Do you have a great child care provider you would like to brag on? Let us hear about your experiences.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Elizabeth Guth(Ocalamom Host),

No. My youngest is suppose to be in the best daycare in Ocala and there are still issues. You just want to cry when your kid comes home with bite marks. You wonder all day if he is Ok...bottom line is it stinks!

I don't want to bad mouth anyone in Ocala, but I have not found any place I would entrust my children to. Had many bad experiences with another's child. Poor care,cheap horrible food,too many children in the classes,etc. I am not poking at the caregivers, it just didn't work. I would like to know if there are nurturing, educational and moral enhancing places, too. I have two iddie bitties and would like to go to work again but can't afford to. would not mind a buddy at my home for my 1 & 3 yr old but would only expose them to children well cared for. I don't want them picking up the biting, kicking obnoxious behaviors. I know kids will be kids. I was so lucky with my now 20 yr old to have superb daycare but that was in Leesburg and Clermont. I am not pitching for work but understand having no options.

So what are moms doing? I know some are staying home like you, digitheadgal, and I don't blame them one bit! I did that myself for a long time. But for those who are working, where are they taking the kids? And does anyone have suggestions for summer? A lot of kids are too old for some programs but not old enough to stay alone yet. Anyone want to share their plans for the summer?

Gosh! I feel for you guys! Luckily, I've been able to stay at home with Campbell (my almost 4 year old) and will also do the same with our new baby (due in June.) But, I do have friends that work full time and I will ask them what they think of their childcare. I would hate to have to drop my child off somewhere for the day and not feel completely comfortable with it! I will ask around and hopefully have some good news to give back to you all!

It would be wonderful to know safe intelligent places for the kids. Case in point, no sitter and have to go to preg doc for a test on the unborn baby. Strapped down and 2 yr old wiggles out of his stroller straps and starts pushing buttons including the emergency button. I strapped can't move. imagine. or the follow up in stirrups, holding new baby on belly and having the other child on a leash. How embarrassing!!

I'm very sorry for the mothers ,who have had a bad experience with daycares. I am blessed not to have had these issues with my children. My daughter has been in daycare since she was 2 years old and is now 4 1/2 years old and she has really enjoyed it ,as a matter of fact she will be going to Kindergarden in Aug. and I am so scared that she will not enjoy it as much as she has daycare. I stayed at home with my son for six months, but he did not go to daycare until he was a year old. I feel very comfortable with him there also. Some mornings he jumps out of my arms to go to his teacher .

Whew! Was childcare when my son was a baby and toddler tough!! When we first moved here, I went to DCF to get a listing of in-home daycares because just the thought of a "center" brought images of russian orphanages to mind. There wasn't ONE good in-home daycare provider here in Ocala. So, I had no choice but to go to a center. Sure enough, the 1st one I went into, the image of russian orphanage became a reality and I walked out of there in tears! The next one I went to was good for a little while. Until they but safety second on their priority list. I did manage to get him into one of the best centers in Ocala (helps having friends with connections), but even that had a few problems (my son's 3K teacher had a personality conflict with my son and it wasn't until she left that all the problems disappeared).

Now that my son is in elementary school I have to deal with childcare on all the days off from school and vacations. It is not easy as there aren't a whole lot of places I trust (okay - none). I've been sending my son to a gymnastics center for the last 1 1/2 years, but its really expensive. And I am always nervous when they go on field trips for fear he'll get left behind. Fortunately, that hasn't happened. But still...I'd love an alternative place that I could trust.

I was working in two daycare and NO WAY this people is only worry about how many kids they can have in the same classroom, they don't care about radio or about how the teacher is gonna work with all that littles angels and if the CDS go to check they just star moving teachers around or kids to be fine with the radios so is just fiction, by the way this is a small town so everybody knows everybody, yep " they don't gonna close this center I know everybody there " thats how daycare work in this town !! no body really care about the kids its just money, money, money !!!

