2011/12 POLICY AND PROCEDURE MANUAL IS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE.  

Hello and welcome to Busy Bees Daycare. Hang your coats and take a tour. Our kids are very proud of their daycare and are sure you will be too.

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT OUR REVIEWS  ON OUR ABOUT US PAGE 

CHOOSING A DAY CARE IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST DECISSIONS YOU WILL MAKE FOR YOUR CHILD. MAKE THE RIGHT ONE!!! BELOW IS SOME INFORMATION THAT MAY MAKE IT EASIER

FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.

TYPES OF DAYCARE

Daycare is different from babysitting, in that it typically involves care for more than one child who is not related to the provider. Daycare facilities must operate under an extensive set of state laws and regulations regarding the number of children per care provider, meals and facilities. Home-based daycare centers are located in private residences. Daycare centers are typically in nonresidential areas in commercially owned buildings. Although there are many differences between residential and commercial, the location of the facility is the chief difference between home-based and center-based daycare.

Other difference between the two...

1) daycare centers are normally (not always) non-profit and recieve funding from other sources such as a church, clubs, donations, etc.

Residential daycares are typically owned/operated by an idividual on a for profit basis. Allowing funding to be outsourced through various avenues such as state/federal grants, donations, fundraising, etc.

Either way, typically the tuition prices are similar and vary by a few dollars.

2) Center, commercial based daycares are more inclined to have seperate room/classes for individual ages.

Residential daycares normally have children together in a family style atmosphere. This allows for families with 2 or more children in daycare to have siblings together and also allows for younger children to model actions of the older ones, serving as a devolopmental assest.

3)Hours of operation~ While a home based daycare vary rarely closes, you may find that a center has lengthy periods of closed times during holidays. On the other hand, with a residential daycare, in the event of an emergency the daycare may be forced to close without much notice (this would be if there would only be one staff person in the facility or inadequate coverage to abide by the staff/child ratio)

4)Turnaround~ At a commerical run facility you may find the turnaround of staff persons to be higher than that of a home-based caregiver. The children develop strong emotional bonds to their caregivers and a constant change in staff is disruptive to these emotional bonds.When looking for child care ask about the amount of turnaround the facility has, how experienced the staff is, and qualifications of each caregiver. If they are previous providers, ask to see his/her qualifications.

5) Flexibility~ A commerical based daycare is more apt to have strict policies and procedures regarding such things as arrival/departure time, snacks/meals, dress code, illness, etc. Where you may find an at home facility to be much more easy going and laid back in these areas.

Busy Bees is a residential daycare. Home daycares outnumber centers 4-1 in the state of Pa and part of that is due to the fact that home based care provides an environment similar to the one at home and your children may get more personal attention from the provider than they would at daycare centers. Home daycare helps your children learn to socialize without overwhelming them with new arrivals, staff changes, room changes, and seperation anxiety. 

Tips To The Parents From Your Preschooler

Be Positive! Don’t tell me that I’ll have a great time at day care and then tell grandma that you feel guilty about enrolling me. I pick up on your feelings very easily! If you feel great about leaving…I’ll feel great about staying. Don’t mind me if the first day I love it, and the second day I hate it!! It’s a new schedule than I’m use to. Keep my schedule consistent and I’ll be fine! When you drop me off in the morning, give me a kiss and a hug and leave! When you linger around for a while to see how I’m doing, it makes me feel uncertain because you feel uncertain. Then I don’t want to stay…I want to go with you. If I’m crying, the teachers will hold me. They love me also and want the best for me. Please take time to look at my work that I created. I work long and hard on it all day while you are at work. If you do not care, I will not be enthusiastic about creating it. And if I see it laying in the trash at home, I will loose my creativity. Spend time with me after we get home at night. I know that you’re tired, and I’m full of energy because I took a nap! Let’s go for a walk after dinner. I need time with my mom and dad too. Sometimes, I would like it if you would talk to me and explain to me what is going to happen to me, before it happens. Tell me what day I am going to start day care, and what I am going to do there all day long. It would help to lessen my fears. Point out the center to me as we ride by, so I can be excited about it. Give me the choice to do things by myself. I’m little and slower than you are, but I can do things all by myself. I can dress myself and I can pick what breakfast cereal I want to eat. Making decisions can make me feel very important. Sometimes, I don’t want to go to the day care. Sometimes you don’t want to go to work! But after we both get there, we’re fine. Don’t be mad at me if after I pass that "adjustment period", I don’t want to go home with you when you come to pick me up. Be glad that my care-givers are wonderful people to make me feel that way. Please don’t feel guilty about leaving me! I know that you love me and you would not do anything bad for me. I also know that when I start kindergarten, that socially I will be well-adjusted, and mentally I will be asking questions way ahead of the other children. Why? Because you had the insight to put me with other children at a young age where I learned new things and met new friends