Daycare - Reno,NV

I take my daughter to an in home daycare 2 days a week & she LOVES it! She is 2 & she has so many little friends there! Every day we go, she claps her hands & says "my friends." It is so cute, she loves the 2 daycare providers, she immediately runs to them & gives them hugs but when I pick her up she runs to me & hugs me!! I think it makes it easier that she has such a good time there & loves the providers! Goodluck to you-you will be ok, it may take a bit but you will :)

Hi My name is D. my girlfriend has a great day care in Lavern give her a call ###-###-#### has one in Monrovia too:) good luck her name is Claudia

Both my 2 1/2 year old son and 1 1/2 year old daughter have been in day care 5 days a week, my son since he was 12 weeks old, my daughter since she was 8 weeks old! Both my children looooove daycare, they get to see their friends every day, they do activities (now that it's hot out that includes outdoor water play), and they are learning at a rapid pace. Everyone comments at how articulate my son is for his age, and my daughter is already speaking in full sentences as well and can express most of her thoughts to us. I know that daycare and the socialization of being around other kids of different ages and developmental levels has helped in that. I also know that I wouldn't have done as well in teaching them and nurturing their developmental skills as daycare has, so I don't ever feel guilty for having them in daycare (they're in every day from 8am to 6pm since my husband and I both work full time). It may be hard for you initially, only because as moms we have it ingrained in us that we must be doing something bad if we're leaving our kids in someone else's care, but remember, you'll do your research before selecting a daycare, and the daycare providers are professionals with far more of a background in child development than we have. Daycare is not there to "replace" us as parents, it's just a structured environment where they get nurturing and love and enrichment while we're out earning the money to pay for it. :)

I have been on both sides of this issue. I have 2 kids who have both been in daycare (at earlier ages outside of my home) and now I have my own daycare business.

You don't mention the age of your son, but I would guess he might be about 2?

I think home daycare is a wonderful transition from home/nanny; au pair situations to preschool and then preschool a wonderful transition to kindergarten. The key is finding a really good, loving and stimulating environment, which can be difficult. The advantages that I see in my daycare are that children learn really valuable social skills by playing with their same age peers and also slightly older and slightly younger kids. In this process, a child learns patience, how to share, take turns, trust other adults and friends and be empathetic. They are exposed to new situations and experiences that they may not normally be able to experience. It better prepares then in a small environment to be able to cope with the same issues on a larger scale when entering preschool.

We do lots of art activities that help development of fine and gross motor skills and self esteem. We play games that involve team work and exercise. We spend lots of time outside. We sit together at meals and snack time and have conversations and practice good manners... and the list goes on...

Your little guy might cry, and that's ok, as long as you have a provider that you trust will handle things appropriately. Remember that kids act completely differently when they are away from parents and in a different environment.

I don't think 2 days a week will compound your mom-guilt. Depending on his age, I think you will both be happy with the result of him experiencing new growth!! He may cry when you drop him off, but eventually (if you get a good place) he'll cry because he doesn't want to go home!!
Best of luck!

Sorry for the late response...my internet was down yesterday.

Look at it this way...in the right day care, you've just given your son the greatest gift a child can have: one more adult to love and take care of him.

Please let your guilt go. It serves no purpose other than to make you unhappy. I can assure you, as a teacher of 17 years, that I've seen great kids come out of both a SAHM and day care environment and I've seen horrible kids come out of both environments. No one environment has the corner on the "best child" market.

I think working-mom guilt will always be there to some extent, unfortunately. (My daughter is in daycare 5 days a week, so I defintely have some of this.) That said, my daughter has gotten a lot of positives from day care. She's been going part-time since 8 months and full-time since 16 months (she's now 27 months). She is extremely shy and had a difficult time around strangers for a long time. Day care helped with this a lot--she's gotten used to being around people and other kids. She's learned about taking turns and sharing and how to act around other kids.

