daycare issues?

Question

i have a 10 month old soon. i would love to go back to work full time durning the day till i go to school at night well maybe not full time but i am scared to death because of all the horror stories i hear about the ppl who take care of our children. what should i do?? i don't want him getting hurt or touched.whats a good age for me to go back to work? i don't have any family close by to watch him either. stuck ! when is it really a good time to work again

Answer 1

My mother owned a day care center for 18 years. My suggestion is your church nursery, if they have a full-time one, or a local day care center you've researched fully. Most states now have very strict laws as to who can work in centers. The employees are investigated thoroughly and those with even slightly criminal backgrounds aren't hired.

Research, visit, get to know the center and workers...and go with the one you feel comfortable with and trust. We had children in ours from age 6 weeks, until they turned 12-13, and their siblings as they came along too. My mother never advertised, she didn't have to, word of mouth from happy parents and children kept us full to capacity. And to this day, 17 years after retiring, the children are bringing their children to visit her at home! :)

Answer 2

Call around and see if your community has a Resource and Referral service.. They do a background check on all daycare providers that are registered with them.
Word of mouth is always a good way to find out. Ask some other mothers where they take their babies and if they are pleased with the care they are getting. Before you leave your baby with someone, check their references, check their facilities, and visit the daycare with your child. That way you will get a first hand idea of how the daycare runs and you can see if the other children seem happy and content there. A lot of mothers go back to work when their babies are 6-12 weeks old. The younger you get him used to someone new the better, that is if you can't stay at home with him.
Good luck!

Answer 3

I'd suggest against sending a 10 month old to daycare.

Perhaps after 3 or 3 and a half...

I would spend a lot of time researching the daycare centers in your area. Some have NANNY CAMS which you can access from work.

Also... if there is a YOUNG MOTHER with a couple of children in your area... after age 3... (your child, not her)... she will be well positioned to help for the extra money.

Think long and hard about a daycare decision. NOBODY has your child's interest at heart... more then YOU. Those first 3 years are SO CRUCIAL to your child's development.

Answer 4

I would NOT put your child in daycare. Even though you can research all you want, there is no guarantee. I worked in a center for 10 years I know what goes on. The employees might not have a criminal background, but that doesn't mean that they are loving people. I quit working after I saw the crap that was going on and not being taken care of. My daughter was put in a situation of being locked in a bathroom with an employee and the employee not opening the door when asked. They did nothing to the employee but I was reprimand because I said something to that person. She was my child, my first job is to protect her. I am now a stay at home mom. Look around for someone who has the same values as yourself. There are a lot of good people in this world, you just need to look. Good luck.

Answer 5

The horror stories you hear do not happen as often people think. The news only show the sensationalized stories. They are not going to show a day care center that is doing an amazing job they are going to show the scandolous stuff.

Centers give you tours and show you all the rooms and stuff. Also look for a center that is accredited. I would tend to stick to day care centers because they do criminal background checks on all employees. Also many of the big centers, Childtime, etc they are leaning more towards educational curriculumn. How much that is in the curriculum increases with age.

I can understand your worries but when you go back to work is a decision you have to make on your own.

Answer 6

You can find a good daycare with careful research. Visit several centers in your area and look at local churches to see if they have full-time care. Make an appointment to tour the center, but also drop in unannounced to see the atmosphere at a "normal" time. Find out about their daily routines and activities, and make sure they have a set curriculum for every classroom. Look for things like artwork on the walls, pictures of activities, and posted lesson plans ~ sounds silly, but those are really signs of an active center. I also called to verify state licensing and credentials and the Better Business Bureau to make sure there were no serious issues reported. Most centers have pretty thorough background checks for all employees, but feel free to ask the director what criteria are used for hiring teachers. My kids have been at the same daycare for 8 years. We love the teachers and they love our kids. They have always been very willing to listen to our concerns and suggestions, and I know I can call anytime to check on my kids. If you do choose to go back to work, take the time to find a good center. You'll only feel good about the decision if you know your baby is safe.

Answer 7

I wnet back to work with my first son at 6 weeks. With my second one, I went back at 12 weeks. Both times, it was because I had to. I would have given (and still would!) my left arm to be able to stay home with them.

We were incredibly fortunate that we found a local daycare center (a lady ran it out of her house, but converted her downstairs to an actual center...keeping it separate from her living space), and she took excellent care of my boys. I went to the state website (was living in Michigan at the time) and they have a list of daycare providers broken down by type of center (private or public), number of children allowed, etc. The only concern I had was that yes, while the state does background/drug checks on these people opening centers, there are PLENTY of people out there who do bad things and are lucky enough never to get caught...

If you want my opinion, I'd wait until your son is in kindergarten before you go back to work. You didn't mention that you HAD to...you said you wanted to. I'd say school age is a good time. At that point, if he's in latchkey after school, or goes to a daycare center and someone does something inappropriate, he'll be old enough to tell you.

Answer 8

Don't go to work yet.. Up to 3 that's when they start talking, walking, drawing, singing (funny), being independent.. I think you want to witness all that.

I think you also want to make sure what stories he hears, what food he eats, how much fresh air he gets.. and how much love and affection he receives.

The first 3 years are so important. Give them to your son, you won't have a second chance to be there with him.

Answer 9

Try going to a local church and see who runs the nursery during the church service. See if anyone at the church knows of someone really responsible that would be willing to look after your child full-time.

Answer 10

i have the same problem i quess thats why ive been a house wife well stay at home mom for almost 7 yrs i want to go to work so bad but just cant