Originally Posted by daycarediva:
Well, the provider emailed ME. I refuse to engage this woman, and forwarded it straight to my registrar, who forwarded it to her licensing agent (group FCC, different inspectors in our state).
She basically said my 'play based' approach was crap and kids learn best through structure, rules and routine and that this was not the first family I stole from her (true, I've had three leave her to enroll with me in the last six years- all stayed on and were happy here, and I have had families interview with both places and decide on my program).
I definitely have made an enemy out of her!
I will be able to give her FT in 5 weeks when grandma returns and my other dcg goes back to part time. In the meantime, she's on call for any spaces, and returned everything last night to start tomorrow.
some of what she does against regulations (other than the super restrictive 'play' allowed in her program).
-infants are all in one infant room, toddlers and preschoolers are lumped together. Her husband is her assistant. He does the infants- 4 at a time. They could have 4 total, but they would have to divide the kids up so that each person had 2. That leaves this woman with 8 kids from 2-5 during the day. Our state allows 6. She also has 4 before and after school kids in her kitchen area- mostly unsupervised. So she is 12:1, or DOUBLE ratio before and after school.
-required outside time daily unless the weather is dangerous. She doesn't even HAVE an outside space, very tiny front yard on a busy highway. A little garden with marble benches and a trellis. No toys.
-dck has a strawberry allergy. Mom has pedi documentation. Mom asks if she is going to serve strawberries to let her know and Mom will send in a substitute. Now that dcg is talking more- she is telling mom that the other kids get strawberries and she gets nothing. Eg. she isn't replacing the meal component, just eliminating it for her because of the allergy.
-the kids nap on the second floor of her home. It's a new reg, but a big no no.
-Everyone naps on a cot, the cots are shared. So are the blankets and pillows. They're all stacked and the kids just grab whatever. Dcg has had lice twice since August. Dcm didn't place blame, but it didn't stop until she asked if dcg could bring in her own things.
-Parents MUST call before entering if it's outside of pick up times. Then their child is brought out to them. They're very rarely allowed to even see the childcare areas.
All of this is confirmed with emails the mom has forwarded me. Because she is the ONLY program in our area advertising as montessori, everyone thinks it's a great program (similar to what someone said previously. If it's montessori it MUST be good) 
Wow. Just...wow. I know of some not great providers but that is bad. "Steal" as many of those kids as you can!
