PolkMoms.com

Ok, my son attended daycare when he was 8months until he was about 11months old. I won't name the daycare to be fair, however I just had that "feeling" that something was not right, and besides that he was sick the entire time. (Day after his last day there, he was admitted to LRMC for a severe ear infection which kids get sick in daycare I understand that but still scary).
I am looking to put him back in part time for socializing and things like that but I am really nervous. I had looked at LaPetite but then saw a bad posting on here from an employee. I am concerned now about religious exempted daycares bc of the horrible story of the 5 yearold boy, I just don't know how a mother these days can function at her job without worrying about her child given all the horror stories. Does anyone have any valid good or bad reviews for local daycares?

i don't know much about day cares. but what about looking for one that has live video feed. then you can log on there web site and watch your child whenever you want. i don't know if they do that in fl yet but in ny a bunch of day cares offered it. it may have cost a little more but i think a lot of moms felt better seeing there kids.

MY SONS DAYCARE IS GOOD. THEY HAVE WERE YOU CAN GO ONLINE AND CHECK ON YOUR KIDS. THE OWNER IS ALWAYS THERE AND HIS BABY GOES THERE. ALL THE TEACHERS ARE CREITIEFD. THE NAME IS EDUCARE

I have a huge fear of daycares! Either they are on the news or your kid is always sick.
You may want to ask "Bizeemomma" (sp?) in a private message, she has been in the daycare business for years now.
Too bad you can't find some nice retired lady to do it in her home with only a couple babies.My mom did it back 20 years ago. The kids were never sick. She kept the same 3 till they started kinder.
It takes alot of trust these days.
Good Luck.

My son was in Pierre's Kiddieland in Winter Haven until he was two. That, at least then, was one to AVOID. Various small problems led up to one VERY large problem. My son was potty trained and they kept putting him in diapers. When I finally confronted the teacher, nothing was done. When I went to the director, the teacher retaliated. My son had an accident, b.m., and the teacher bagged his dirty underwear, didn't even rinse them out, and sent them home a week later. I took him out and moved him to Northridge Christian Preschool in Haines City. He's now five and about to start Kindergarten there. They are wonderful at this daycare. During the year, they do A beka academics, and daycare combined. He has loved all of his teachers there. They keep infants, and all the teachers are very loving and become very attached to the babies.

My daughter goes to Parkland Preschool in Winter Haven. She loves it and I love it. The teachers are very kind and the turnover is very, very low. My daughter cried at first since she had never been in daycare before but now she runs to the door every morning when we arrive.

I am so thankful that I've never had to send my children to daycare. However, my god daughter goes to First Baptist Church at the Mall's daycare and her mother has had a good relationship with them for about 7 or 8 years now.

quote:

First Baptist Church at the Mall's daycare

I would love to hear some recent personal feedback on this daycare. I was told management or an overseer changed recently. A mother said she wasn't as happy as she had been in previous years.

I've never personally used First Baptist Church at the Mall's daycare, but a friend whose granddaughter goes there was recently telling me that they're going to do some renovations and upgrades and are therefore raising their rates.
According to this grandmother (and I don't know if these numbers are true, just what she told me) they're raising the rates by as much as $40 a WEEK for some of the ages to help offset the cost.
I would have a heart attack if my daycare fees went up $160 a month!

I have heard good things about Little Shepherd's at First Presbyterian Church in Lakeland. I have been to that church only once but our 17 month old went to their nursery. They use the same rooms. We met several of their teachers that are there during the week. My little guy didn't get into anything unsafe which was amazing to us because we have already been through two styles of baby gates. He didn't run tot he door to get out when it was tome to come home like he has in other places.
They are worth looking in to

