Day Care Part II

The Spud has to be in day care.  This is something I know and something that I can not refute.  If mama wants to make some money for the Spud to live on, I am going to have to work.  After speaking to a number of working moms this week I realize that what I am struggling with isn’t just the fact that my son is in daycare, I am also struggling with their philosophy on child rearing and the aesthetics of their program. 

1. The cribs are all kind of crammed in a room so that they are several deep from the wall.  Sound like anything else you know of?  That’s right.  It looks and feels like an orphanage.  I can’t stand it.  If I am reacting negatively to it, how must he be feeling? (and yes, I am aware I am inserting a little too much of my own personal experience and he may not have made that connection, but the point is that I have)
2. He is eating things like cheese pizza (hello?  I wrote on his intake info that he is lactose intolerant and that’s why I have to use ridiculously expensive formula).  They are also giving him things like Teddy Grahams and other sweet things that I did not plan on allowing him to have for a while.  While I realize that many parents allow and encourage (and that is fine, this is just my own personal preference) I really wanted to capitalize on the the fact that he is currently eating anything.  Which means he will eat steamed broccoli or he will eat cookies—it just depends on what is placed in front of him.  He doesn’t really have a preference.  Since he will eat anything I really want him to eat healthy foods. 
3. I am paying a ridiculous amount of money to have him onsite with me when I never have a chance to see him and I don’t agree with the care they are providing.

I just need to make clear that I have nothing against their program or any of their staff.  I think they are providing the kind of care that most parents demand and I think it works for the majority of children.

About a month ago I happened across a website for a local daycare taught by a couple.  She has a a bachelors and masters degree in education.  She has lived in France for many years and teaches French.  Her husband was born abroad and has lived in eight different countries and speaks four different languages.  They feed the children only food that they have prepared with the majority of it being organic.  Their focus is on globally preparing children—language, arts, culture, etc.  Anyone that knows me would recognize why this is attractive to me.  I know the Spud is very bright and I want a daycare that will engage him both in play, but in language and other areas.  I’ve always said, regardless of whether my children were IA or bio I wanted my children to have a more global view and to be able to see beyond their own arm and enjoy those that are different from them. 

To say that I want the Spud to there is an understatement.  There are no cribs (thank you, Jesus!).  They sleep on cots or very large pillow-looking things.  It is bright and sunny with those of color.  They have international art and language plainly visible and it is run out of their home.  I LOVE it.  They have a French program and are planning on starting a Spanish program this year followed by a Mandarin program next.

They also have a wait list and ALL of the kids that are presently attending are planning on staying through the end of the year.  Please say a prayer that something work out—an opening or that they will get a bigger space (evidently they will expand, but only if they get a bigger location). 

Ideally I would be able to stay home and love on my son, but I know that’s not possible.  I think Spud would like this place—plus, he already knows one of the other kids (in a weird sort of 7* of Kevin Bacon I figured out that I know the owner’s dad and her dad has been a lifelong friend to the ER medical director that I work with and that he was one of the big reasons they came back to the US.  With any luck I can try and make this work for me). 

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The Spud is a Dud.  He’s sick.  Three days of daycare and he gets sick.  He hasn’t slept for two nights and is NOT napping.  Snot, snot everywhere.  When I walked in to the daycare this morning I saw a very red eyed child with snot on his face and I pointed my finger at him “It was you!  You made him sick!”  The nanny tried to make it better by saying they have all been sick.  Ick. At 9 am the daycare called me and asked if I had a pacifier.  Hmmm…didn’t like the sound of that.  Evidently the other two pacifiers have been lost. 

No pics today.  His eyes are all red and icky and bright light hurts him even more than it previously did.  Hopefully tomorrow he will feel better and we will go to the park.