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Parents and Guardians Forum>Concerned About My Child's Daycare
cosmos 06:47 AM 02-01-2016
My son is 2 and has a speech delay. He can speak but he's about six months behind on where he should be with his verbal communication skills. He has a speech therapist and we are doing all we can to help him catch up. I was advised that putting him in daycare a couple times a week could really help him so that's what I did. However the daycare he attends keeps giving me cause for concern.

My biggest complaint is that he has way too many teachers. There is no permanent or consistent teacher around him. Its as if the center director makes the teachers switch rooms multiple times a day or only has employees there for a few hours and then brings in someone else. I don't think this is good for my son because not all the teachers understand his situation and are willing to work with him on his verbal skills.

Is it normal for a daycare to switch teachers between rooms so frequently?
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Thriftylady 06:53 AM 02-01-2016
It depends on the center. Many do have "floaters" that go from room to room with a main teacher in each room. Others have staffing issues that create problems, some don't pay their teachers well or treat them well and have very high turnover. Obviously this is not every center. Is it a national chain center? If so they could have high turnover. Have you looked at either a small locally owned center or a home daycare? In either of those two kinds of places, you may find that the teachers are more stable. For now, I would be asking questions of the teachers and director to find out if I wanted to stay there or not. Those questions would be questions like: Why do the teachers in my child's room seem to change so much? Do you have a high staff turnover rate? Does my child have a main teacher that is in his room most of the day?
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cosmos 07:00 AM 02-01-2016
Its called The Sunshine House and they are a national chain. I spoke with the director and she said that there would be one teacher in the room in the morning hours and then another in the evening. However they have someone different in the room each day so its never consistent. There are also signs all over the daycare telling employees that no overtime is allowed.
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Thriftylady 07:23 AM 02-01-2016
Originally Posted by cosmos:
Its called The Sunshine House and they are a national chain. I spoke with the director and she said that there would be one teacher in the room in the morning hours and then another in the evening. However they have someone different in the room each day so its never consistent. There are also signs all over the daycare telling employees that no overtime is allowed.
With some of the chains this is common. If it is a big deal to you (some parents don't mind this, everyone is different), I would start looking for someplace else. Like I said sometimes a smaller place even if it is a center is more consistent as they have less staff in the pool. Some (not all of course) national chains have their eye on the money coming in more than anything and it shows in the the staff turn over and such. I am a home daycare provider, but after being on these boards if I was looking for daycare and going to choose a center, I would go with a small one that has the owner on site. We have some providers here that run those small centers, and their centers sound amazing to me! An in home provider is also an option because for the most part the same person will be with your child all day every day, your child becomes part of the family atmosphere. Many in home providers are just as good if not better than the big centers IMHO.
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daycare 07:34 AM 02-01-2016
I agree with thrifty. find a small center where the owner is on site.

Not sure if you would be open to a home daycare, you will always have at least the main provider there every day.

I know that in-home doesn't work for a lot of people because of the days and hours that they need. for example I am only open from 745-5:00pm.

I have 3-4 people that work for me and yes, they change from time to time, this is not an easy field for some people. Lucky for me 2 of them have been here a very long time, while the other 2 are new.
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mommyneedsadayoff 08:17 AM 02-01-2016
Originally Posted by cosmos:
My son is 2 and has a speech delay. He can speak but he's about six months behind on where he should be with his verbal communication skills. He has a speech therapist and we are doing all we can to help him catch up. I was advised that putting him in daycare a couple times a week could really help him so that's what I did. However the daycare he attends keeps giving me cause for concern.

My biggest complaint is that he has way too many teachers. There is no permanent or consistent teacher around him. Its as if the center director makes the teachers switch rooms multiple times a day or only has employees there for a few hours and then brings in someone else. I don't think this is good for my son because not all the teachers understand his situation and are willing to work with him on his verbal skills.

Is it normal for a daycare to switch teachers between rooms so frequently?
Kind of bugs me when they do this One on one communication with a care giver or parent, as well as social outings in the community are great ways for him to learn how to speak. I understand that they feel a larger group of kids may help him learn by watching them, but going to daycare a few days a week, especially for a child who is used to staying home with mom, can also be quite a change and traumatic for them. And if he is in a room with kids his own age, he may not be getting enough language stimulation, because, well, they are ALL learning how to talk (being around older children who speak well would be better...multi age groups can be very helpful as young learn by watching the older) NOT saying this is your case, but sometimes a center with a revolving door of teachers and kids is not the best way to improved speech or development in general.

