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My wife and I are expecting in April and have started to look at potential daycare sites. I didn't know there were waiting lists for those things, but I was wondering if anyone has there children in a daycare and what kind of things should we look for. What type of questions do you ask?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

Hi! I work at our local Health Dept w/pregnant women and we have a referral agency that can help parents find appropriate daycare. Ours is called The Children's Resource Center. Some of the tips they suggest:
-is the program licensed?
-Are the hours acceptable & fees affordable?
-Is the facility safe, well maintained, bright and pleasant w/good light and ventilation?
-are the toys safe & age appropriate?
-are meds/cleaning supplies locked up?
-is there a posted schedule?

As a parent that has experience with daycares, I would recommend talking to other parents in your area with small children and see what daycares they have used and what their experience has been. I had my child in a day care and she was fine. Moved and put her in another and for some reason, she started crying everyday and the worker wouldn't let me go back to her room. Switched to another facility and she was fine again. Later on, I heard from other parents that the 2nd place I had her wasn't such a good place. She was trying to tell me in her own way.

It's a really difficult decision but there are good daycares out there! Good luck!!!

There are good ones and bad ones, like anything else. It's not always easy to tell the good ones from the bad ones, so you have to listen to advice from other parents and ultimately go with your gut.

Find one that your wife is happy with, that's Rule #1...

Outside of that the floors should be kept clean, the workers should be friendly, and they should have an open door policy where you can pop in whenever you want (they should have a system to restrict access only to parents or pre-approved guardians). There should be video monitors for all of the rooms in the front office, and the baby room should be separate from where the bigger kids are.

Back to Rule #1 - if your wife isn't happy with the daycare, you won't be either...

ncdeb wrote:Hi! I work at our local Health Dept w/pregnant women and we have a referral agency that can help parents find appropriate daycare. Ours is called The Children's Resource Center. Some of the tips they suggest:
-is the program licensed?
-Are the hours acceptable & fees affordable?
-Is the facility safe, well maintained, bright and pleasant w/good light and ventilation?
-are the toys safe & age appropriate?
-are meds/cleaning supplies locked up?
-is there a posted schedule?

As a parent that has experience with daycares, I would recommend talking to other parents in your area with small children and see what daycares they have used and what their experience has been. I had my child in a day care and she was fine. Moved and put her in another and for some reason, she started crying everyday and the worker wouldn't let me go back to her room. Switched to another facility and she was fine again. Later on, I heard from other parents that the 2nd place I had her wasn't such a good place. She was trying to tell me in her own way.

It's a really difficult decision but there are good daycares out there! Good luck!!!

To that list I would add going for your initial visit to the daycare without any prior warning to the daycare - that way you can actually see what the daycare is like without them being able to "pretty it up" just for your inspection. I did that when I was moving my son from a individual sitter to daycare. One of the daycares I went to I was actually able to walk through the door and all the way to the back of the building before I found an adult - just one with a bunch of kids. Needless to say I left immediately.

Another "red flag" for once your child is in the daycare is how the daycare handles "drop in" visits by you - if they are against them there could be a reason that you wouldn't be happy with - like Mr Play said

both of these were given to me by my then SIL's mom who ran a daycare in a different town

First off, congratulations on your firstborn! Your lives will never be the same again!

I have 5 'keets, youngest is 7 and the oldest is 17. I just wanted to share with you my 'daycare' experience and how it changed things.
I was in your situation. Due in a few months with my first. Went to check things out. I walked into a (reputable) local place that actually had several locations in nearby towns. Lined up behind the reception/check-in counter I see probably a dozen or so infants lined up...some in car seats, some in swings...kinda like an assembly line. It stopped me dead in my tracks & I never got past that point. I knew in my heart that I could not leave my baby somewhere like that.
What ended up happening is I placed an ad in a very local little paper for a sitter. One that would come to MY house. I wanted her to be able to nap in her own bed. If she was sick, I wouldn't have to take her out in the cold somewhere. This worked out so well that I continued doing this thru all 5 children over a span of over 12 years.
I know it may sound like a luxury, but in the grand scheme of things, the cost was really relatively manageable. I had both younger women and at times, older women. It just was SO much better to keep them at home. Just an option you might not have thought about. Of course, you have to be prepared to go thru the interview process & do a background check..

Good luck with whatever happens! I'm sure you'll do what's best for you AND your baby!!