Today I went and shopped around for a childcare center. I will be student teaching in the fall (for which I receive no income, so it's like free labor), and I will need to send Victor to a childcare center. He will be about 5 months by then.
The interesting thing is seeing the other side, meaning being the parent and not the teacher. Selecting a center that will fit the needs and price is important. While working at a childcare center as a teacher I had no idea what and how much it is for parents to sent their children. What I am realizing (now that I am at the other end) is that I want a quality place that is at a fair price. What is a fair price? Well generally speaking it is a price that is affordable. At this time (current money system) I don't think any price for a childcare center is affordable for majority of parents out there.The full time price per month is basically either a 2 week or 1 month pay check that a 1 parent can receive. I would be paying more to send my child to a center than the amount I made working at the center. That is CRAZY!
There is of course the government pay help, but for that one needs to qualify with a significant low income.
Next it is the quality of the center. I went to visit one today that looked like a "bomb" fell in there. Really cheap organization and when I went to the infant room....lol it looked depressing. The centers were not divided, the cribs were old school, they were also different types and the one thing that I did not like about the center was that the infant room was from 6 weeks to 24 months. There is a HUGE development that goes on during this age period. I mean you have a baby that can hardly move and a toddler that is all over the place. Honestly I "feel" bad for the teachers. Having been one that worked with infants and toddlers, they would have to have their eyes open all the time. It is not safe to have toddlers running around infants. Where I worked we would not even place an infant on the floor to explore when having a 14 month and up running around and falling over and tossing toys around (at 14 they moved up to toddlers where there was more space for mobility and different focus as well as skills and activities to work on their development).
Anyhow, obviously this place did not have the extra room to offer separate space for different developing skills in children. So even though it was the cheapest place I found, it was also the worse of quality I have seen. It is not a place I would sent Victor to. And I don't blame the place of course, it is the system we allow and accept because this place is obviously due to remodeling and revamping and who knows what their budget is. It is always about money....that is why The Equal Money System IS the BEST proposal EVER to be made in the history of mankind.
I will have to visit a few other places and make my decision.
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