Well, some of those things: no bottles, sleeping on a mat, and eating at a small table and chairs, and encouraging spoon use, are considered "quality indicators". Encouraging independence is considered a good thing. My 15 mo here holds the spoon in one hand and eats with the other, for the most part, but it's a start. All mine usually go to table foods (with the exception of chocking hazards like raw veggies) at 10-11 months. I don't really "baby" them very long; but they are very happy, loved little people.
The rest is a side effect of center care, many times. Most of those teachers are paid close to minimum wage, and take no "ownership" of their program. There ARE great centers and center teachers (some post here). However, those folks are usually at more costly centers that can afford to pay their staff a decent wage and require some sort of ECE education.
I recently hired an assistant for a couple months during a transition. Her experience is in centers. There is definitely a disparity in the way I care for these kids (and for that matter, my space and materials) than my assistant. She clearly does not have the vested interest I do, and it shows.
My son's were in a center years ago, and I know what you mean about the daily notes. I think it's because the only time they can actually do those is at nap; and then they're going by memory.
