I am heartbroken. I have a 2 year old who goes to a church daycare. I just got notice they are closing in 2 weeks b/c they don't have enough kids. My husband wants to look into a home daycare. His 2 older kids went to a home daycare when they were little and he/they loved it.

As for me, home daycares make me nervous. We have an interview for one on Wednesday. The provider had closed her daycare last year and is re-opening it. My daughter would go from a class of 3-4 to being the only kid for a while. As oddly as that sounds, I don't really like that. I want her to be around other kids. She likes playing with other kids and since she's the only kid at home I want her to learn and know how to interact and play with other kids.

Also, the church daycare, if a teacher was sick another one would cover for her. With a home provider, if she's sick, I'm screwed for daycare for that day or couple of days. How does that affect other parents? Does it happen often?

I have a ton of questions to ask her on Wednesday, but I'm really not going into this with an open mind. I just really loved her daycare. She loved it and the teachers really loved her and all the other kids.

Also, with her being at the church, I could pop in and check on her when I wanted. My dad would sometimes go in to see her for a few minutes too. With a home daycare I don't know if the provider would let me do that.

Maybe I'll look for another church.........

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I run an in home daycare. I have an open door policy, parents are always allowed to pop in and check on their child. Depending on demand in the area (and especially with a daycare closing) your child won't be the only child in care for long. I have 5 kids under 5 so although it's a small group, I was able to hand pick each child. I have know some of them (and their families) since they were infants, and had their older siblings, etc.

I give my days off for the year in January so that parents can plan accordingly. I don't schedule a long vacation (3 longer weekends). I have called in sick ONCE in the last year. Most people who have home daycares are VERY reliable. I know I have 10 parents counting on me! That being said it is VERY hard to find a back up provider to go through all of the licensing requirements for MAYBE 3-5 days (vacation and sick) per year of pay, kwim?

I say give her a chance and try going into it with an open mind. I truly love and enjoy each of the kiddos in my care and think my home/daycare is the best spot for them, or I wouldn't be doing this!

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I can understand your feelings, even though I run a home daycare. I would definitely start by asking for referrals from anyone you know who has their kids in care. That makes a lot of parents more comfortable - knowing someone else has had a good experience in a care situation. I would do a lot of shopping around, perhaps including daycare centers, homes and church daycares.

Don't hesitate to ask a lot of questions of the provider, including how he/she feels about dropping in for visits. There are a lot of providers on this board that would not allow it on a regular basis, so I think that's something that may vary from person to person. Communication is key to having a good relationship with any provider.

One thing you might want to consider is that in many states church daycares do not have to follow the same regulations/standards that other licensed centers or caregivers do.

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People are a bit apprehensive about home day cares and it is kind of normal to feel nervous, especially when you see your child might be alone. I suggest do not hurry into it. Look out for some more day cares, see what seems best for you and your child. Read their policies and only then select one. Do not rush into it. Good luck.

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I run a home daycare and have an open door policy. Parents can come anytime they wish. If they do not have clear boundaries with their child and their presence creates poor behaviors in their child I do not want them to come.

The only time I get sick is when a parent brings their child sick and gives them tylenol to mask the sickness until after lunch. By the time I know they are sick for sure they have infected the toys and the whole day home.

I run my day home like a day care administratively as well as regarding activities. We are very active with a no tv policy.

There are sheets you can print off of the computer for questions to ask. Interview at least six places then go with your gut.

Let us know how it goes.

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