I would do as above posters said and consider an in home daycare wit a more personal approach and possibly more ability for one on one time and int he meantime, I would make sure you literally say everything you are doing when with him. When cooking, playing, grocery shopping, using the bathroom or changing diapers...say what you are doing and talk, talk, talk to him It will do wonders for him just to hear you and to see the correlation between words and actions. Good luck to you!
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daycarediva 09:28 AM 02-01-2016
Large/chain center staff is hit or miss. It is the con of a center. A small center or home daycare would have none or next to no turnover. Many parents go through with the inconveniences of home care for a single provider that can offer that consistency. Your child will NOT bond to one provider if he is only attending minimal days and the staff rotation is that high. He most likely will regress in speech.

With my new talkers, I can hear the words they are attempting to say because I have gotten to know them so well. I can then pronounce things clearly for them, or expand upon their speech. My husband cannot understand one dck at ALL. Neither can any of the other parents. I can, and his Mom and I say we speak fluent 'hisname'. We are always repeating his words back to him and having him say things to encourage proper speech patterns.

Do you need daycare? What about speech therapy?

Here is what I would do. If I didn't need childcare I would pull him out. I would start the ball rolling on speech therapy (just a delay may be a more serious issue, it's better to spend a few months in ST now vs years later). I would take him to library story hour, enroll him/you in a mommy and me class, set up play dates with friends, etc. 2-3 days a week, would be EXACTLY the kind of language exposure he needs. You would be with him, so he would feel comfortable enough to make attempts.
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craftymissbeth 10:46 AM 02-01-2016
Another thing that could be a reason that many employers only have part-time workers (which would explain why there are different teachers in and out through out the day) is that, depending on the size, etc., of the company they may be required to provide health insurance for their full time employees.
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MunchkinWrangler 11:19 AM 02-01-2016
Originally Posted by daycarediva:
Large/chain center staff is hit or miss. It is the con of a center. A small center or home daycare would have none or next to no turnover. Many parents go through with the inconveniences of home care for a single provider that can offer that consistency. Your child will NOT bond to one provider if he is only attending minimal days and the staff rotation is that high. He most likely will regress in speech.

With my new talkers, I can hear the words they are attempting to say because I have gotten to know them so well. I can then pronounce things clearly for them, or expand upon their speech. My husband cannot understand one dck at ALL. Neither can any of the other parents. I can, and his Mom and I say we speak fluent 'hisname'. We are always repeating his words back to him and having him say things to encourage proper speech patterns.

Do you need daycare? What about speech therapy?

Here is what I would do. If I didn't need childcare I would pull him out. I would start the ball rolling on speech therapy (just a delay may be a more serious issue, it's better to spend a few months in ST now vs years later). I would take him to library story hour, enroll him/you in a mommy and me class, set up play dates with friends, etc. 2-3 days a week, would be EXACTLY the kind of language exposure he needs. You would be with him, so he would feel comfortable enough to make attempts.
This!!
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spedmommy4 07:04 PM 02-02-2016
Originally Posted by daycarediva:
Large/chain center staff is hit or miss. It is the con of a center. A small center or home daycare would have none or next to no turnover. Many parents go through with the inconveniences of home care for a single provider that can offer that consistency. Your child will NOT bond to one provider if he is only attending minimal days and the staff rotation is that high. He most likely will regress in speech.

With my new talkers, I can hear the words they are attempting to say because I have gotten to know them so well. I can then pronounce things clearly for them, or expand upon their speech. My husband cannot understand one dck at ALL. Neither can any of the other parents. I can, and his Mom and I say we speak fluent 'hisname'. We are always repeating his words back to him and having him say things to encourage proper speech patterns.

Do you need daycare? What about speech therapy?

Here is what I would do. If I didn't need childcare I would pull him out. I would start the ball rolling on speech therapy (just a delay may be a more serious issue, it's better to spend a few months in ST now vs years later). I would take him to library story hour, enroll him/you in a mommy and me class, set up play dates with friends, etc. 2-3 days a week, would be EXACTLY the kind of language exposure he needs. You would be with him, so he would feel comfortable enough to make attempts.
Daycarediva, you hit the nail on the head. To the OP, you don't say who recommended that you place your little one in childcare to help with speech, but the type of environment you describe wouldn't be very beneficial.

