Before McKenna was born, my mom offered/agreed to watch her on the days Mike and I were both working for the first year. This was a huge help to us both financially and for peace of mind, knowing McKenna would be with her grandma during the day. It was also a big labor of love for my mom, who would drive up from North Port, FL (about an hour and a half away) in the wee hours of the morning, watch McKenna during the day, stay the night and leave the next morning when Mike got home from his shift. We could have started daycare right away – or once I went back to work from maternity leave – but with Mike being a firefighter and working a 24-on/48-off schedule, it made more sense to have my mom watch her. Or so we thought.
It didn’t take long for all of us to realize how exhausting this schedule was for my mom – and who could blame her?! When Mike got a new job with the City of Lakeland, we found out he would be training for 10-12 hours/day for 3 weeks, and we knew we would have to start McKenna in daycare.
When it came to researching daycares, I already had a few in mind based off friends’ experiences. We didn’t have much time, so we researched a few different facilities and settled on two to tour. Both of which were relatively close to downtown, which is the route I use on my way home from work.
Primrose School of South Tampa: It’s no wonder this school had a 1-2 year wait list (crazy, right?!). I knew that going in, but I still wanted to tour it. It’s a beautiful, brand new, highly secured facility. I was immediately drawn to all of the windows throughout the building (so much natural light! Perfect for babies who love to look outside, like McKenna). At Primrose they have a scheduled day for all ages, including infants, and encourage reading, singing and physical development – like crawling and tummy time. They also utilize American Sign Language to encourage communication. Something you don’t realize you have to think about when shopping for daycares is supplies; Primrose supplied crib sheets (which they washed every night) and fresh food prepared on site once they started eating solids. One of my favorite things about Primrose that Carlton didn’t offer for babies was a chance to go outside during the day. Primrose had double strollers the teachers put the babies in when the weather was nice to get them out of the building for short periods at a time.
Pros: great location, dedicated schedule/curriculum, natural light, brand new & highly secured facility, supplied sheets and solid food, use of ASL, outside excursions for infants
Cons: 1-2 year wait list, pricier (approx. $15 more per week)
Carlton Academy Day School: Carlton Academy Day School is located in downtown Tampa off Brush St., just a few blocks north of Amalie Arena. It is an older building but still highly secured facility, and you even have the ability to log in to a webcam portal to watch your child in their classroom during the day (Bonus!). Carlton Academy had a comparable schedule/curriculum to the infants’ schedule at Primrose. They read, sing and use ASL with the infants, as well as encourage tummy time, crawling and playtime with the other babies in the room. One plus to Carlton Academy was that many of the teachers are bilingual and will sing or speak to the kids in Spanish. You have to supply your own crib sheets and solid foods, but the cost per week is a bit cheaper and with available enrollment.
Pros: great location, affordable, dedicated schedule/curriculum, highly secured facility, ability to tune in to child’s classroom during the day, use of ASL & Spanish, available enrollment
Cons: not much natural light in interior classrooms, infants don’t have outdoor access, sheets and solid foods not included
Given the wait list at Primrose, it is no doubt that we went with Carlton Academy Day School. We may revisit Primrose again when McKenna gets a bit older, but with such comparable infant programs, Carlton was a great fit. The staff was friendly, inviting and very helpful getting us prepared for McKenna’s first day. She started on November 4, and when I dropped her off I was a wreck. You would think that since I had already been back to work for nearly 4 months I would have been fine, but I started crying before I even left the house! I thought I had gotten it together, but when the office staff walked me back to her classroom and asked excitedly, “Are you ready?” I lost it and just said, “No not really!” through my tears. This little girl has made me a huge mush, I’ll tell ya.
I got easier day by day. Since she was just two weeks away (and getting ready to crawl any minute), they moved McKenna into the 6-12 month room right away. When I picked McKenna up after the second or third day, her main teacher talked to me about why I might be seeing McKenna in her crib more than the other babies at first. “She seems happier in there,” her teacher said. “It’s a little overwhelming for her in the play area right now, so when she gets really upset I put her in there and she watches from afar.” It was no surprise to me that McKenna was probably very overstimulated. She had never been around so many little babies, let alone ones who were crawling and pulling themselves up. By the end of week two (just this last week) she has almost completely adjusted and is on a great eating and napping routine (Yay! Thanks, teachers!). She has caught the daycare cold, which was expected, but she’s such a trooper when she’s sick you wouldn’t even know.
So far we’re very happy with our decision. Her teachers are lovely and helpful in her development. It’s reassuring to know she’s safe during the day (I have to check her in and out with my fingerprint), and when I miss her during the day I love being able to check in on her via the webcam and see what she’s doing.
Our Little "Whoops!" 