OcalaMom.com

I am expecting my first child in November and am looking for some advice on a good daycare. Any suggestions or recommedations. I would prefer a Christian setting.

Thanks

Hi firsttimemommy,
If you check out the childcare section, there are some threads w/ recommendations on daycares. I believe Happy Hearts (name right?) is one that always gets good reviews. I also don't know where you live, but I liked Together for Children best of the schools I had looked at.
Are you looking for ideas on what to ask, too?
I worked at a preschool in college. I would always suggest looking both online and asking to see their inspection reports when you visit. When I interviewed one school before DD was born, I asked to see their reports -- a public record -- and was refused. Now, I had already read them online. The fact that they refused to let me see them "because we are probably getting a new owner" was a big red flag to me.
Show up unannounced for visits and tours so you can see how they really are run.
Ask lots of questions.
Gavin DeBecker's book has some good tips on safety and daycare and questions to ask.
One thing I always look at -- do the kids have runny, nasty noses? I never let my kids have drippy noses. They were wiped instantly. Gross noses are, to me, important to pay attention to.

Oh -- and waiting lists can be very long for infant care for good centers. I started looking as soon as I found out I was pregnant. Where I had worked, the infant list was at least a year long. Not all schools have such long lists, but I was on waiting lists at multiple centers.

Anyway, long day so this may not have been written so eloquently. Hope something in this helped.

Thanks so much....all helpful tips!