Childcare Facilities ... Concerns - Page 2

DucksNuts · 03-01-2007, 04:53 PM

The 2yr old and 3.5yr old in my care have been at our gym's child care since they were 6wks old and 11mths old.

The elder child was in swimming lessons, so the younger brother needed to be in care for that hour and then they were both in for the hour afterwards whilst I did boot camp, or RPM or something.

All the staff in the local facilities here are fully certified and I find the gym carers fantastic.

As the children are only there for a short amount of time, the kids are given heaps of attention and activities.

The boys are both super excited to go see Meagan and Kylie

and I find them both super diligent about parents little *quirks* and requests.

jinx · 03-01-2007, 05:12 PM

Couldn't you just work out at home? Or separately?

piercehawkeye45 · 03-01-2007, 08:36 PM

I took swimming lessons at the YMCA when my mom worked out. It worked well for me and her.

monster · 03-01-2007, 09:31 PM

So how old is your bairn now, Flint? Couldn't you just put her in a safe place where she could watch you work out and you could watch her -in an exersaucer or something?

Beest and I exercise/work out seperately, but if his mom's over from the UK we go together and leave her in charge -it is more fun to do it together (

)

Really, though, don't stress too much about it. Just check the place out first, your gut feelings will guide you. It's pretty rare for nasty things which could have been prevented to happen, obviously you should make sure that the carers are trained in child cpr etc, but remember that knowing what you should do does not guarantee you will remember and do it when it matters, so your gut feeling about whether the person is competant is at least as important as the framed pieces of paper on their wall.

SteveDallas · 03-01-2007, 10:00 PM

We used to go to LA Fitness. We currently have a YMCA membership. The kids have "done time" in child care at both facilities, and we found them both fine. Check the places out, and you should be able to find some parents who already use the place who can give you some opinions.

Aliantha · 03-02-2007, 01:17 AM

It's important to make sure the facility is qualified to care for your child, but I'd go with Clod when she says trust what you feel more. If you don't like the person who is likely to care for your child, then don't leave the child there. For one thing, the carer will probably get the vibe, and so will your kidlette...leading to an unpleasant time at best for all concerned.

I'm very much against child care unless absolutely necessary, so I can understand your point of view in this regard, however, human beings are social animals, and it's important for kids to learn to associate with strangers/new people from a young age also. It's a big part of cognitive developement, and very important during the first few years of life.

I think it's a great idea to give the little one a few hours each week with other kids and new people.

Flint · 03-05-2007, 04:22 PM

Thanks, everybody! We found a place that we trusted; meaning we liked the people, the layout, the company seemed concerned about hygiene in general (wall-mounted hand sanitizers everywhere is a must for me; maybe I'm germ-phobic but I do work in healthcare IT), and they have a bar-coded, photo-IDed checkin/checkout system (nice), and they were able to describe a back-up plan for the intercom system (I know from daily experience that an intercom can't be heard in 100% of locations within a facility). We did, as suggested here, accost some customers of this facility to confirm our observations. We also observed the staff with some small babies, and it's as you say (common sense now that I think about it) that anybody loves to play a cute baby, for about an hour. Also, the point about letting her experience different social contexts is well received.

03-01-2007, 05:12 PM	#17
jinx Come on, cat. Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: general vicinity of Philadelphia area Posts: 7,013	Couldn't you just work out at home? Or separately? __________________ Crying won't help you, praying won't do you no good.

03-01-2007, 09:31 PM	#19
monster I hear them call the tide Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Perpetual Chaos Posts: 30,852	So how old is your bairn now, Flint? Couldn't you just put her in a safe place where she could watch you work out and you could watch her -in an exersaucer or something? Beest and I exercise/work out seperately, but if his mom's over from the UK we go together and leave her in charge -it is more fun to do it together () Really, though, don't stress too much about it. Just check the place out first, your gut feelings will guide you. It's pretty rare for nasty things which could have been prevented to happen, obviously you should make sure that the carers are trained in child cpr etc, but remember that knowing what you should do does not guarantee you will remember and do it when it matters, so your gut feeling about whether the person is competant is at least as important as the framed pieces of paper on their wall. __________________ The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity Amelia Earhart

03-02-2007, 01:17 AM	#21
Aliantha trying hard to be a better person Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 16,493	It's important to make sure the facility is qualified to care for your child, but I'd go with Clod when she says trust what you feel more. If you don't like the person who is likely to care for your child, then don't leave the child there. For one thing, the carer will probably get the vibe, and so will your kidlette...leading to an unpleasant time at best for all concerned. I'm very much against child care unless absolutely necessary, so I can understand your point of view in this regard, however, human beings are social animals, and it's important for kids to learn to associate with strangers/new people from a young age also. It's a big part of cognitive developement, and very important during the first few years of life. I think it's a great idea to give the little one a few hours each week with other kids and new people. __________________ Kind words are the music of the world. F. W. Faber

03-05-2007, 04:22 PM	#22
Flint Snowflake Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Dystopia Posts: 13,136	Thanks, everybody! We found a place that we trusted; meaning we liked the people, the layout, the company seemed concerned about hygiene in general (wall-mounted hand sanitizers everywhere is a must for me; maybe I'm germ-phobic but I do work in healthcare IT), and they have a bar-coded, photo-IDed checkin/checkout system (nice), and they were able to describe a back-up plan for the intercom system (I know from daily experience that an intercom can't be heard in 100% of locations within a facility). We did, as suggested here, accost some customers of this facility to confirm our observations. We also observed the staff with some small babies, and it's as you say (common sense now that I think about it) that anybody loves to play a cute baby, for about an hour. Also, the point about letting her experience different social contexts is well received. __________________ **************** There's a level of facility that everyone needs to accomplish, and from there it's a matter of deciding for yourself how important ultra-facility is to your expression. ... I found, like Joseph Campbell said, if you just follow whatever gives you a little joy or excitement or awe, then you're on the right track. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Terry Bozzio**

03-01-2007, 04:53 PM	#16
DucksNuts Bitchy Little Brat Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Queensland, Australia Posts: 5,067	The 2yr old and 3.5yr old in my care have been at our gym's child care since they were 6wks old and 11mths old. The elder child was in swimming lessons, so the younger brother needed to be in care for that hour and then they were both in for the hour afterwards whilst I did boot camp, or RPM or something. All the staff in the local facilities here are fully certified and I find the gym carers fantastic. As the children are only there for a short amount of time, the kids are given heaps of attention and activities. The boys are both super excited to go see Meagan and Kylie and I find them both super diligent about parents little quirks and requests.

03-01-2007, 08:36 PM	#18
piercehawkeye45 Franklin Pierce Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Minnesota Posts: 3,695	I took swimming lessons at the YMCA when my mom worked out. It worked well for me and her.

03-01-2007, 10:00 PM	#20
SteveDallas Your Bartender Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Philly Burbs, PA Posts: 7,651	We used to go to LA Fitness. We currently have a YMCA membership. The kids have "done time" in child care at both facilities, and we found them both fine. Check the places out, and you should be able to find some parents who already use the place who can give you some opinions.

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