Mon 16 May 2011

Daycare Marietta GA!

Posted by mariettamom1972 under Day Care Marietta GA
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Daycare Marietta GA | Our Journey

Who are we? We represent the mild-mannered Marietta moms who are in need of finding a  reputable, clean, daycare facility with staff members trained to take great care for their children. After much debate with friends (and some procrastination), we decided to create a website to help other mothers (and fathers) to find a safe place for our little toddlers.

So, is Daycare Marietta GA a strange name for a website? Maybe, but of course there’s a method to why I’ve chosen this name.

Think about it. If you’re a parent in Marietta, GA and have day care questions, whether if it’s about day care centers, child care licensing requirements, or even daycare center preschools for infants in Cobb County, the likelihood of you surfing the internet and finding this site is possible, if you’re typing in something like “day care marietta ga” or maybe even “child care marietta ga”.

And of course, I wanted you to find my website because unlike other sites, I do not own my own local family daycare.

daycare marietta ga

Before we got started in this journey to find a qualified child care facility, we have to let you know – we were understand the bliss of the first 5 years of marriage without children (if that’s your thing).

If you didn’t know the difference between ‘family day’ and being a ‘gold daycare member’ – welcome to the web site!. Aren’t sure if it’s wise to go with a center that has  business that is owned by parents directly or not. You’ve landed!

How Day care Marietta can help you

Don’t have many people to turn to to answer daycare questions? Maybe we an help.

No worries!  We will cover all of this at Daycare Marietta GA. We’ll share our experiences and insights on various daycare center preschool topics. In the end, after much debate and experimentation, we found ways to use daycare positively and think we can help you too.

Now, we are not going to bash any particular daycare business out there. But, we will at times make solid recommendations when choosing a daycare center, specifically in Marietta and surrounding Cobb County, GA. Anything from regulations to non-profit daycare centers, businesses involving parents working out of their houses to start daycare; We’re there all the way.

In addition to this, we want to educate parents on what they should expect from child care facilities so that they won’t miss a step!  Things like program curriculum, local daycare openings in Marietta, childcare providers for Spanish, or even what types of daycare insurance to look out for.

We want give you enough knowledge to confidently make a decision on where to go in Marietta for some really great experiences in the daycare industry. If you are like many parents, this could be your first time considering something outside of baby sitting or a babysitter nanny –  which means you’re probably scared to death! No worries – we’ll blog it all the way to the deepest corners of Cobb County!

So, if you are looking for a opinions daycare providers with great staff members, room for preschool programs , or potential daycare listings, then this site is for you.

Most importantly though, this site will help you hire a daycare match that is honest and professional.

The last thing you need is to have some crazy staff with weird daycare policies that don’t make any sense messing around with your money and family!

Speaking of money, the prices daycare centers charge across Marietta is all over the place.  You can get ripped off very easily on one side of town versus another when looking for a place because most parents have no idea how much these daycare should cost. I can say that most think it is expensive, and that’s on both the low end and high end of daycare business finance plans. That is unfortunately a part of the business. Is there such thing as affordable childcare? What is the average daycare rate for companies in Marietta?

SO what about the Better Business Bureau? Can you rely on them solely to give you the information you need to pick out the right daycare? Uh – No.

The Better Business Bureau is not federally regulated, meaning they are not any type of official governing body. Don’t let the ‘Bureau’ in the name fool you! They are indeed paid by the businesses they represent.

Here is an interesting story about the BBB that you might want to check out.

If you are looking for a company that is in the business of caring for children, it is also important that you know what organizations the child care workers should belong to, or what type of education they have. For example, are they trained in performing CPR on a toddler, infant, or baby? Are they qualified to take care of children with disabilities and special needs?

Hopefully after spending a few minutes at my site, Daycare Marietta GA, you will be able to make an informed decision on who to hire to take care of the kiddies!

