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146 Comments

I have a love hate relationship with my day care centre.

What I do not like (in the end hate is a strong word):

  • Is the high attrition rate of staff, it seems my children finally bond with a carer and they leave.
  • Is the sickness, especially during winter, which means time off work for me either caring for the children or sick myself (some of the bugs they get are nasty, and I have been hit hard).
  • Is the poor communication we receive or should I say do not receive from the centre.
  • Is the black hole where clothes seem to mysteriously disappear into, never to be seen again.

What I do love:

  • Is that my children have the ability to socialise with other children their own age.
  • Is that they can learn to be independent, learn to do things without mummy and daddy there.
  • Is the group sessions where the children get to sing and dance, as both Miss Z and Master M, love music!
  • Is the fact it gives me the ability return to work part time, knowing that the children are with people who care about them and for them, who they trust.
  • Is that my children are learning all the time, from numbers, letters, colours, songs, dances, the list goes on
  • Is that they are given the chance to try different foods each day, some things I would not have time to make for them.

From my list I guess the good things outweigh the bad.

I am surprised every single day with new things my children know, things I have no time to sit and teach them.  Having dinner last night, I was reading a book to both children as they happily sat and ate dinner.  Miss Z who turned 2 back in July, kept stopping me, pointing to random numbers on the pages and said them out loud.

She knows all numbers from 1 to 10…..I didn’t teach her that……her time at day care has enabled her to pick up and learn so many things.  I was just so proud of her, and you could tell she was so proud of herself.

As much as there is a lot of frustration at times, the best thing we have done is for me to return to work, part time, for my own sanity, and for the children to gain the benefits of child care 3 days a week.

What do you think of your child care centre? Do you have a similar love hate relationship too?

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  • My son hated it, my daughter loved it so I too had mixed reactions. I think it’s good ultimately for the child. The sickness is unrelenting, but at least they have a good immune system for school

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  • I was hesitant initially but I have noticed how my child has thrived since going.

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  • Some Daycare Centres do assessments on children in their care. I don’t know whether the staff do it or whether they have somebody from outside do it.
    We were told that our eldest child wasn’t as advanced with talking as others her age, and also her speech was as clear as it should be. Something for us to concentrate a lot more on. The younger one wouldn’t stick his tongue out. As parents It’s not something we encourage or have taught. Their point about that was will her do it for a Dr. My theory is kids learn to copy.

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  • I used it in small doses. It was ok.

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  • I have nothing against day care, it just wasnt the right fit for us. I can see lots of positives, also the not so positive aspects you pointed out.

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  • I like the daycare he goes to and make my return to work a little easier knowing he is going to be left in good hands.
    I can’t stand the constant sickness though. He has been in daycare for about 2 1/2 months now and seems to be constantly sick but I know it is building up his immunity.

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  • My child care centre has a wonderful well deserved reputation. My children have learnt so many things there that they would not yet have learnt at home. A big one is that they have learnt to share and wait their turn. Priceless education.

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  • Absolutely in camp love. Have problems with how it’s being run then take it up with the director or find a new centre (I mean that nicely; it should be a positive experience for parents too) I’ve worked in day care centres and been a family day care mum; daycare trumps by far in my opinion. In fact I am looking to buy a centre in the next few months. High turnover will always be a problem, but unfortunately it is a low paid job and unless that changes it will remain that way.

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  • I would actually worry about a place with a high attrition rate. I found that when it started happening in my sons centre there was a problem with management and in the end it impacted how happy the kids were.

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  • My kids have always loved day care, For me its great at the end of the day to see that they have eaten more food and better food than they would of at home. At home they would be given a sandwich but there they get a warm meal, a healthy snack and fruit. What more could you ask for.

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  • I used day care out of necessity for my older children. It was a case of making time to be involved and know what was going on, not just pick up / drop off and hope to be told important things. I agree with most of your love/hate arguments. With our youngest, I’m enjoying being a stay at home mum, so will probably only send her when she’s old enough for kindy one or two days a week for socialising before she starts school.

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  • You have to find one that you are happy with. It’s a very personal preference and makes a world of difference.

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  • make sure that it is a good place and see how the staff react to the kids

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  • i hate daycare getting my child more colds etc but i love my child getting an immunity lol

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  • Always put name tags on your child’s clothes. Some centres have a lost property area where you can look for missing clothes and other things they leave behind including drink bottles.

    Reply

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