child care centres

[cobysmummy]

just wondering what childcare centres you send your children to? i am currently looking for work and have looked at our local ABC and Mother Duck centres.. does any one have good or bad reports on either of these providers??? i live across the road from a hutchisons centre but will not (never ever!) send him there!!
any info will be appreciated

[nemosmum]

Hi

Every ccc is different even if they are under the same franchise name so my best advice to you is research the ones your interested in. Go for an interview (where you can look around the centre and talk to the director and staff, see facilities and educational program etc) also try and talk to parents who attend that centre, theres nothing like honest word of mouth.

Can I ask what a Hutchinson centre is and why you wouldnt send your bub there? just curious :)

[cobysmummy]

Hutchisons is a child care centre organisation... just like mother duck etc...
the one across the road is horrible!! the children scream and yell all day and the workers all stand in one corner and chat... dont supervise at all... the children are outside all day except sleep time with no hats on...
from what i have seen they dont properly look after the children and that is what the parents are paying them to do...
i guess each centre is different but that has turned me off hutchisons...
i want whats best for my baby... like all parents do...

[nemosmum]

Hmmmm it doesnt sound very nice, thanks for the info Ive never heard of them or Mother Duck ccc, You learn something new everyday!

[sharonli]

Hi Helen,

Our DS goes to an ABC centre and he's very happy there, great carers, and a great 'feel' to the centre.

Although as orlandosmum says, all centres are different, so it's best to pay a visit and see how you feel with the centre, maybe see if you can watch some of the activities and how the carers relate to the children.

Good luck! :)

[Chickadee]

We have only used a family day care scheme. As with CCC, each individual carer is different so you need to check them out before deciding which carer within the scheme suits you and your child. But I really liked the smaller setting with only 4 pre-schoolers at a time. At my DD's carer for 1.5 years there was a core group of 5 to 6 children (some part timers) and it was very much like an extended family to us.

[kiwibird27]

Would highly recommend just turning up at random times to have a look around centre's, ask if it's okay for you to just sit and watch (in whichever room is appropriate 4 your child's age), for an hour - If this isn't okay ask why??? Remember director's only want you to see the good things - Your family is worth alot of money to a centre, why can't you sit and watch????? Do the staff look happy - Is there a high turn over _ watch out for directors who side step this question - Is there an office manager employed to take the paper work off the director thus freeing her up to help the staff and children - Children over 2 are usually left alone with 1 staff member over lunchtime while they sleep because centres are too cheap to employ lunchtime relievers - Imagine 12 2-3 yr old (sleeping), 1 staff member - how often do you think that goes wrong??!! Children don't sleep - staff don't get lunch
Is the centre well resourced - It is common practise in profit centre's for staff to have to BUY the children art supplies or they miss out - I can tell you staff don't get paid enough to do that!!!!!!!!
Are the licensees on the premises and involved????
Are the staff appropraiatly qualified and is there a good mix of age groups (e.g. not just 19yr olds with 1 year of TAFE)
Could go on forever about this particular topic, was a Director 4 many years in QLD - It's usually a sign when a new organisation takes over a centre and half of there staff leave within the first year that there is something wrong.
Don't put your child in a centre "In the meantime" while you wait for a vacancy at the centre you love - that usually turns out bad!!!!

[stormanet]

heya :) We aren't up to the child care centre thing thankfully... the only thing I have heard is that because ABC is purely driven for profits the centres' standards have been slipping over the last couple of years... staff have been cut back to bare minimum and they are also being given the cleaning responsibilities for the centre on top of their childcare roles. As I said, we aren't there yet... but be really thorough checking them out... look for daily plans posted on the walls, supervision checklists, parent communication books.... and be careful if you see a tv in the play area. :)

Good luck with the search!!

[cobysmummy]

thanks 4 ur replies... Coby got accepted into abc but i rejected it... i didnt really like it... i have him on waiting lists for family day care and mother duck which was my favourite centre... they showed me around properly unlike abc.,...

thanks again

[Fairyfloss]

I would go and observe the staff working too, but at this stage I was just trying to see how they react when I said to them I want to be on the list and am only 6 weeks prag, that kind of gave me the impression i needed to see how helpful they are willing to be, so perhaps ask them a couple of unusual questions and see how go. Good luck

[dylansmummy]

We have had a very bad experience with a private centre in Brisbane, if anyone lives on the southside of Brissy and wants to know the name of the centre I'll share it if you want to PM me.

Currently we are with Mother Duck and couldn't be happier.

[cobysmummy]

coby is starting at mother duck on tuesday! will let u know how things work out

[n.bjessie]

Hi i read that you may be looking into an Abc Centre? Well i have worked for about 4 different centres throughout melb and i was appaled by what i say the staff would yell ands scream at the children, we did have to do the cleaning because the centre didnt not hire cleaners and the food that was served you wouldnt give to your dog. After the last centre i have given up working for Abc

[TreeFrog]

Hutchisons is a child care centre organisation... just like mother duck etc...
the one across the road is horrible!! the children scream and yell all day and the workers all stand in one corner and chat... dont supervise at all... the children are outside all day except sleep time with no hats on...
from what i have seen they dont properly look after the children and that is what the parents are paying them to do...
i guess each centre is different but that has turned me off hutchisons...
i want whats best for my baby... like all parents do...

You're the third person who has disliked Hutchisons that I have heard from this past couple of months. The parents I have spoken just turn their nose up and say first impressions were not good and then said that they looked elsewhere. It has had a 100% thumbs down from the parents I know and this is from three different Hutchisons centres.

Oh, and ask how much training the child carers have. There are some childcare institutions pushing out qualified carers in 20 weeks. So, only 20 weeks to qualify to care! I would be most wary of that. Big adverts on the radio for that one. Does not sell childcare to me at all when I hear that. So, definetly check out qualifications as kiwibird27 suggested.

Hope Motherduck works out :) My nephew is in a Motherduck Centre and my SIL is happy and als my friend has her DD at Brisbane City Childcare at Spring Hill. Expensive though, but she is very happy. They are two recommendations here.

[ZarasMummy]

We are hoping to send DD to Sesame Lane which is on the north side of Brissy. We have a couple of ABC's in our area but wouldn't send her there, have only ever heard negative reports about them. We are hoping that Sesame Lane is good, despite all the research you do I guess you never really know till they start.