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Sun 26 Jun 2011

Cost Of Day Care 2011

Posted by mariettamom1972 under Day Care Cost
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How can Daycare cost effect your family budget?

Family daycare centers have long been the preferred care provider option for many decades.

the cost of child careAlthough opinions range, child care is normally priced fairly if you compare it to other options. The hours and care type does vary which makes it so flexible and reliable since care can be provided if a particular caregiver is out of town or sick. Plenty of the facilities even offer 24-hour schedules to accommodate parent’s workforce schedules.

With today’s changing work schedules, daycare centers now offer after-school care at discounted costs. But with that, staff workers at the facilities may not stay long per wages are less resulting in a fast turnover rate. Other critiques include opinions that the daycare scheme feels more like a company or business vs a place to care for children, and that the staff-to-child ratios are not at levels satisfactory enough to take care of babies and children..

If daycare centers provide the settings of your choice, what can you expect child care costs to be?

The answer to daycare cost is dependent upon many factors and the variations within the circumstances. Some of the main factors that influence dependent day care spending can be as follows:

  • The child’s age: If they are a 5 year old kindergarten, a new born baby, or an infant, cost can be significantly impacted
  • Where you live – This is broken down into the region of the country or state you live in as well as the city and neighborhood housing value. Living in a small town versus a metropolitan city is a major daycare cost factor
  • The hours of childcare need: With some care centers, the later the time, the more expensive, as this can qualify as a special arrangement
  • The level of child care services needed to care for your child

For example, if you are a parent that works late at night and require a Tuesday-Thursday, 12:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. arrangement, and your child needs basic child care services for a child with normal development, plans to be in a general classroom setting, the childcare costs amount may be higher than if you need care that is in the typical 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. time slot for a newborn.

Costs can still vary from as low as $100 to as high as $500 a week for full-time care.

If more hands-on treatment is required along with a staff-to-child ration that is more supportive to have a one-on-one interaction style, then expect infant care cost to have up to an additional $100 to the weekly total.
What are the additional expenses for daycare cost amount?

So after reviewing the core day care cost services, there are also additional expenses.This can include laundry or diaper assessments, fees for supplies fees, and training and development for the daycare staff.staff development/training charges.

Some of the higher-end facilities provide internet web cams to allow parents to view live broadcast of they facility while their child engages in daycare activities. Parents can login to a secure website and preview what’s happening at the center.

Of the additional cost, they can be assessed monthly, quarterly or bi-annually. Working parents may have to pay their regular tuition/fees if the center is closed for specific holidays. What does this mean for the parent? Back-up care will be needed..

Since all daycare centers are not ran the same, cost will vary differently. What are some of the cost differences to consider? As normal, it all depends on the daycare center.

While one childcare center will provide meals and snacks, the other one down the street may only give parents the option to pack lunches daily, or every other day.

Daycare center extracurricular activities

Extracurricular activities or “interest stations” can also impact daycare cost. Some of these are age appropriate and incorporated within the day as part of the overall care service offered to families. Some of the higher, upscale day care quality programs offer the option to elect their kid certain classes and courses, such as karate and kung-fu, child gymnastics, art or even a second language.

Some daycare facilities are proud of in their formalized preschool programs, along with the curriculum. Of course, these also can impact to cost of day care. Some centers believe that all skills learned by toddlers and youngsters is definitely some form of a learning exercise. Additionally, a child’s most important daily activities are more social-based, meaning they should be learning to play with others while getting along with kids. Some programs don’t believe in transporting preschool-aged youngsters anywhere for safety and liability while others may offer field trips.

Daycare Discounts: How to Offset Daycare Cost

Parents should check to see if their jobs offer any incentives or breaks on day care cost by checking with their benefits package though HR. One key advantage with daycare facilities is that some companies are able to give discounts to employees, potentially supplementing care cost. an incentive for workers.

Do you need more than one child that needs daycare services? Daycare centers may offer daycare centers to families who have more than one child that needs care. The range of discounts can range between 10 percent to more than 25 percent!

