This daycare is the most convenient in terms of location. It's right next to my carpool location and 5 minutes from our house. So that would be excellent.
In general it was a big improvement over Daycare #1 (where Catholics are apparently not Christians). It was friendly, the proprietress gave me a very professional tour, and the security was much better (ie, 6-foot fence around the play area). Also, the play area was about 4 times bigger and had grassy, mulch, and cement areas plus shade and sun.
Daycare #1 claimed to emphasize diversity, but with 2 exceptions every kid there was white. At Tater Tots, there were Asian kids, Indian kids, African-American kids, and white kids. And that was just in the 2 classes I visited on that particular day. The staff, however, was entirely white. On the diversity front, I think Tater Tots kicked #1's butt.
The one fly in the ointment was food. While #1 gave me a bunch of ridiculous BS about what was "kosher," Tater Tots asked only that whatever I bring be "healthy." That's in quotes because they also provided a menu to show what they would feed your child on any given day.
For example, on Wednesday that week the kids were eating:
Morning snack: donuts and milk
Lunch: Pizza, corn, fruit and milk
Afternoon snack: popcorn with cheese and water
I'm sorry...donuts? For toddlers? Yup. Other lunch meats included Cheesy Hot Dogs and "Beefsticks," and lunch on Monday offered as a side item "Dorito salad." NO, I have no idea what that is.
So I liked Tater Tots, and we got on the list. But I might have to tell them that Iain is a strict vegetarian and supply his snacks. Because I just can't deal with knowing he's eating meatstick and Dorito salad.
Lunch: Pizza, corn, fruit and milk
Afternoon snack: popcorn with cheese and water
I'm sorry...donuts? For toddlers? Yup. Other lunch meats included Cheesy Hot Dogs and "Beefsticks," and lunch on Monday offered as a side item "Dorito salad." NO, I have no idea what that is.
So I liked Tater Tots, and we got on the list. But I might have to tell them that Iain is a strict vegetarian and supply his snacks. Because I just can't deal with knowing he's eating meatstick and Dorito salad.
7 comments:
Julie might know what Dorito salad is. She's the one who brought us 'Aunt Jackie's Tic-Tac pie'.
Lucas doesn't eat much at school at all. :) If it isn't fruit, he doesn't want it. I think that is a 3-4 year old thing, but keep that in mind. You send the snacks for a while, then he won't eat anything there anyway. :) LOL
I am glad you found a place that seems great. That was a really tough thing for us, but we LOVE our daycare now. We are so the poor parents there, but it is worth every penny. :)
Good grief! They sounded so good until you got to the doughnuts and beefsticks. How can they be so well-thought-through on all of the other characteristics and still be so backward on diet?
They must have the same "healthy" menu our school system adopted.
It's good to see that they are getting kids addicted to HFCS, preservatives, and carbs at a critical point in their development.
Send in Jamie Oliver.
Dude, you can't take colon cancer for granted -- you have to work at it.
Okay, I laughed out loud at this one.
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