I'm an early childhood special education teacher, and the reason that specialists will often recommend childcare/preschool settings for kids with speech delays is so that the child will get exposure to kids with typical language.

The problem with having a busy classroom and constantly changing staff is that there is no single person responsible for checking in and make sure your child is able to communicate with other kids well. (And is making progress). I think, if you don't need childcare, you would be better off seeking out those social opportunities through play dates and library story times. At least that way you know your child is being consistently well supported in social interactions and you can monitor progress.

If you do need childcare, like daycare diva said, I would probably consider a smaller center or home based setting.
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Hunni Bee 05:57 AM 02-03-2016
You just need to find a different daycare. At my old job, it was totally like that...people were in and out every few months, they just stuck whoever they could in the rooms sometimes.

My current center is not like that. Turnover is low, we work 8 or 10 hour shifts so we're in the room all day and there's only a different teacher if we're off, and its the same teacher every time. We also have the same classroom and kids assigned to us for a full calendar year.

So it really depends on the center.
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Mad_Pistachio 06:40 AM 02-03-2016
you can find a different (smaller, local) daycare, and it may dramatically improve the situation. or not...

when my daughter started daycare, she was 2 weeks under 2 years old. in the first year in her 2-year-old group, I can recall at least 4 different teachers. could be more, but I lost count after 4. now, the 3- and 4-year-olds all have the same teachers I have seen since the first day, but, for some reason, the 2-year-olds had theirs switch after 2-3 months. not sure what the problem was: teachers were quitting or the director couldn't find the right fit... it's a relatively small place, and the director is always on site, but the 2-year-old group was not having any luck with finding a teacher that would stick for at least a year until children move on to the next age level. it was not the "teachers switch twice a day" type of situation, but it was still kind of... really? no one fits? are you hiring?
she has moved up to the next group last year, so I have no idea what it's like now. hopefully, the director was able to find someone more stable.
unfortunately, until you are in the daycare for 2-3 months, you may not be able to see that happening.

it still may be worth a try. depending on how comfortable you are with trying, of course.
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Mom2Two 03:07 PM 02-10-2016
I hadn't ever heard the one about putting a child in daycare to help with speech. Unless they think that the child is getting too accommodated and won't speak coz parent is anticipating child's needs. ??? DD has severe delay for speech. Two years seems a bit young to be overly worried unless there's more to it like genetic problem or something. DD started speech at 2.5 years but it was hard to make much progress at that age.
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MarinaVanessa 04:04 PM 02-10-2016
Originally Posted by Mom2Two:
I hadn't ever heard the one about putting a child in daycare to help with speech. Unless they think that the child is getting too accommodated and won't speak coz parent is anticipating child's needs. ??? DD has severe delay for speech. Two years seems a bit young to be overly worried unless there's more to it like genetic problem or something. DD started speech at 2.5 years but it was hard to make much progress at that age.
I think if a child is home with mom and there are no other siblings in the home or if the child isn't around other kids often it could be recommended that the child go to daycare for social interaction. I think the hope is that the child will be around other kids and will be exposed to more language and more opportunities to use language than he would while at home with mom. Some kids are more motivated by their peers than by other adults ... like it's more fun than talking to mom KWIM
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Leigh 07:01 AM 02-11-2016
Originally Posted by Mom2Two:
I hadn't ever heard the one about putting a child in daycare to help with speech. Unless they think that the child is getting too accommodated and won't speak coz parent is anticipating child's needs. ??? DD has severe delay for speech. Two years seems a bit young to be overly worried unless there's more to it like genetic problem or something. DD started speech at 2.5 years but it was hard to make much progress at that age.
I have had many kids who come to me not talking and soon they're jabbering all day. It's not ME that does it, but their desire to be able to communicate with the other children.
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NeedaVaca 07:07 AM 02-11-2016
I have a child with a severe speech disorder and I did the exact opposite in order to help him. I quit my job so I could spend more time with him. If you don't need daycare the best thing you can do it keep him at home. No one will try harder than you will, a daycare can't work with him as much as you can, not even close! If you don't actually need daycare keep him with you and plan lots of outings, play dates, etc for socialization
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