3 months - Daycare

Be prepared for a long post....

So we found our current daycare, Miss Cindy's Learning Center, before Noah was born. We took a tour of several places and ended up deciding between Miss Cindy's and Childtime. We liked these two because they were on our way to work (near I-55 and 141), they were both licensed, and they seemed to be a good daycare we were comfortable with. Our final decision came down to cost. Miss Cindy's was $27 cheaper per week. As it got closer to the time we would take him there, I got happier and happier about our decision because they told us they wanted to do everything the same way we were doing it and they were totally fine with cloth diapers. Once we took him there a few days, I started noticing little things that bothered me. It seemed like the reports I got at the end of the day just had the most basic information on them, nothing more. I also noticed that his back was wet everytime we picked him up. We think the air wasn't on, so it was a little warm and he was in the bouncy chair. Slowly, I started to dislike the place itself. It seemed so small and dark, and always warm. I also noticed that the older kids seemed to just run wild, no structure. We definitely knew we wouldn't be sending Noah here longer than a year, but we still thought we could at least send him here while he was younger. He seemed to be getting good care. Well, then the breaking point...

I picked him up Thursday and there was a note on his cubby saying that another kid reached for his binky and scratched his eye. When I asked the girl that was there, her reply was she didn't know anything about it, she had only been there an hour and everyone else had left (this was the answer we always got when we picked him up, something else that bothered me). I was pretty angry, mostly because no one had called to tell me especially since no one was there to talk to me when I picked him up. Also, why was a kid who could walk and attack around Noah who was defenseless. They should have been watching him more. So we started to look around at other daycares. Our first thought was to go back to the other daycare we were looking at...Childtime.

I called and they did have availability. We asked about the cloth diapers and they seemed to say "yes" but had to check. I never got a call back but we went and took another tour. Basically they told us that they would do cloth diapers but had to follow all the rules, which meant packaging the dirty diapers into separate plastic bags, which seemed stupid to me. Also, they had a lot of strict rules about how my milk was prepared, and we couldn't keep extra there, we had to have a doctor's note for EVERYTHING, we had to give him jar food that they provided. It all just seemed so strict, although we did like everything else. We were thinking that we would switch here, but not sure if we would do it right away or wait until there was a promotion or what. Basically, it was better than Miss Cindy's, but still scared of all the rules, and not overly 100% satisfied.

Then, David said there was another place we never looked into when we were looking at daycares and suggested we go look there. It's a place called Stepping Stone Academy. It's located in a church, called Solid Rock Ministries. So we called and they did have openings, the tuition is $172 a week (which is $10 less than Miss Cindy's), and they are fine with cloth diapers. I think the reason we didn't go look before was because they are located on Hwy 30 which isn't the normal way we go to work, but at this point, it was worth it to entertain the idea. So we went out there last night to look. First of all, it's really not that far. Just on the other side of Gravois Bluffs. I figure we can take Hwy 270 to Hwy 30 from either 44 or 55, so it even gives us a little flexibility.

Next, I was AMAZED at this place. First, the doors are secured (Miss Cindy's - you could walk right in). Next, they had a computerized system for signing in and out. The director, Michelle, was SO nice and welcoming. The nursery was fantastic. It had 3 separate areas for itty bitty babies, babies who can sit up, and babies who can move. So no more attacking Noah. The place was so brightly colored and fun, so unlike the dark dungeon that was Miss Cindy's. Also, the teachers work overlapping shifts and the "closer" has been there most of the day, so we can always talk to them about how his day goes. The other rooms were so educational and fun looking. When he turns two, he would start the preschool program. They use a christian based learning. He would move on to the 3s, 4s, and 5s. They do all kinds of fun activities, field trips, computer time, etc. When they graduate, they will be able to read a book, can you believe that? Also, when they start eating table food, they will all eat together in a cafeteria sitting, but when they go to the 5s room, they eat family style and pass the foods and use their manners, etc. They also pray before every meal and nap. I love how christian based it is. Needless to say, we are beyond excited about this place and only wish we could start Monday. Sadly, we are supposed to give 2 weeks notice to Miss Cindy's. Maybe we'll get lucky and they won't care and we can just leave right away, but we'll see Monday.

Ok, I think this was long enough. Sorry, I don't have any new pictures to share right now. I'll post more later when he starts the new daycare and I have some newer pictures.