When the one establishment you need to trust crushes that trust, there is no turning back. It’s hard enough leaving your child with another person; hoping and praying that that person will care for and love your child as much as you do. I’ve heard terrible things from parents whom have put their children in daycare. I hoped that my experience with daycare would be different; better.
A Daycare I Can Brag About
Our experience with daycare was fantastic at the start. My daughter was placed in the care of a woman that reminded me of my own grandmother. She took Jane in as her own and loved her and took the time to understand Jane’s ques, likes and dislikes. Her assistant, a younger girl, did the same. Her calm, soft voice made Jane feel cared for. Jane would smile every time the girl approached her. These women made me feel better about leaving my baby girl while I worked during the day.
Jane would come home with cute crafts that she made during the day. I was always excited to tape them to the walls at home. Jane made friends at Daycare whom were her own age. She was encouraged to play outside when the weather was nice and while in the care of the two women, she had structure during the day with story time, play time, craft time, etc. It was great!
For months, I bragged about the daycare as they had my trust. On occasion, Jane would come down with a virus, but it’s to be expected after spending five days in daycare with many other children, right! At four months old, Jane would come down with two to three viruses in a month. The poor kid was always sick. I would miss some work and still have to write a check to the daycare, which upset me a little, but I signed on the line to agree with the policy.
My Bad Experience With Daycare
Things started going downhill when the daycare hired more women to care for the kids. Every time I picked up Jane, a different woman (a woman I had not met) was caring for her. They didn’t say much to me and they gave me an uneasy feeling in my gut. I suggested that the staff send out an email with pictures and a background summary of the new staff members, but it wasn’t taken seriously. Other things starting happening. I would pick Jane up and find her freezing in her crib. Her tiny toes and hands were so cold. I started noticing that Jane wasn’t eating much at daycare, significantly less than what she eats at home. Her little bottom was always bright red from diaper rash; how long did they wait to change her soiled diaper? Little things continued to make my husband and I uneasy.
We decided to ask grandma to watch Jane two days each week, knowing that she would be in good hands, our daycare payment would significantly decrease and she would be fed and cared for at an ideal temperature. It would also give her the opportunity to spend time with her cousins whom were at grandma and grandpa’s house often. It was bliss and it put our minds at ease for two out of the five days she spent at daycare each week.
Sick Babies At Daycare
Then Jane got very sick. In a matter of two days, she came down with strep throat and hand, foot and mouth. When I called daycare to let them know that Jane had come down with strep throat, and may have hand foot and mouth, a staff member told me that they were expecting me to say that she came down with hand foot and mouth because three days prior a child came down with the virus at daycare and another on that day.
“I didn’t know that. I hadn’t been told that there were cases of this virus at daycare,” I protested. The staff member responded with, “Oh, I’m sorry.” Watching your child suffer through hand foot and mouth was hard. When I first noticed it, I saw three very small blisters on her hand. They were unlike any rash I had seen. My husband and I immediately went to Google; searching for any information we could find. Other blisters emerged over the night on her cheeks, nose, one on her foot, on the corners of her mouth, more on her hands and her bottom. She had a fever the day prior, but none recently so I called her doctor, again, in the morning.
The doctors nurse and I had a long conversation about her symptoms followed by more questions from the doctor and yup, she had hand foot and mouth. I WAS PISSED! Not only do I have to stay home more days with my very sick and contagious infant and miss work, but my baby girl has to overcome another virus that could possibly have been deterred.
When I called the daycare to let them know that it is confirmed that Jane had hand foot and mouth, the staff member responded with, “Oh, that sucks. Okay bye.” I stopped her from hanging up to ask her a question, “were the parents notified of this virus?” Her response was, “I think so. A sign should be on the board.” I explained that I check the board and it wasn’t there four days ago when I last took my daughter to daycare. Nothing. Then I asked if I still have to pay for the week or the days that she won’t be able to attend daycare. “Well technically, you do, so yes you do,” was her response.
A Daycare Free Family
I’m still very upset! So, now is my time to say that I am very happy that we are now a daycare free family. No, I didn’t quit my job, but I did take a part-time position that will give me more time with my daughter and we are fortunate enough to have family that is happy to watch Jane. It’s liberating! What started out well, ended bad. I will miss seeing the two women who really cared for Jane, and I hope that they know how thankful I am for their love for Jane.
I have to say that many of the stories I have heard about daycare from other parents have been worse than my own. I’ve heard of moldy sippy cups given to children, milk given over and over when the child is allergic, setting up a television to keep the kids occupied all day rather than encourage learning and play, etc. I remember when I was a young child, screaming for my mother to stay with me instead of leave me at daycare. I’m sure my own mother has more daycare horror stories than I do, which is why she too chose to remove us from some daycares.
Daycare Is Expensive
Parents spend much money on daycare to ensure that their child will be properly cared for and loved. I couldn’t imagine the cost of daycare with multiple children. The cost is low where I live in Wisconsin when comparing the cost of other states such as California, New York, or Seattle. Still, $800+ per month per child is a lot to hand over. In Wisconsin, $800 is a monthly mortgage for some. I’m curious how much daycare costs are in other states.
I would love to hear your stories and I am interested in learning how you handled it. For parents that decided to quit their jobs and kept their kids at home, I am very interested in learning how you supplemented your pay. Now that I am working part-time, I can snuggle, play, read, teach and explore more with my daughter. No more spending only an hour with her every day before bedtime. Our relationship has improved significantly and I am more in control of her development.
Please Leave a comment and lets discuss. Thank you for stopping by! I hope you have a fantastic day!
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