Daycare Centers

This morning we looked at daycare centers. I had already narrowed it down to two, based on location and cost, and boy were they different!

The first was Westlake Childcare Center, which was a little house, pretty close to where I (currently) work. The staff were all very young - mostly college students majoring in early childhood education, and it was a little overwhelming seeing all the babies crying. The crib set up was kind of like a kennel, but other than that it was like being in a grubby little house with lots of babysitters. One plus is that they have webcams in every room, and we could log on anytime and see exactly what's happening.

Next was the Children's Center of Austin. This is just a couple miles from our house, has great hill country views, and feels more like a school. The staff were mostly Hispanic women who really had those babies under control! The whole time we were there, I only heard one baby cry, and she was picked up immediately and soothed.

There was one room of little babies all just chilling, one room of 6-12 month olds napping in cute little cribs, and another room of 12-18 month olds being fed rice and beans with tortillas. They include snacks (bananas and cheerios for younger babies) and lunch with tuition, and they have vegetarian options, so we wouldn't have to pack food once she's eating solids - just make sure they have enough diapers, wipes, and milk. They also had music playing, which was very soothing. And they have a swimming pool, dance classes and activities for children 2 and up.

Both centers thought we were fine on time, and could actually wait to reserve until after she's born and we're more certain about what date we'd want to start. Both had ratios of 2 teachers to 8 babies, and both were flexible as far as drop-off and pick-up times.

But the Children's Center was a clear winner. It's so close to home that Chuck could drop her off and pick her up easily - even if she was sick and needed to be picked up mid-day. It's far enough away from my work that it would be hard for me to visit during lunch, but that's okay.