love the idea of stopping by un-announced but some of the smaller centers actually have the front desk staff helping during busy times like meal time. They were happy to show me around but I didn't get all the details I needed. Also, one place, the room I was looking at for my DD was outside playing so I didn't get a good idea of how the kids acted inside.
I think the best bet is to schedule appointments for your list of places. Once you have it narrowed down to 2-3, then stop but unannounced for a second visit.
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I would call in advance. Some places only have "open houses" certain days of the week, and some places don't allow public access during naptime. But once you find out what their hours are like, i would do a quick drop by to see what things are like when they aren't expecting your visit.
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@Alivoo01: Did any of the ones you called have a wait list??
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I would call and schedule. The unannounced visit I feel is better for a second visit after you narrow your list down.
@lawbee11: the one I really wanted and is more sought after had a 9 month wait list. -
I set up appointments cause a lot will only do them on certain days and times. But some I felt like they didn't even know I had an appointment, more like I just dropped in and they didn't mind.
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@lawbee11: Nope! We've called on about 5 places which include day cares and Montessori's and none have a waiting list yet for December/January enrollment.
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I'd drop in but plan on making an appt if needed while doing a drop in!
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I called in advance but gave brownie points to those who said 'stop by anytime'! Made me feel like I was getting the nitty gritty tour, not the scheduled, sterile one, if that makes sense!
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Most of the places we visited had locks on the doors so I don't think we could have stopped in unannounced.
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I did both, i stopped by unannounced first and then later called and set up a proper appointment
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We did some of both, most of the time DH would drop by unannounced and get an initial feel then we would schedule a formal tour. The place we ultimately went with said that if a center doesn't allow you to drop by unannounced you should be concerned.
@sunny: all of the ones we toured had locked doors but had a doorbell and visitors log plus visitors had to be escorted around by a staff person.
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I would call in advance. Yes, you get a better idea if you drop off unannounced, but if you drop in unannounced, they may not have enough staff to give you a tour. And if you tour at nap time, that isn't going to be as helpful.
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I called in advance and most directors told me which days were good for them but we never made any set appointments!
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I called but they were all "oh just come sometime when we are open"
Even better if you pop by at a stressful time, say meal time or nap time, and see how they handle it. You can always schedule a second visit to ask the director all your questions.
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17 comments