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Sat 4 Jun 2011

How Daycare Centers Work

Posted by mariettamom1972 under How Daycare Centers Work
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how daycare centers work

Is being a daycare worker stressful? Ha!

So you’d like to know how do daycare centers work? Great! You’ve come to the right place!

You may really want to work with children, but don’t have enough money to go to college or a daycare education program to become a children teacher. Maybe you believe that preschool/daycare is another alternative.

Do they get paid enough to pay the bills without putting themselves in a penurious situation?

Do Daycare centers pay well?

What’s the entry rate/starting salary for a daycare or preschool teacher?

Child Care employees that are paid to work in daycare facilities don’t get paid much. In most cases, they start off with the good old minimum wage routine. The hours of the job require extreme flexibility – as you’re almost on call like a child doctor since you have to be able to get called into ‘active childcare duty’ at a moment’s notice.

Some daycare lead teachers we’ve spoken to can attest to the rigorous schedule of daycare workers, as it is a very demanding profession.

Is being a daycare worker as stressful as they say?

For the record, daycare workers are not only watching over kids and babysitting. A child care workers must be very attentive to the children needs by always keeping an eye and ear on all situations involving kids.

Again, the stress involved is tremendous, as you would be responsible for the child while in the preschool daycare’s possession. DO you think the parents of these kids wants to hear about why you can’t find little Sara’s favorite pacifier or little Derrick’s one and only preschool book? Nope. Any barrettes or organic baby food brought in bby the parents comes up missing, you’ll be the first to know from the parents!

The reality is that some day care centers try to get away with having a minimum staff to take care of as many children as allowed. This way the overhead for paying for the preschool is paid for easier.

What type of daycare hours and benefits are available to new hires?

Likely, you will work the typical 40 hour shift. But it will feel like more than that as the responsibility to feed these babies and lay them down on their nap mats could be unbearable to some, lovable to others.

Insurance for child care workers isn’t always available. If the day care center offers any type of health insurance plan, the salary you make may not allow you to afford it first of all. Also, in lots of cases you are expected to go either on your days off, or after working a full 8 hour work day, to a specialized training that is normally a prerequisite. This training is normally still paid at regular salary or not paid at all.

If I babysit at home, what kind of preschool daycare curriculum should I give them?

We get it. You get along with kids and really have affection for them and would like to take care of them and build up a professional portfolio to work at some big daycare company.

Why not start your own daycare home school?

You can offer to babysit around your city, town, or neighborhood by working in a day care setting while having 5-12 children on your own. The best group to work with? Probably four year olds up to to school age.

Here are some general ratios to follow:

  • Infants: 1 child care provider to 4
  • Toddlers: 1 child care provider to 6 children
  • Two years old to three years old: 1 child care provider to 9 children

What about the infant room?

The infant room can be decorated with anything from daycare carpet, rug squares, napper sleep mats, preschool daycare pillows, playroom mats, baby toddler boards… the list goes on.

But it’s not just about decorating in a daycare setting; isn’t all about just sitting down with babies and just playing with them.

You’ll need plenty of clipboards, papers, and pens to thoroughly document how each child ate and slept. What kind of diapers consistency did they have for the day? newborn poopy diapers or peeing in diapers in general – what about the child behavior patters as you take care of them? Are they mostly happy or sad throughout the day. You may be expected to have a communication daily by filling out a sheet for all age groups, all the way up to school age. Parents deserve the rights to know what happened each day their child is away from them.

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Sat 4 Jun 2011

The Best Daycare Food

Posted by mariettamom1972 under Best Daycare Food
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Better Daycare Food: What types of food should your kids eat while in childcare?

childcare foodMaybe the better question is, what type of daycare food does the daycare center feed the kids at particular ages?