THATS VERY SAD :-(

by the way this is my list, like a mother and teacher working for a long time in this area and just if you really, really, really need to used a daycare center:

1 - Kinderoo Childrens Academy
2- CFCC Daycare center
3- Highlands Daycare center
4- Capstone Daycare center
5- Montesori

Expensive and they not perfect but are the best in the town !

This message has been edited. Last edited by: aries_anuada,

I went back to work when my oldest daughter was 4 months old, she is now almost two and a half and my youngest daughter has been in daycare since she was six weeks. It was heartbreaking. I searched and searched for daycares before I placed my oldest in one. They looked like little baby warehouses, I was waiting for one of the ladies to come up and stamp a serial number on my daughter's forehead. But I kept looking, I would love to stay home with my girls, but finacially it's just not an option. I was so blessed to find the most amazing home daycare ever, Lisa Newton's Home Daycare. My oldest has been there now for over two years and I come to work everyday and know I don't have to worry about their safety or happiness. Lisa and Tom know my girls, so if they're acting funny or seem to possibly be coming down with something they let me know right away and they are always right on the money. My girls love going there, I have never had a tearful goodbye in the two years since they started watching my babies. Amazing people, with a real love for the kids. My Aniyah is two years old, knows her abc's, the days of the week, the sounds the abc's make, some of her colors, songs, and so much more that they teach the kids there. Plus my girls get the one on one attention that I really wanted them to have. It wouldn't even take half a hand to count the times one of my girls has gotten bitten or hit or anything, because it rarely ever happens. Thankfully Childhood Development Services can help some moms with the costs of childcare and many daycares take it, it's basically subsidized daycare, which greatly helps with the costs. Lisa and Tom are opening up a daycare center within the next month or so and I have told every mom I know about them. They have saved me from the majority of the guilt I would otherwise feel about having to be a working mom. Hope this helps.

Hi there,

I feel very fortunate to have found the CFCC Child Development Center. My daughter started there in 2003 when she turned 1 year old, and stayed for 2 years there. She loved it, and we were very happy with the staff and the way they spent their time there. The only reason she left was b/c she was diagnosed w/Autism and went to the ESE Pre-K program at Harbour View elementary (another excellent program but that's another topic!)

Now, our 2 year old son just started back there at CFCC 2 months ago. Believe it or not, most of the teachers are the same ones from when my daughter was there, and they all remembered her and our family! Another plus is that they have reinvested a lot of money into improving the center, the playground, the curriculum, and installed an electronic security monitoring system just to name a few things.

My point is, there is good child care here in Ocala, and we've found it at CFCC! Day care costs a lot, but CFCC is much cheaper then Capstone and Pebbles, plus they serve brkfst, lunch, snacks. Can you believe with Pebbles you have to send all food for them? Like pack a lunch everyday? Please! If anyone needs more info about CFCC, just ask me.

BTW, cool site...bout time we Ocala mom's had a place to meet!

New Beginnings Childcare would be my choice if anyone is around NE area. They have their own bus to take students to and from school - it has to be on their route. Breakfast, lunch, and snack are included. I believe New Beginnings is partnered with CDS?

Now, If I could find a daycare similar to what I currently have around SW?

thank you for your feedback. Unfortunately I am in the se area of marion

I don't know how far you are from CFCC but my 20 mth old just started there about 2 1/2 weeks ago and she loves it. She has never been in daycare before so I was a little nervous about sending her but she has adapted really well. That tells me the daycare has to doing a great job. They only take them from a year and up so I am now in a situation where I don't have childcare for my newborn hopefully I can find a place close to where we are that has a good rep.

where are you at location-wise. I am in the corner of ocala and summerfield. I sure love newborns and am a stay at home mom. Live behind a veterinarian clinic well off the road and have been eyeballing thier puppies. Don't need to have more kids of my own.
Have all the equipment for infants. I hate to have infants with their intensive needs three babies to one caregiver. I have 21 yr old in electrical/computer engineering at UF, 3 & 1 yr old. I need to get my 3 yr old in pre-K and it would free up my time. I might could help if it were a fit. Paula