I just wanted to say that not all daycares are like that. I worked at a wonderful child development center that was naeyc accredited and our director was wonderful. our ratio was 4:1 for child up to 18mnths 6:1 for children up to 3, 8:1 children up to 4 and 12:1 for the preschool rooms. there were 2 infant classrooms, 2 toddler classrooms, 1 transition classroom and 2 preschool classrooms. Each classroom had 2 teachers with the acception of the infant rooms that had 3 (i was one of the infant teachers) and all new parents took a tour of the facility, then started all the paperwork and we were introduced to mom and child before they started.

We had "real" teachers in our rooms from open to close so there was never a time when a parent came and there wasn't someone knowledgeable in that room. I adored our facility and only left because we moved with my husbands job. My own daughter attended there even before I got the job there. I was never allowed alone with the children until my background check cleared and my interview was a two step process with the director and then with the teachers.

I actually have had much better luck with daycares then with home providers (which I guess makes me a hypocrit being a home provider now). But we were required to take the children outside every day weather permitting, for children as young as 1 year old. and even the babies were taken on walks.

I know not all child care centers are like that, but not ALL centers are aweful horrible places where the directors don't get and the children get treated like dollars instead of people.

I didn't mean to highjack your thread or anything, but it's jmho...

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