When did you send your child to Day care??? And how do you know if your child isn't being abused?

Cassandra - posted on 08/24/2010

I have two children both of which went to day care before they started school my daughter from about 6mths, my son from about 1yr old. I believe that you know if a centre is the right environment for your child and you can tell that by the children and the teachers. POLICY POLICY POLICY, make sure all the policies are in place and Im an avid believer that centes run by councils are the best beacuse everything is above board and the right policies are in place. Have a good look around before you make up your mind. My children are now in before and after day care and vacation care as me and my partner both work full time, its a struggle sometimes but my kids are very happy with the whole system of things and I can honestly say have never had any dramas going to before and after day care even now. DAY CARE is the best environment for babies right through to bigger kids, it teaches them to respect and value the opinion of others, it teaches them diversity in culture and it provides a safe and fun learning environment for all ages.

Nonhlanhla - posted on 08/24/2010

Well, i think mine is going to be different from most of you ladies, i started mine when he was 3months, cause i had to go back to wrk, i had to take early ML cause of the complications i had during my preggy days, and i don't even want to think about the abuse thing...it's not going to make my life easy, the only thing i do, i check my child everyday after daycare if there are any changes in his body. And i have to say, i'm happy the way he's looked after.

Krista - posted on 04/24/2010

When I first interviewed our daycare provider (she does private daycare out of her home), I watched very closely to see how the other kids interacted with her. She had a baby there, two two-year-olds and a four-year-old. The baby seemed content and healthy, and the older children were relaxed and comfortably affectionate with her. (When I was talking to her, one of the older girls walked up and just slung her arm around the woman's waist and rested her head against her.) Kids aren't that good at hiding it when something is wrong, so seeing them so relaxed and how they obviously really liked their sitter made a big difference. As well, I called the other parents for references, which were all glowing.

Do the best you can to get your information, trust your gut, keep your eyes open, and just try to keep in mind that the vast majority of people out there ARE trustworthy.

Carey - posted on 04/24/2010

Contact the local child care resource and referral office in your area or go on-line for your state office of children and family services you can usually find information if there have been previous complaints or investigations on this program. They can also explain the state regulations for complaints if you need to report something and they can also tell you about the documentation day cares should be using if there is an injury to a child ie: incident reports.Registered or Licensed programs should have their license displayed if you don't see it ask to see it. Ask what types of training and experience the staff has too! If it is not a registered or licensed program do your own background checks... run the names through the sex offender database and pay the $25 fee for on line background checks, and always ask for referrals of other parents who have sent their children there. Talk to parents as they pick up or drop off the children and get phone numbers of other parents who use the same day care so if you are suspicious you can ask other people if they have had anything strange. When in doubt call your states child abuse hot line tell them your suspicions and the worst they can say is it isn't enough to file a formal complaint yet and they can help you document for future concerns. And ALWAYS go with your Mommy instincts if your not comfortable leaving your child there then don't find another day care provider right away!! Don't forget that you may have to live up to any payments or contracts you have signed with your current provider.

Serene - posted on 04/24/2010

Most licensed child care facilites does a criminal background check on there employees and a drug test. If the center isn't licensed by the state then i would not send my children there. Those are the centers that I would be concerned about of abuse. Also if they are licensed by the state then employees are educated in early child development. Thats at least how it is where i am from, "Indiana".

My son started attending childcare at 9 weeks old. He is now 22 months old and he loves it. Even on weekends he asks to go to school.

Renee - posted on 04/24/2010

I recomend the montesory schools as another mom already mentioned. My oldest developed problems in the day care I used to work at, she was there for 3 years. The management changed and everything changed and that's when she no longer wanted to go, had sudden issues with going in her pants and acted out a lot all of the sudden. I put her in a montesory school it was 600 a month and all of her problems diapeared and she blossomed so much in the first year alone.

Renee - posted on 04/24/2010

My oldest started going to one when she was 6 months old, I worked there so I always knew when she got hurt ect. But I could give some tips on how to know if something isn't right. Look to see what the mood of the rooms, teachers, kids, employees before they notice you walking up. Try to see whats going on through windows as you walk by them. Listen to their voices, listen for a hint of frustration or frazzled tone, if the employee can't think straight and isn't in a bubbly mood then it's not a good thing. Watch the kids in the day care, see if the majority are in good moods and content. Ask about the day care policies and then compair that to how many kids that person has to watch while doing all the day care policies. If it seems too much, it probably is. Try not to go to pack full day cares, that have the max allowed number of children by state law. Tx allows ten children to one adult, if you have ten kids you are baby sitting not interacting and learning with them. 6 or 7 kids per adult is ideal but 8 usually isn't bad either. Ask the employees how does you child do after you are gone, how long did they take to calm down. I used to have moms look in the window after they left to see their child happily playing when they were screaming when mom was still in the building. I always watched for employees putting on an act. If they seem a little too nice and the kids don't seem to return the affection at all, keep an eye on that person and see what you think. It can take a while for kids to adapt to day care and mom leaving, about a month or so, but if they don't improve then you need to meet with the manager and also take a peek in the window as you walk to your car, look without them knowing.

Emily - posted on 04/24/2010

my daughter isn't in daycare anymore but when i was a single mom she was. she started when she was 6 weeks old. i put her in a montesory school with very small classes. They had an open door policy and didn't mind if i dropped in anytime of the day. i would often visit on my breaks. Most of the teachers had children of there own that went to the school which made me much more comfortiable leaving here there. the school also had lots of get togethers so the parents could connect but it was also a good way for me to get to know the teachers and feel even more comfortiable leaving my daughter there.

Trevisha - posted on 04/24/2010

My daughter didnt start daycare until she was one year old and that was because I was going back to work. We had a great daycare that had no problem with us popping in out anytime we wanted. And most of the ladies there had kids of their own, which makes trusting them with your kids even better. As for your child being abused, you check them out when you go get them. You know what your child looks like, if she /he has any bruises or scrapes. And if there are new ones then the daycare should have something written up for this. As for sexually abused, if you think something is happening, take your child to your ped. and have them check them out. Again, at 1 when I let me daughter go to daycare, I knew what she looked like down there, so had anything changed, I would have definitly noticed and went straight to the doctor's office. I am blessed that was never the case where our daughter attened daycare. You just have to take a lot of time to find the right place where you feel most comfortable, and that may take a while, but at the end of the day it is well worth the piece of mind.