My daughter is also very verbally advanced for her age--way more so than my friends' kids her age who aren't in daycare. I'm not saying that daycare is THE reason for this but I think it's part of it. I noticed her verbal skills really improved when she moved into her current room at daycare with older, more verbal children.

What else? They do lots of fun projects and art and things that I wouldn't do at home with her and my daughter has loved this.

I think the key is to find a daycare that you really like and feel comfortable with. Your son will likely cry a bit at first--my daughter definitely went through an adjustment period and yes, this was very hard for me to leave her there while she cried. However, now she smiles and waves when I leave and I know the women there LOVE her (they tell me so all the time and I watch them interact with her and vice versa).

One other thing--I am a social scientist who studies family issues and I can tell you that there is NO research definitively showing that quality daycare in any way negatively impacts kids. Again, the important thing is finding a place that is a good fit for your son that you feel positive about.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Social interaction for him will be great. It will be hard for the first few weeks but I would go for it. My son is almost 4 and just loves his preschool.

In the beginning, we co-shared a nanny. When our son got older, we transitioned to a wonderful daycare. We also started with only 2 days/week and then transitioned to full-time. We plan on doing the same thing for pre-school. It was definitely the best thing we could have done for him. For one, they used sign language which helped my son to learn to better communicate, as he got older he was a bit more advanced than others his age when it came to talking because he was in a social environment with kids just a couple of months older than him. The socialization factor is by far the best pro of a daycare.

When researching daycares, find out what their policy is on comforting a child. Some are totally hands-off and some aren't. If you're looking for someone to give your child a hug and console him when he's fallen, etc. be sure to ask those questions. There is a list online at parenting.com I believe that provides you with a good list of questions to ask a daycare.

We picked ours because of the community aspect and the fact that they are very inline with our way of disciplining, etc. They send us pictures via their phones throughout the day, let us stay a little bit and have coffee with them if we want to give our kids time to adjust and have potlucks once/month with all the families, invited everyone over on Valentine's weekend to plant a community garden that the kids are learning to grow. We got very lucky:)

Good luck,
S.

I HATE being a working mom. That said, I'm so thankful for my daycare. Both my boys have done so well there and I can't believe my oldest is almost done and will be leaving for kindergarten in two months.
They LOVE playing with the other kids, love the playgrounds, love the toys, the art activities, the music class, the special days when they have field trips or the "bubble lady" come in and play with bubbles with them.
They've learned so much there as well.
They say it takes a village and while I'd rather be with them more, I'm happy they've had what they've had at their school.
With my first, it was also helpful to get advice from some of the teachers about how to handle different things.
Anyway, just find a place you like and are comfortable with...
-M

Our experience was moving our kids both into traditional day care full time after our daughter's birth. Our son turned 2 the week we made the switch from a full-time babysitter at our home. We have NEVER regretted the decision.

But, I didn't have the issues of being a guilt-ridden working mom either. Our son did cry, he still cries 2 years later as he transitions from one class to another. Our daughter is now 2, and she can just walk into a new environment and be as happy as can be. Different kids, different reactions.

Day care has been a phenomenal experience for us all the way around. We had to visit several facilities to find the right one, and we got lucky for it to be really close to home.

Our only regret is that the location that feeds into our day care has about 4-5 elementary schools nearby, so some of the great friendships our son has developed may not continue once he's in school full time a few years from now.

I put my son in daycare when he was 9 days old. The first 5 minutes we were there another little boy sneezed on him. I cried all the way to work.
He loved day care. I told him he was going to school. He played with the other kids. They taught him things and as he got older he taught some of the younger kids things. When he started preschool at 2 years 11 months he never cried - didn't care if we stayed or went (we let him help us pick the preschool so he knew where he was going). Never cried on the first day of school or camp. He's now going to be 8 years old and starting 3rd grade. Daycare helped him socially, academically and prepared him for school. He knew when we left him there that we would always come back. It's actually harder now when I can't be at school for each and every party or event... but my husband attends as much as he can and he takes my son to school and picks him up from school. You have to do what's best for your family and your son will be fine. Just make sure you explain everything to him and he'll understand.

