Originally Posted by daycarediva:
Large/chain center staff is hit or miss. It is the con of a center. A small center or home daycare would have none or next to no turnover. Many parents go through with the inconveniences of home care for a single provider that can offer that consistency. Your child will NOT bond to one provider if he is only attending minimal days and the staff rotation is that high. He most likely will regress in speech.
With my new talkers, I can hear the words they are attempting to say because I have gotten to know them so well. I can then pronounce things clearly for them, or expand upon their speech. My husband cannot understand one dck at ALL. Neither can any of the other parents. I can, and his Mom and I say we speak fluent 'hisname'. We are always repeating his words back to him and having him say things to encourage proper speech patterns.
Do you need daycare? What about speech therapy?
Here is what I would do. If I didn't need childcare I would pull him out. I would start the ball rolling on speech therapy (just a delay may be a more serious issue, it's better to spend a few months in ST now vs years later). I would take him to library story hour, enroll him/you in a mommy and me class, set up play dates with friends, etc. 2-3 days a week, would be EXACTLY the kind of language exposure he needs. You would be with him, so he would feel comfortable enough to make attempts.
Daycarediva, you hit the nail on the head. To the OP, you don't say who recommended that you place your little one in childcare to help with speech, but the type of environment you describe wouldn't be very beneficial.
I'm an early childhood special education teacher, and the reason that specialists will often recommend childcare/preschool settings for kids with speech delays is so that the child will get exposure to kids with typical language.
The problem with having a busy classroom and constantly changing staff is that there is no single person responsible for checking in and make sure your child is able to communicate with other kids well. (And is making progress). I think, if you don't need childcare, you would be better off seeking out those social opportunities through play dates and library story times. At least that way you know your child is being consistently well supported in social interactions and you can monitor progress.
If you do need childcare, like daycare diva said, I would probably consider a smaller center or home based setting.