Daycare

Charmaine - posted on 02/09/2009

Thank you Katyna I hadn't thought about that as an option. I will have a look at the site.

Katyna - posted on 02/09/2009

Hi Charmaine,

Placing your first child in Daycare can be a very daunting task, but rest assured, thousands of people do it, and survive! :)

I am a Family Day Care Provider in Queensland, so I welcome children into my own home and care for them. This is beneficial in many ways... there is a strict limit to the amount of children I can care for - a total of 4 under school age, including a maximum of two under 1yo. Because I care at my home, the children I look after are bought up in a home-based environment (minimising separation anxieties and enabling parents and children to settle quicker as it's not quite as daunting as a room packed with half a dozen adults and 30 kids), and have a lot more one-on-one time as opposed to being in a centre. I have only recently become a carer, and so have used both family and centre based care for my now 5yo, and totally swear by family-based. With family-based, you do have the option of choosing your carer, and changing carers once care has commenced if you are not comfortable or happy. We are governed by the same act as the centres, required to complete Senior First Aid training and update it every year, suitability for working with children blue card (including all occupants and regular visitors to the house over the age of 18), risk management, child protection, and a variety of other training. We are supported by the scheme co-ordinators, as are the parents. If you wanted any more info, do not hesitate to contact me, or check out www.familydaycare.com.au for your nearest scheme. Give them a call, they'll be more than happy to help and/or answer any questions or concerns you have.

Best of Luck

Katyna

Charmaine - posted on 02/05/2009

Thank you so much for your help ladies, much appreciated

Anne-Marie - posted on 01/18/2009

Hi Charmaine... I'm from Melbourne and currently have my daughter in fulltime care through neccessity. what we did when sourcing day care was looking for a small centre we opted for privately run as well. there is a website you can look at which has a list of all accredited centres



http://www.fedcourt.gov.au/litigants/gen...



and also has hints of what to look for in a centre. We asked around anyone we knew who had kids in centres and got ideas from them Some things we were told to ask were.. whether the centre provides meals? Qualifications of staff in the nursery? Carer to child ratio? We got lucky with our centre as its quite small with only placements for 48 kids and the nursery at the time only had 2 other kids in it, it now has 5 fulltime kids. We went for a tour and met the staff. When it was time for me to go back to work i was working parttime and we built up our hours apart. Starting with 3 hours 2 days a week, then 3 hours 3 days a week and then gradually built up 4 hours, 5 hours til we were at 7 hours 3 days a week then we added an extra day so she was in 7 hours 4 days a week and now is in 5 days a week. Our centre keeps a record book everyday of what she has been up to with eating sleeping and playing. I have asked them not to tell me if she does anything new so when i see it for myself i am none the wiser and dont feel like im missing out on her firsts! Also the centre does her veggies in the morning and we just let them know what we are introducing. Hope some of this helps!

Elizabeth - posted on 01/18/2009

Hello Charmaine! I am also looking at daycares because I am looking to go back to work. IT IS DAUNTING!  I don't know how the rules are there in Australia however, I will give you my best advice that I can offer from my experience in the States.

1) The teacher or "daycare worker" to baby ratio is really important....(well, to me at least :o) ) this ration determines how many babies there are assigned to a teacher....here in New Jersey where I live the state law says no more than 4 babies to 1 teacher is permitted. At such a young age it is important that they get that individual attention so look for a LOW ratio.

2) Also, I don't know what Australia's requirements are for licensing of the daycare centers and things of that nature ( please forgive my ignorance). Here, in NJ, a really really GOOD daycare center will have there NAEYC certificate...you must have something of the like. National Association for the Education of Young Children is a set of guidelines and procedures that are dedicated to improving the education and well being of children everywhere. You can check out their website and I can guarentee they will have a ton of information that may even be applied to your search for a daycare center.

....also, your best bet is to talk to other mothers you may know.....maybe join a group on circle of moms that has members in your area that can help you out with referrals.

I know it is sooooo hard to put your little one in daycare....I am going through the EXACT same process as you right now!!! BUT if you do your research and really are comfortable with your decision then it will be that much easier. I wish you the best!!! Let me know how it all pans out!!!!

xo

Liz

Andrea - posted on 01/18/2009

This is a tough decision, but do a little homework and you'll be fine. The first week away from your baby is so hard, but I promise, it gets better!

Definitely go visit the daycare center a couple of times to get a good sense of how they do business.You'll get a sense of how clean they are, how much time the care providers spend with the children and get a good first impression of the staff. If something doesn't feel right, try somewhere else!

Try scheduling your visit when the babies aren't sleeping so that you can see the care providers interacting with the kids. Ask what kind of activities the do with the kids, check on the security of the facility, make sure you'll get a report of how much your baby eats, sleeps and is changed. And if you plan on keeping your child in the same facility for several years, check out the classrooms for the older children as well.

Tracy - posted on 01/18/2009

wow Charmaine this is not an easy task i am from Montreal, Canada and Aimy is my 3rd to enroll in daycare....questions that i ask to ease my mind are something like what kind of activities they have to make sure your child is not in a highchair all day and has no stimulation...what kind of routine do they have for meals and napps...if they go outside and have anny activities like going to a park or meseum or botanical garden...daycares here offer outside activities with a surcharge but it is worth it....another tip visit the facilities and meet the person incharge or your child age group ...have your baby interact with him or her and she will tell you if she is confortable...baby's have a 6th sense when it comes to adults ...if she starts screaming well not a good idea to leave her therer lol..good luck