I’ve got the itch.
I miss my nursing career. I miss the satisfaction of being given the most cantankerous patient and then methodically caring for them until they finally trust me and a smile breaks through. I miss assessing a patient, realizing they are on three different types of hypertension meds, weak, dizzy, disoriented, neglected….and a month later after organizing his care with doctors, pharmacists and family, he is again independent, stabilized and on the right meds. I miss turning in a weeks worth of paperwork that reflects all the love and attention I gave to those that are otherwise forgotten. I miss my scrubs. I miss making money. I miss being up to date on the latest procedures. I miss getting out of the house!
So, I’m seriously considering going back to work.
That leaves these questions: What do I do with my babies? Who will they be safe with? Is this the best choice for them?
We don’t have grandparents in town, so that rules out that option. Last week I toured Kindercare, Tutor Time, La Petit, and one other place I’m drawing a blank on. I narrowed it down to two: Tutor Time and La Petit. But now it’s hard to make the decision because both have pros and con’s that are important to me.
La Petit: Some of the pros are that I loved the director, they have a nice outside play area and when Maddie turns two we are eligible for the Godaddy discount. This is the clincher…they had the best teacher out of them all. She’s been teaching the same toddler class for 6 years! She is the only teacher that works in that room, Monday through Friday. The aids change, but she stays the same. She bragged about the kids and cared for them as if they were her own. That is huge on my criteria list. The teacher MUST be warm and caring. The downside is it’s kinda out of the way and the rooms are small and …meh.
Tutor Time: This place had the best location. I also liked the director. She really impressed me by not allowing me to take the stroller into the infant room. All the other places required that I put on protective booties to protect the little drooling, belly draggers, but this place actually thought about my stroller wheels and how it would be tracking stuff in to the room. Not that I take those kind of precautions at home, but I’d be paying them to be more careful than I am, right? 
. The atmosphere is also really great. Bright colors and huge rooms with lots of different stations for the kids to play at. In addition to a nice grass (rare in AZ) outdoor play yard, it also has an indoor one for the 114 degree summer! The indoor playground is set up like a city. It has buildings from floor to ceiling that the kids can play in. It also has a slide coming from one of the buildings and ending in a ball pit. The room stores tons of dress up clothes, which Maddie would love! The downside is that we don’t get an employee discount, it’s a little more expensive (but the director said she would work with us) and they seem to move their teachers around.
I just don’t know.
7 Comments
It sounds like you have two good choices. Me? I’d go with La Petit. A warm, dedicated, INVESTED teacher is something rare and wonderful. Not to mention a discount in a few months!
Now, I hope this doesn’t come across as total ass-vice, but our local Tutor Time has incredible turnover. Some of our young friends have had as many as 8 different teachers since September. From what we hear, the pay is low and the staff is treated poorly. I hope that’s not the case with you.
Also, I think it’s very important for a mother to feel fulfilled in her own life. A happy, fulfilled mother makes happy children.
As someone who worked in daycares before I became a “real” teacher, finding a teacher who stays in one spot in a daycare is hard to come by…go with your gut.
Personally, they both seem like they have their pros and cons, so I agree with Chas, go with your gut. I sent Little man to Kindercare and fell in LOVE with the place, but didn’t have other options. It was more expensive but worth EVERY penny.
That is a hard decision to make. Carter has been going to the same daycare since he was 11 weeks old. She is 5 houses down from us, and he loves it there! He usually hubby standing at the driveway as he runs inside. I looked into Tutor time once, it’s out of my price range, but I liked it. Would you go back to work FT or just PT?
Yea, I forgot a word, it’s supposed to be “he usually leaves hubby standing in the driveway” Dork!!
Mary, I’ll be praying for you in your decision. I understand EXACTLY what you mean when you talked about nursing (not so much about the kids since I ain’t married and don’t have nun (do you like the KY accent in print?)).
I took my SRNA course last month, the state boards last week. It will take a month to get the results. How much does that suck? I just started working at a mental hospital as a MHA. I can see the opportunities to make a difference.
I think the best answer is to move to FL and family will help!!
Love MOM