childcare & preschool options

Bananasbunch.org hosts regular webinars on "Chosing childcare", I found that to be a good initial overview when I was just learning about all the different types https://bananasbunch.org/workshops-for-parents-families/

I think it depends on personality of your baby. Generally, home daycare pays more attention to little one but their activity is limited compared to bigger childcare center.

I have two cases here: 1. my own son who loves new people and new things. We sent him to homecare from 5 months all the way to 2 years old. But he kept telling me how boring home care is when he was 2 years old, so we switched him to bigger child care center. He loved the new place immediately and did not even cry a single day :). Now he is 4 and started the trend again that he starts saying how boring the pre-school is. 

2. My friends' daughter, who is shy and stayed at home from birth to 2 years old. They sent her to big childcare center when she was 2. But she never liked it and cried a lot everyday. Eventually after a month or two,  the childcare center ask my friend to withdraw her form the center. They then send her to a small homecare and she has been loving it since then. 

Homecare generally takes baby from young age like 4, 5 months old all the way to kindergarten age. The cost is the same regardless of the age. 

Childcare center or preschool takes kids from 18 months or 2 years old to 5. They cost could depend on the age of the kid, but some charge regardless of age.

Different parents have different priorities when it comes to daycare or preschool, so you should have your own list and decide from them. But on top of all, check all the reviews that you can find from the internet. No review is not the worst, but any negative review worth of investigation. Be careful that Yelp hides old or they call unrelated reviews but you can still see it if  you click the list. I discovered a hidden list of negative reviews on Yelp which helped me to filter out one of the pre-school options for my son. 

Our daughter is 18 months now. We started with a nanny-share at 6 months and both families will be ending with our nanny in July and switching to daycare. Our main reason for switching is that our daughter is getting increasingly social and we figured she'd enjoy time with more kids. Cost-wise, we're saving a few hundred more a month with preschool and we don't have to pay employer taxes which was a big headache. 

Our nanny takes her to the park every day but it's still great to be with more than one kid for the whole day (there's only one other child in our nanny share). We preferred a preschool because it's organized better, some of them are even registered non-profits. Preschools also ensure that the child is prepared for kindergarten. At-home daycares tend to be cheaper but it's at someone's home as opposed to a formal school setting. The at-home day cares we visited also seemed pretty crammed and some did not have a policy against screen time. That was our main reason for enrolling her in a preschool. Every parent needs to make their own decisions though and decide what's important to them. 

We started with a nannyshare at first becase we heard that kids at daycares tend to get sick every other week and that was hard enough for us to manage with her in a nannyshare. We don't have any family nearby and so wanted to take the option that would make it easiest on us as new parents. If we do have another kid, we aren't sure what we would do - nanny or daycare. What was important to us as first-time parents was individualized care, home-based surroundings and some companionship for the first 2 years. Now, our daughter is very confident, loves playing with other kids and likes being out rather than at home. So, a preschool seemed a good fit for us. We picked one that was play-based and we also know other couples who send their kids to this preschool. We're not sure what to expect once she starts at preschool, but we've learnt that if we give our daughter space and time, she usually adjusts to things pretty easily.

Our son is about 17 months old and has spent most of his time being cared for by a nanny or grandparents while we work from home.  Despite the great care and attention he's received, we've decided to start him in a small daycare facility because we've noticed that he increasingly wants new experiences and is starting to get really curious about other kids his age.  We've noticed this because he constantly wants to be at the playground or go outside and during his weekly music classes, he stares at other toddlers and mimics them at home.

We toured a few different options - large childcare center, large home care center, a couple of preschools, and a very small home care (homeowner was also the only care provider).  We ended up going with the larger home care center.  I recommend prioritizing an in-person tour, preferably when the children are there.  Some centers even recommended that we bring our son along for the tour.  In our experience, information on websites have been outdated - recommend calling and emailing to confirm details.  And also, a lot of places have waitlists/a longer application process.

I always keep in mind that some places charge more for kids under two years old, but in my experience, it's justified because they tend to need more care. I used to pay $2500 a month for my baby, but when he turned 2, it went down to $1800. Some daycares only take toddlers, while some accept babies as small as six months. For me, the deciding factors were accessibility, hours of operation, cleanliness protocols, my son's comfort, and communication. It took a lot of work and vetting, but when I found a good place, both my child and I thrived. Entrusting your child to a stranger can be daunting, but if it's a positive experience, they develop friendships, understanding, and essential independence. I wish you the best of luck!

It depends on what sort of environment and schedule you are looking for. We considered the entire list of options you mentioned and we found viable choices in each one. My advice is to tour as many types of care options as possible. The more places you see, the more you develop a sense of what may work and may not work for you and your family. There is no one right choice for care. Ultimately, whatever place ends up clicking with you and feeling "right" is ultimately the best choice for your family. Also, many places are impacted and have a waitlist. Therefore, it is best to cast a wide net and consider applying to multiple places - not just one. We had hoped to place our child in one particular preschool and then didn't get in. Instead, we found ourselves at an at-home daycare and it ended up being a surprise fabulous fit. I hope just the right place finds you and your child. Wishing you the best of luck!