Well, new news at the Tainow house. Starting August 31, Millie will start at a new daycare, Sheltering Arms. We had an interview today (Tuesday) with the new center. Millie came with us and sat in her new classroom with the other kids. This decision did not come without alot of deep thought from Mat and I. We hate to keep making all of these moves to different daycares but we just want to find one that is the best fit for our family.
We got a call from Sheltering Arms last week saying they have a toddler spot open. Since we toured the school awhile back, we wanted to go again as a refresher. I brought Millie back on a different day and we sat in with the class for a couple hours. Last week, I also spent quite a bit of time in her current classroom. To my untrained eye, they seemed very similar.
Sheltering Arms is a little different than any of the other daycare centers where we have been. The class begins in the infant room. In August, the entire class moves up. The teachers and all the classmates move together as well. The teachers/class stays together until they enter the Pre-K program. Most of the daycare centers we have been to move the children up based on their skill level. To compensate this, they work in small groups with children of the same skill level. Then in August, everyone moves up. It's different and not necessarily bad. Just different for us. This particular Sheltering Arms is a model teaching training facility. They have teachers train upstairs and monitor the classrooms down below. The facility is located just about equidistant of my work and Engine 11. Convenient for both Mat and I to drop off/pick up.
We hope this is a good fit for our family. We just want to do what is best for Millie while keeping in consideration our family's well being. Daycare searching has been a very frustrating process. We are finding more and more that it's about who you know, a little bit about your child, and timing. I wonder if it's this difficult in other cities. Hopefully others have had better luck than we have. We are keeping our chins up about Sheltering Arms and hoping that it's what we have been looking for.