State of child care in the US Where is our money going?

After deep consideration and concern, I am currently in the process of moving my daughter from one daycare to another. Due to high turnover and lack of proper management among other things, my current daycare facility has totally changed in a year and a half and is no longer an acceptable and safe establishment to keep her in.

And as working parents, we are paying pretty hefty fees to have our kids in daycare. My friends and family are also having similar issues with their childcare centers and we have all learned that you have to manage the daycare center and stay on top of things. this is our child! There are babysitters there not even paying attention to the kids in the room when we pick her up. They are talking to each other through the door. They are not putting sunscreen on our kids when they go outside although we signed a form specifying that they do it. I could go on. My friend's son had bruises on his head two days in a row with no report or knowledge of what happened. It's scary.

Why can't the owners pay benefits for the teachers? It is one of the hardest jobs on earth. I don't know if I could do it. Also, why can't they pay them more to keep them? Her best teachers have come and gone to better places. I do feel bad leaving one daycare to another but why am I feeling bad? They are the ones who couldn't keep their commitment as a respectable daycare center. They are the ones losing multitudes of families due to lack of responsibility and proper management. Then why do I feel guilty? Because it is a relationship and these people are my daughter's caretakers when I'm not there. But I am starting her on Monday at a new school with more structure and a better learning environment.

I tried to research these centers on the Internet and was surprised that parents basically cannot find out if complaints are made on a center unless a formal report is written, meaning it has to be a really bad injury or negligence before a center's record is marked. Parents have a right to know what is going on, good or bad, in their center. Owners owe it to everyone to communicate and build a relationship with their community. Parents talk. Rumors can be worse that the truth. Oh well. I am done venting. Onward and upward I say.

To moms out there looking for resources, check out your state division for licensed daycare - they do have reports from site monitoring visits. Know that daycare centers are franchised, so one can be excellent and the other sub-par but have the same brand name. But also please talk to parent with kids at the school, talk to others in the community and do as much homework as you can. And even if everything looks good, things can change quickly, so stay on top of your center and be sure to get involved so you know your child is in the best care he/she can be. Follow your instincts and if you don't feel right about leaving your child there anymore, then don't.

http://www.decal.state.ga.us/ Child care licensing reports in Georgia

http://www.daycare.com/georgia/ Georgia licensing standards for day care centers

http://nrc.uchsc.edu/ National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care

Georgia