Well I have had quite an experience with daycare for my little one, as most of you know he has a learning disability, which is trying when it comes to daycare. I can give you one I would not recommend and one that I would highly recommend, although he does not go there anymore I know the director personally and cannot rave any higher about them.....let me tell you my story.
We decided to put the little man in daycare when he was about 12 months old, we were having some issues with him, ear infections and little stuff, he was very irritable all of the time. We assumed because he was sick all the time. With that said, he was at Southside Baptist, right off Mcdonald Street, for about 4 months, I did not get much information picking him up in the afternoons, not alot of feedback at all. They just said "yeah, he didn't have a good day", well my sister put her son in this daycare at the same time. Well when my son would throw fits, yell, cry, scream, they would buckle him up in a highchair, all day!!!!!!!!They did not know what to do with him, so they just tied him up. This was very destructive for my autistic child. Needless to say this is why I never used his highchair because he was scared to death of it. When I found this out I pulled him immediately! They were reported to the authorities, but nothing happened, even with the witness of my own sister.
I did find a God send, Grace Lutheran on Ingraham Ave. My son was there for 1 day, 1 day, I went to pick him up, she sits me in the office and says, did you know your son is deaf? I said what, how can you tell? She says I have been taking care of children for 30 years, I have already set you up the appointment with Central Florida Speech and Hearing, and signed him up with th Early Steps Program. Now she was fully aware of the situation I had been through, she is also the one who reported the other daycare to thier superiors, because both of them get thier approvals from the same organization. She had done all of this the first day. I took my little man to the appointments, and he had lost 70% hearing in the left ear and 30% in the right, it did require surgery to correct, which his pediatrician would not ok, but we did it anyway in Tampa, at Tampa ENT, he has fully recovered now from that and has regained all of his hearing capabilities. This was all taken care of by one person, not a doctor, a director of a daycare who watches children for a living. With the Early Steps program she got him into, they did speach therapy at the school for him, behavioral therapy at the school, she did alot for me.
Unfortunat;ey with the little man's last surgery, he was out for so long, they could not hold his spot open. But I can highly recommend them, and these are people that truly care about the well being of your children.

We used First Baptist at the mall when my daughter was first born and I went back to work.......by the time she was 1.5 we KNEW we had to find another place and we took her out. We didn't have problems persay but just found that most of the time it was a bunch of "kids" watching my daughter and sitting on the ground and it not being an enriching environment AT ALL!! When I would pick her up in the afternoon the kids were running rampid and these "kids" were sitting on the ground just talking to each other. There was no organized activity at all throughout the day. Hopefully it has changed since then.

But I have also heard the same...that they went up in price $40 per week due to the new building costs. That is outrageous to me!

I have 2 daughters who went to daycare (my youngest daughter only went for 3 weeks then i decided to stay home with her)my youngest daughter went to Gibsonia Baptist Church and even though she was only there for a short while I think that they were absolutely wonderful. My other daughter went to Country Lane Child Enrichment Center by Padgett Elem and she went there for 2 yrs and they did the most amazing job ever. I can not say enough about how wonderful Mrs.Kim and her staff are.My daughter had went to another daycare *i dont want to say which one*, it was a church daycare and it was ABSOLUTELY horrible, my daughter broke her arm there and i was told it happened by her falling out of a small chair but came to find out that isnt what happened at all. but again the BEST DAYCARES I know of are Gibsonia Baptist and Country Lane Child Enrichment Center (and country lane also teaches dance classes at The Loft and they too are wonderful)The cost for Country Lane is more than average daycares but you definately get what you pay for by all means..

The LaPetite post was mine... and no, I'd never refer them to anyone I know. I'll just leave it at that.

As for religious daycares? Just ask them who holds their accreditation, and get the contact info. Give them a call and get the background on the inspections at the facility. Hillsborough County requires all current inspections be posted in a public area at our school. It's possible Polk is the same way.

Wow....its a good thing I found this, as my son goes to First Baptist Church at the mall, and I LOVED it. However, we just got notice they are closing the doors.
SOOOo I am in search of a new daycare/VPK...something for my 4 yr old.
I live on the N Side, but work on the S Side/Downtown Area. HELP!!! ANYONE?? I need something quick!