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Daycare...the Daunting task of Deciding who loves my child while I'm at work.

Ugh.  We were spoiled.  We were lucky to have Della watch Aylen for the first couple months of his life when I went back to work.  And then he went to a daycare that had things that I am learning now-I took for granted.  Things like --I don't know...CLEAN WALLS and FLOORS, and it smelled nice, and toys that didn't look 500 years old or that the toys were taken through mud and nastiness, and PEOPLE that were educated and knew what it takes to nurture a child.

So-my FIRST tour of a daycare-I walked in and seriously tears formed.  I COULD not imagine sending my child to this place.  They showed me the infant room which was DISGUSTO.  Cribs were placed back to back, there were a few mats-and the room barely had any lights in it-and certainly NO WINDOWS.  I glanced at my tummy and quietly told Biscotti I will not leave you here.  Then we went into the Toddler room.  The teacher said that she is ALL about INDEPENDENCE.  Independence this, independence that...if a child cries we let them a bit-they need to Learn INDEPENDENCE.  And they went with the 1-7 ratio-which I couldn't imagine right away for my Aylen John.  The room was gross, the teacher was nice enough, but Ms. Independence-which don't get me wrong I believe in but I believe she had the wrong ideas about going about it.  So-I leave there and immediately start bawling my eyes out, because this place is horrible but it has an opening.  Gross, uck.  I seriously thought ok-if this place is the ONLY place with an opening-then I'm taking my child to work (even though it's not allowed-but really....)

My SECOND TOUR I instantly fell in LOVE-clean floors, teaching through PLAY, sweet teachers. And mind you before I had visited this place I went into-"I have a 1 year old, he would start in August, I have a teacher schedule-will need 2 months off in the summer, pregnant with another".  So she knew this-and even mentioned all of it in the beginning.  And she continued her 20+ minute tour, and talked and talked about the facility.  At the end I'm ready to sign Aylen up! Clean place, caring people, OPENING hopefully by August 8th-tell me what I need to do?....Then she said--so you'll be off for the summer?  Yes lady-I told you this, you told me this.  Then she says well we started making teachers pay 1/2 tuition for children in the summer to hold the spot.  This isn't ideal-but honestly I'm not surprised.  I say, "ok"  How do I sign up?...And she says-Well I don't think I want to allow 1/2 tuition anymore...So do you think you could get a Part-time job or ask to work more in the summer?  Are you freakin kidding lady?  To which I say-No...I'm not working in the summer.  And I say well there are PLENTY of schools around here, which means there are a TON of teachers, and I'm pretty sure alot of them have had children-so there is some place around here that is teacher schedule friendly.  And she just smiled--I don't know.  I bet you don't, YOU WASTE of my time person WHO SERIOUSLY just ASKED ME TO work more so that my CHILDREN could go to her daycare, EVEN more annoying than the FIRST TOUR piece of (#($*.  UCK.  So there I go-and I start crying again.

I went on SEVERAL more TOURS and finally found our spot.  Two phrases that made me feel better:  

1.  Our first priority is to LOVE and NURTURE the children and then education.
2.  In the event that you have summers off-we WILL definitely work with you because YOU NEED to be with your CHILDREN in the summer if you CAN!

ahhh...now that's better!  Of course the center looked just great (not super new, but clean and great).  They had openings for both Aylen and Biscotti and it is in the old Longmont Post Office Building-which has extremely cool character!

Anyways-I can't tell you how good it feels to finally have that taken care of now!  Such a relief that I feel comfortable in the place that will play a HUGE part in my childrens' lives:) 

Love to all-(part-time job in the SUMMER crazy lady)
Megan