Daycare for My 3 year old?

Question

I'm thinking of letting my three year old son go to daycare. he was in daycare 2x and I pulled him out. once when he was 7 months and the teacher told me she didn't know how he got a big bruise on his face(said it was probobly the way she wiped his nose) what a dumb answer! I complained and took him out. then when he turned two the kids were pretty mean I seen one smack him in the face in front of me. my son just lets them do it. he's a really good kid and very sensative and not only that he has a speech delay so he can't come home and say Mommy the teacher did this or the kids picked on me. we really need the money if I decide to go back to work but want my son to be happy first and I want to know my son is being cared for. OMG! what should do??? real answers please

Answer 1

OK, the real answer is that you/your son have needs that haven't been met. I can see why you are frustrated.  I am the first post but can guarantee you that many posts will be comforting for you.  The truth is that the centers you were in before were unable to meet your needs or communicate with you about what was happening.  Many child development centers have speech pathologists that make regular visits for children with these needs like your son.  The incident with the bruise?????????  Not much communication there about something very serious.  Most good centers have accident reports that you will get a copy and explanation of.  Yes, the day has many "bumps and bruises" but a quality center has strong principles and practices to help "guide" teachers/children regarding touching.  I vote that you simply have found some centers that were not so good. If you go to the NAEYC and click on the "find a center" you can type in your zip code and see programs that are accredited by them. NAEYC is one of the top ece organizations in the country.  I can promise you that your experiences are not the norm.  As for the kid hitting your son in front of you......this does happen.  Children are learning to solve problems as they develop.  The hitting is a way for them to get needs met. A quality program will use guidance and words to model for behavior that doesn't involve hitting.  I would comment that no center can eradicated this altogether so it will happen as children learn what is appropriate.  I would make a list of some needs you have, visit centers, observe guidance issues, find principles and practices regarding accidents and the availability of speech pathology.  If you need some more help you can write me. A quality program will help your son to feel powerful due to his sensitivity not weak.

Answer 2

Before I help answer, realize that some things are withing a certain normal range for certain things.  A 2 year old smacking is not something that should be tolerated, but it is something that is normal.  Children that age do not always know how to effectively communicate.  So the child was not a "mean" child.  I am hoping the teacher knew how to handle that.

It's often hard to find a good birth-3 day care.  There are several out there, but there are a lot of REALLY BAD ones too.  With 3-6, the ratios are at least better where there seem to be more good ones out there, but there are still a lot of low quality day cares and schools.

I would begin with you.  Research at least the basics of different types of schools for your son then see if there are any of those schools in your area.  A Montessori school is VERY different from a Waldorf school, but parents in both systems are generally very happy with their choice, so it's a matter of what you think is a good fit for you.

Montessori, Waldorf, and Reggio Amelia are the 3 main "alternative" educational systems, and there are some others.  I would think about how much focus you feel academics should be, how much you think imaginary play takes a vital role, etc.  Ask questions about what you think a day care should provide for your family and see who you feel the most comfortable with.  If you go in educated, and ask questions about how they meet the needs of your family and your child, you will more easily find a better fit of someone you can trust.

Matt

Answer 3

Make sure you take him to a daycare where you can drop in at anytime - in Ohio, it's law that a parent or legal guardian can pop in at anytime to check on their child.

Answer 4

Go to a school w/ smaller classes.

Answer 5

You should find a day care that has programs with a limited amount of children, so the advisor can really spend a lot of one on one time with your son. He should also be going to a place with children his age or younger, not older. Older kids always seem to take advantage of the little ones.

You should stay outside the classroom ( or wherever the day camp is ) and make sure your son is having a good time. If not, there are plenty of other day cares to go to.

Answer 6

If you're looking to put him in daycare you should probably do some pretty intensive searching. Some daycares can be terrible.

Is there a daycare near you that would be run by a university or something that may have more supervision as to how they run things?

Or is there a school that has a child development center or preschool with a class for 3 year olds?

Or you could always consider a private nanny or a home based daycare.

Answer 7

talk to him and ask him how he feels about going or find a referal from one of you friends i know one but i don't know what town you live in so...