Good luck! Hope this helps.

First of all, cut yourself some slack. One of the positives of being a working mom, I tell myself, is being a role model of a strong woman in your child's life.

My daughter has been going to daycare since 4 months. Now that was separation anxiety (more on my part). But she is 2 now and I am continually AMAZED at how much she learns. She has a great time and is sometimes reluctant to leave when I pick her up. She is very attached to her teachers so I know she is well cared for. And as an only child I'm glad that she has all her friends there to interact with. It's great socialization.

He probably will cry. All the kids starting do, so don't get too worried about it. It's tough for them to deal with change. Just make sure you are comfortable with the place and caregivers and everything will be fine!

Well from my experience, and not everyone has such a great experience, I say it is great. Both my boys, 4 and 18 months have been in daycare full time from the time they were 6 months old. I have them in a licensed home and they both love it. My 4 year old is now in preschool, but my 18 month old looves his daycare provider. She cooks homecooked meals, there are plenty of other kids to play with, and they learn so much. Socialization is the biggest advantage probably, but there are definitely more little advantages as well, like you mentioned the cost is lower than a nanny or daycare center, they get more one on one, there is more flexibility with days and hours, and there are way less children than at a traditional daycare center such as Kindercare or Tutor Time. He will probably cry for the first couple of days, it's normal. Just prepare yourself for it and remember, lots of moms have to use daycare and it is going to be ok. Do your research and call community care licensing for all the daycares your interested in to see if they have any reports on them.

He will probably love it. I would find a pre-scholl/Day care. If he is use to seeing the same care giver every day, this will be a fun change. Most have play grounds, reading, art, singing, and of course interaction w/ other children. It usually does takes getting use to, but they start looking forward to it. Its a good change :) Good Luck

My first born started daycare when she was 2 because I could see that she needed more than she was getting with her Amma & Papa. It was a very hard transition for ME! =0) Our daughter did wonderful. She would get a little upset, but the teachers are SO experienced with "first timers" and knew exactly what to do to comfort her and quickly get her attention off the fact that mommy just left. Everytime I got there, she was always playing and having a great time. Our center has webcam which is a great comfort to us working parents. =0) When our son came along, I knew I wouldn't wait two whole years before I started him at the daycare. He started the week he turned one and literally never shed a tear or looked back! Our daughter is now about to enter 1st grade and our son just turned 4 and will be moving to the Pre-K class at the daycare in August. It's so wonderful for the kids. The social interaction, the "school" type of classroom settings. All the hands on activities. All the friends and the new relationships they form. Birthday parties, class parties, splash days in summer months, little field trips as they get older...........it's wonderful. All the great teachers along the way with lots and lots of CPR trained babysitters at your beck & call! ;0) It's been wonderful for our family. Once you find that perfect center, it will literally become a second family. The kids age together and go off to school together. It happens fast. Now that our daughter is thru Kindergarten, it was so nice how prepared she was for that enviornment........she knew how circle time worked and knew how to sit at a lunch table & eat her food and clean up her trash, etc. She knew how to share and take turns and walk in a single file line, etc. etc. etc. I'm tellin' ya......daycare teaches our kids SO MUCH and they don't even realize it! =0) All the cute art projects and mother's/father's day activities.....your home will fill with tons of adorable handmade crafts, etc. Popsicle stick ornaments for christmas trees galore! LOL Lots and lots of fun!!!

Hi J., I have been a daycare provider for 13 years, and I have only had 2 little boys that never did adjust, but the majority of children do just fine. Daycare gives small children a chance to work, learn, play, grow and explore with other children, something they don't get at home with a nanny, it also prepares them for kindergarden. i don't think your working mom guilt will compound, once you see all the things he will learn and get to explore. Hope this helps. J.