Daycare, Part 3

Recap: Daycare #1, not good. Daycare #2, good except for the meat sticks. Don't ask.

On to #3. This daycare is the farthest from our house and thus the most annoying with regard to my commute. However, it comes with a recommendation from a certain little lady whom Iain admires.

The really interesting thing about visiting daycares is the difference you observe even between places that are mostly alike. The price for #3 is the same as #2, both make no special claims to a particular philosophy but offer a basic model of care, both are open the usual hours (7-6), they even have the same playground equipment (though #2 has more space).

I was impressed, at #3, with the number of African-American and Asian kids, just as I had been at Tater Tots. And there were African-American teachers at #3, as well. That made me very happy, and our Little Friend said that one reason she goes there is for the diversity #3 offers.

But there were two big differences. First, #3 has an open plan. That is, the building consists of 2 long rectangles with a wall dividing them. On one side, little kids, in a series of spaces separated by half-walls. On the other side, bigger kids, with the same half-wall setup.

This is a big deal. At Tater Tots each classroom is a closed space. There's a window in the door and a small window in the wall for looking in unobserved. But the rooms are quite private and sound-proof. They're also dark and a little claustraphobic. At #3, by contrast, everything is lighter and feels more open. Sounds travel, and so do little eyeballs, peeking over the walls to look at you, at older kids, at the toys just out of reach, at the snack tray.

I liked it, partly because it's clear to me that Iain watches everything closely and models what he sees. But I also liked the idea that no one at #3 is locked away in a closed room with my son. There's no privacy for the teachers or students - hitting, biting, accidents and insults would be hard to hide. So that was a positive.

The other major difference at #3 was the food. The menu itself wasn't that impressive (lunch proteins that week included chicken tenders, beef hot dogs, chicken salad, cheeseburgers, and "spagetti bake."). But at #3 the cook makes a lot of that food herself - the chicken salad and spagetti bake are homemade, not heated up. Also, they made a point to say, "all-beef hotdogs."

But wait, there's more. They minimize sugar and offer fruit at every meal, including snacks. And while Tater Tots is serving donuts for snack, #3 gives its kids pretzels and water, or apple slices, or cheese, or a little homemade trail mix with special juice (no sugar added). They even ask parents not to bring cake for birthdays - they prefer a fruit platter.

When I visited, the afternoon snack was out on trays already. It was obviously homemade, so I asked about it. "Oh, the cook made cinnamon apples for breakfast, so she used some extra biscuit dough to make little apple turnovers for snack."

Yeah...that's a big improvement. We got on the list.