Posted by
on Sep 17th, 2012 and filed under Hey, so my wife and I are first time parents and we’re both working very hard. My mother-in-law had been taking care of our son but her health has deteriorated and now we are looking for a good daycare to put our child in to. Does anybody know what kids do over there? Since we both work from 9-5 (more like 8-6 if you count traffic) should we put our child in long daycare? Do they stay open that long? How much would you say we’d be looking for to spending on daycare per week? Are kids mean over there? Do we have to pack him lunch and stuff? A big thank you in advance.
-Adrien, the first time dad.
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Hi
Long day care can be a fantastic place for children. Its important though to visit a few different long day cares as the quality can vary. They learn all sorts of things at childcare especially social skills as they have so many new people to interact with. They do craft, outdoor play, reading, games I think most of the childcare’s are play based learning. The hours vary and some open from 630am to 630pm it all depends on the center you choose. The price of care varies as well and can be quiet expensive in most cases. Some you do and some you don’t have to pack lunch it depends on the center. It is also a great stepping stone before school. It is important to find a center that you like and feel comfortable with. There are some terrific centers that children are blessed to attend, they learn and grow and develope amazingly. Good luck
It depends on the daycare/preschool. The one my son was just in the U.S. cost about 433 a month(for a 4 year old) They had a schedule of play time, circle, art project, play time/outside, wash hands, lunch, nap, play/outside until pick up. They would do preschool type stuff during circle time.
Daycare’s here are usually open around 7am and close at 6 or 6:30. They will charge you if you are late unless you set up prior arrangements.
They provide lunches at most daycare.. I have yet to hear of one that they don’t provide breakfast, lunch and a snack.
There can be mean kids. I found the “mean” days were when my son was in the 2-3 class where the younger kids like to bite. My son no longer goes so I’m not sure how older kids are. My son loved it, he made friends and would always talk about them
Once again I am in the U.S. so some things may be a little different.
Go check out the daycare and go with your gut instinct. I would look to see if they do art projects, look at the play area(inside and outside). See if the kids are just sitting around watching TV…not a good sign and most important look at the ratio of kids to adult! Good luck!
At 4 you’re probably looking at a preschool rather than a daycare.
And yes, they are open sufficient hours to meet the needs of working parents who have commutes.
All good preschools and daycares for this age have some combination of light academics (letters, numbers, colors, etc.; usually in the context of games and activities rather than sitting the kids down at desks with pencils), organized games/activities (circle time, story time, singing, maybe the occassional video) and a lot of free play. Most also have nap time.
Beyond that, you’ll have to visit several and see which one best meets your needs. Most provide lunches (and sometimes breakfast). Some require you to pack a lunch. Class size varies. There will probably be some ‘mean’ kids, and a lot of nice ones. Just like you encounter in every part of your life.
I note that you’re posting from Australia, so I have no clue what the costs would be. Again, this is something you’d have to ask about when you visit.
about 139 a week. Thats why a lot of moms stay home until kid start school. Its probably a little chaper for a four year old. All day cares are different. But a four year old is proabably alright. Its the really young ones that really shouldn’t be there yet. But sometimes there is no choice. But she will start school in less than a year. I’m sure she’ll be fine.