Problems with My Son's Childcare Provider

I am so sorry this is happening to your family and I wish you the best. I don't have a solution to tell you for how to handle the next 2 weeks... but I just wanted to point out for anyone looking for a new day care center that one thing I think is important is a director should NOT also be one of the teachers! If they are filling in for a VERY short period of time that's one thing, but if a director is also a full time teacher then the safety of the kids is not the #1 priority of the center. If teachers or parents have any issues, they should be able to rely on the director to do her job overseeing the program without having to take time away from supervising a group of students. Who answers the phone when it rings? Who gives tours of the center to parents who stop by? Who watches her class when a parent or teacher needs to speak with her?? Of course home day cares are different, but if a center is large enough to have several classrooms and a director, then the director should not also be one of the teachers. Just my 2 cents.

Also- as for the biting issue... some kids go through a biting stage and there is no 100% guarantee (unfortunately) that our children will not be bit by other toddlers. It's how the situation is handled that's important. Your center did NOT handle it in a way that makes you feel safe and it's a shame other parents in the center aren't aware because the biter will now bite other kids (although he may be already doing this!)

Please report the center to the authorities.

I am happy that your child will be safe now, but I worry about the other children. The Director needs to get on her toes or hire more people!

i would file a complaint.

What daycare is this? I'll be sure NOT to take my son there...I'm glad you got him into a new one!! Good Luck!

-N.-

The daycare center that I take my daugther to has implemented a very strict new biting policy with serious repercussions for the biting child. It is very normal for kids of this age to bite out of frustration, but it's important that the center be involved in handling it with the parents of the child who bites and to let them know that it can't continue. It's terrible that the director lied to you... that says more than the way they're handling the biting (in my opinion). But two weeks are likely to pass very quickly and at 28 months my daughter still cries when left, even though she's fine 5 minutes later and has a great day at school. If you can take any time off or rely on family for 9 days, I'd do it, but if you can't, then I'd suggest trying to shorten the hours you have him there... see if you can work at home 1/2 day here and there to minimize his contact with the biter. As long as they are telling you of these incidents and also having you sign an incident report with details, I believe legally, they're living up to their responsibility as far as DCF is concerned. However, that doesn't change how we "feel" when we know something is wrong and you have to go with your gut on this.

Good luck, I know this is a hard situation.
K.

hello,
I am a full-time working mom also and just recently enrolled my 18 month old into day care. he was bitten 2 times in one day. I know how you feel. you want to just bite someone yourself so they know how your precious feels. My day care is pretty good though. things to ask maybe, is if they have accident reports that get filled out. my son has had an accident report before because another little fellow tripped and grabbed Ben to stop himself but they both went down. I had to sign it after it was explained and then i got a copy. I really appreciated that. I am a first time mom and don't know any of the centers in the area so I know how scary it can be. I asked the director what the next step would be after benjamin got bit. Her plan there is that the child gets a "free- bee" if they bit for the first time. the next time though they have a meeting with the parents. if the problem doesn't get resolved and it happens again then that child that bit gets removed from the school. I hope that I have given some ideas on what to ask the director or teacher at the new school that you are looking into. maybe see if they have a website and what there rating is and if there are any comments from other parents. Ask around about the center too. I know this is probably stuff you already know. like i said I am new at this so please forgive me. so sorry about your baby.

I would file a formal complaint and I would do what ever it takes to not have him go back there. If you know in your gut or feel in your gut that your child isn't safe then you don't put them there. You said family could help, then ask them take a sick day between you and your husband and or a vacation day. If you have a church that you regularly attend check with them. The 26th is a holiday so there's only 4 days there to worry about.
Kids sometimes fuss for being left especially at certain ages of development so that may be normal or it may not be. If it's a fun place for him though he'll want to go and stay. If that director is so unprofessional in how she handled that whole situation there's another strike.
Sounds like this center has more than 3 strikes and that means you should get out NOW!

I went through this exact thing in North C. about 9 years ago. I would pick my girl up from daycare and she would have bite marks and scratches on her. For a few weeks I signed about a dozen incident reports. Which are basicly for them to cover their own A**! The last straw was when I showed up to pick her up and they couldn't find her. Her and another child had gotten into the art closet, stripped most of their clothes off, gotten a purple horseshoe stamp and stamped each other and no one noticed they were gone. So, obviously, they were not watching the children.
I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and they did get shut down. Mine was not the only complaint they had logged. Check online at BBB.org and see what kind of record your daycare has. If you don't step up, some other child is going to end up going through the same thing as your son.
The one thing you want is for your children to be taken care of. It's sad that it is so hard to find reliable, trustworthy people to do that.
Biting is a normal stage that a lot of toddlers go through, but the caregivers should be alert enough to prevent it from happening over and over. Especially if one child is prone to doing or receiving the bites. That child could be monitored a bit more closely. It boils down to them either not being capable of doing their job (maybe too many children under one person's watch) or not having enough sense to care.
I definitely say file a report and don't just let it slide.