The Tour--Day Two

It was a mixture of sun, clouds and snow in my neck of the woods; yet, we braced the elements to bring you another adventure of "Find that Daycare!" LOL

Day Care #3--This daycare is christian based and located inside of a church. Since a lot of families are on vacation, there was just a skeleton crew. But being the person that I am, I can get a feel of a place no matter who is there!!! I'm somewhat familiar with the curriculum they are using. I'm not a fan of it per se; however, they use social components that provide a balance in their learning experience. That pleased me more. Bonus: They start taking children at 6 weeks and accept the full subsidy!!!! My husband and I overall liked what we saw and will be placing this center as a contender.

Day Care #4--A day care center that is the name of a very popular song sung by a bunch of men! (Being vague on purpose!) Well I didn't get to meet with the person I made the appointment with, but still was able to have a tour. The center was well adorned with children's work and they highlighted the curriculum and its components for all to see. The age levels were distinguished
by the primary colors, and everything, I mean everything, in the classroom was that color. However, it was very nice, clean and would foster creativity and learning. Unfortunately, I don't have a favorable bonus for this one. The hours are not as convenient as the others and the fees are more expensive, way above the subsidized rate. To top it all off, you have to pay the annual membership fee before they will accept an application for daycare. I know some day cares have registration fees, but this is a little much. So, of course, we will not be considering this one.

We've decided #2 and #3 respectively will be the ones we would use. If one doesn't have a vacancy then we have a back up plan. Hopefully, they will have space when we call.

Well, I hope you've enjoyed "Find that daycare." Please join me next time as continue our journey through foster care. :)

Thanks for reading,

The Tour--Day One

Today, my husband and I began our tour of child care facilities. We were actually only supposed to have one tour, but wound up having two due to an address/telephone number mix-up. Not sure whose at fault. At any rate, we were able to get a good idea of the differences in child care offerings.

Child care center #1--(The one we didn't have an appointment for, but the director showed us around anyway. ) The word to the wise, if your center uses certified teachers and they follow the school district's schedule, don't take tours during school breaks. The Center's teachers are off when school's out. The children in all the age groups were engaged while we were there and the staff was very helpful and friendly. But the fact that they follow the district's schedule is actually a con for me. Their days conflict with my days and that would leave me scrambling for care. Another negative is that they accept children beginning at three months. If we get a newborn that would require me to take that amount of time off from work. Not an option, especially if this is a temporary situation. However, the assistant director was very nice and was able to answer my questions thoroughly. Bonus: They accept the full subsidy! Don't know if that fact would outweigh the cons, but it was definitely a great thing to know!

Child care center #2--(The real appointment!) I was very impressed with this center from the time I hit the driveway. I liked the fact that you had to be buzzed in and you had to sign your child in via computer into a system. Safety is important! The areas where the children would be were clearly identified. It promoted independence and a joy of learning. As an educator, this is paramount. They had binders full of record keeping material everywhere and it was organized!!!! If you can't already tell, I really liked this one. Bonus: They accept children as early as six weeks!!!!! The hours are totally convenient for us and the staff was very attentive to the children. The only con is that this one, unfortunately doesn't accept the full subsidy, which of course means the balance would come out of our pockets! Quite honestly, it would be worth paying the difference.

We have two more tours tomorrow...I'm looking forward to the adventure.

Thanks for reading!

Before the Phone Rings

Well a few weeks ago, we receive our Resource Parent (aka foster parent) license in the mail. Yeah!!! We've haven't had and didn't expect to get a call before Christmas, so we just enjoyed our time with our family and friends. Now the journey really begins. There is so much work we really needed to do in order to be prepared for our first placement, which could happen at anytime. I'm talking beyond "getting the room together" type of things. I'm talking about what daycare center are they going to? Which ones accept the subsidies? How much are we going to have to pay out of pocket (stay tuned for the next episode for this topic!) ? What about pediatricians? Are they accepting new patients? Do they accept medicaid or insurance that I chose for the child? What questions should I ask the placement worker? Will I be ready when the phone rings?????

To my advantage, I'm glad that I conducted some research ahead of time, which made today's adventure a lot easier. Previously, I went on my state's website and searched for approved daycare, child care rate, after school programs, and pediatricians and dentists throughout the state. I went through the list and narrowed down the ones in my travel path to work. All I had to do today was contact these providers, get some general information about their center, rates, availability and schedule an appointment for a tour!!!! I have two scheduled for tomorrow and one on Wednesday. This should be fun!

As far as the questions are concern, I created a form of questions that were derived from a pamphlet given to us by our advocacy group. These "initial intake" questions will determine which situations we would say yes to on the spot or which we'll have to consult each other on. My husband and I basically went over the "criteria" questions together so there won't be any confusion when the call is received, no matter who receives it. We are going to place the forms in a binder labeled "Initial Intake Forms" and have it in a general area for immediate access.

Progress made and I believe we are "ready," but the work is far from over. However, since we've planned ahead in anticipation for "the call," we'll be able to focus on the real task ahead: the Children!!!

Thanks for Reading,

Embarking on a new journey

The title, by far, could mean many different things. Starting with this blog…I decided that it would be a great idea to chronicle the things I do, especially if there is a possibility to impact the lives of others. However, the catalyst was the fact that my husband and I are days away from receiving our foster parent license. The journey through this time in our lives as the children come, are reunited with their parents or stay (short term, indefinitely, or forever through adoption), is something worth sharing. I hope you’ll feel the same way! Feel free to share your thoughts and provide insight on the many topics that I’m sure will be covered as the days go by!