So you’re at home preparing trying to decide if you should prepare food your self to be fed to your child when while they spend the day at day care, or maybe you’d consider enrolling in the day care center’s childcare food programs. Let’s look at some of the options

Home made baby food – Preparing food for your child at home

Depending on the age, this can range anywhere from:

Breast milk and Organic Foods

So you’re baby’s at the tender, soft age where they don’t eat solids yet, or, you can at least make nursery style purees of organic fruits and vegetables. That’s sound like a good idea and it really is, but it’s all about the preparation of the baby food. We know some mothers who prefer to make the food from scratch – driving 50 miles to find organic foods at some local farmers market to make sure that baby gets the best.

Then once you get the core ingredients, you have to make it and pack it up. Machines like the baby bullet can make puree out of carrots, cucumbers, sweet potatoes and bananas (we call’em nanners). Dr. Brown’s has very nice, near air tight containers for storage of the baby food.

Combine that with good old-fashioned breast milk, and your baby has a power packed breakfast, lunch, multiple snacks, and partial dinner! With a healthy meal like that, baby shouldn’t be hungry and the stools should be sheer perfection!

Definitely check out the day care facility; the environment, the kitchen, the refrigerator. And properly mark your baby jars and formula bottles. It’s likely the fridge will be packed with other parents food and the daycare center’s provisions. so labeling is of the essence!

Organic Baby Food Brands

If you cannot make the baby food from scratch or provide breast milk, it’s ok! There are some excellent alternatives:

Childcare Food Programs

If you are considering utilizing the care center’s childcare food programs, start off by reviewing these direct tips:

  • The day care center should be updated! They should have a valid, current license to practice childcare and scheduled daycare feeding. Children should clearly be enrolled
  • Meals need to be those that meet USDA requirements and standards. Never accept anything less.
  • Any childcare center program worth its weight in gold will have immaculate attendance and scheduling of the meals (see childcare nutrition program example. Accuracy of these food records in imperative, especially if you know you child is allergic to certain things, or simply doesn’t like particular foods. This can be in the form of a paper chart, excel sheet, or any on site computer program
  • You should be able to meet the staff of the Family Daycare Food Program. There representatives should be clean, professional, and knowledgeable about their food programs and should be able to clearly elaborate on the science behind the food and how it helps your child develop
  • Some daycare providers get monthly credit reimbursements if they are USDA approved foods. Ask them if they know about that
  • The staff should clearly indicate that they have meal and menu planning and menu service training
  • They should be able to give you recent and accurate information & assistance about meal planning, nutrition  and any additional program requirements
  • What about nutritional workshops? Do they have any to teach both the parent and children what these foods are?

We’ve found some very interesting information regarding a particular daycare center poll -

Fresh fruit is in; Canned fruit is out.

For snacks nearly a quater of people want to eat more fresh fruit on the menu. Around 10% of parents eliminate or at least cut back on the amount of canned fruits being consumed. But right around lunch,  parents interested in cutting back on canned fruit increases to 19%.

Parents are highly typically satisfied with daycare food programs.

Approval ratings to keep the same food in the program is around 90%. The reality is, lots of the daycare food is quite ‘junk food’. Some of the sncaks they give out  either as a whole snack or part of a meal we’d consider to be very junky – yet and still, the majority of parents seem no to mind.

Ice cream make it again!

Nearly 90% of parents conceded that ice cream should be kept as is. While ice cream is a delight, if day care centers are feeding this as much as parent are saying the like it, kids will grow up to either want more ice cream as they get older, or ice cream may not be such a treat since they’re getting so much of it at the child care provider.

Sodium packed chicken nuggets and chicken soup made the cut!

Why even bother? Again, any of this stuff is probably fine if made from scratch, but 7% of parents want the store-brought chicken soup while another 8% say yes to non 100% chicken nuggets (you know they’re not 100% unless they tell you its ‘all white 100% meat’. If the daycare enter can make these from scratch then more power to them! Otherwise, get ready to feed your kids appetite!

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