What has been your experience with home daycares?

[ella2222]

Hi,

I am considering placing my toddler in a home daycare in the Mississauga area. What has been your experiences, or what have you heard? Could you recommend any good ones in Mississauga?

Thanks!

[zeddy]

Ask friends, check out Early Years Centres and see if there are any providers there that you can watch in action, ask the staff for recommendations.

I am a little biased because I had a home daycare for 11 yrs. But that also makes me more picky than the average person. Check references. Make visits. Look for safety/hygeine issues. Make sure they are following all the laws. Unlicensed home childcares can have 5 kids plus the providers children in Ontario (it varies by province). Too many don't follow this law. Do they have liability insurance? Planned activities. Emergency procedure. Sick policy. Damp basement or Sunny space. First Aid course. Outside time.

I think it is important to visit both home childcares and centres. There are good and bad of both and you want one that has the best of both.

[skulipeg]

One thing to keep in mind about a home daycare - if there is just one provider, and if that provider is sick or is scheduled to go on holidays, the daycare will be closed. Will you be able to make alternate care arrangements if this occurs?

Our eldest was in both styles of daycare. We were unlucky, as two of the home-based daycares we had her in suddenly closed (one provider got pregnant and decided not to continue with her daycare services, another decided to retire). But we were very happy with them while they were open. We then put her into a Montessori daycare, which for some reason she hated. Finally we placed her into a large centre, and we all loved it. She was there for three years.

Our youngest is currently in a home-based daycare, and just started there about a month ago. So far, we think it's wonderful, and have heard nothing but positive, reassuring things about her. So definitely ask around!