Daddy's Day Care is located at 256 6th Avenue in Park Slope. Have any parents visited this Day Care. What are your thoughts on the Day Care? I am an early childhood educator and after taking a tour, I have my thoughts.
Here is the experience I had- I made an appointment for a tour yesterday. My mother found "Daddy Day Care" advertising their facility on Craigslist. I wrote "Daddy Day Care" an e-mail asking a few questions. I asked if they were NAEYC accredited. (They are not) I asked if they would help "potty" train. (Yes they do) As well other questions. I was happy my questions were answered because other day cares weren't as forthcoming with personal e-mails. (Beth Elohim Early Childhood Education Center replied with personal e-mails) I visited "Daddy's Day Care" yesterday. "Daddy's Day Care" is located in a basement apartment of a brownstone apartment building. When I rang the bell, I was greeted by a muscular man in a sweat suit and socks. The entire floor thru is dedicated to the day care. The walls were painted from top to bottom with rainbows, suns, puzzle pieces, etc. There were about 500 toys in the room. Lots of them still in the packaging. It looked like a toy store. (Lulu's or Little Things) Victor is the "Daddy" Victor is the manager of the PC Richard on Kings HIghway and says he wants to eventually do "Daddy's Day Care" full time. He said he has educational background and no background in education. His assistant was taking care of a 6 1/2 month old. I asked her is she smoked cigarettes because she smelled of smoke. She looked at Victor and them answered "no". There was only one 3-year-old boy in the day care. Victor said that the other children are "pending" because of immunizations. I asked Victor if the people he hires are certified and he said, "They aren't supposed to be." Victor said he is hiring yoga teachers/music teachers etc. Victor charges $14/per hour if your child attends part time and $10/hour for full time.
I want to give my observations and let people make their own judgement. However, In my OWN opinion, The rooms is overloaded with toys and overstimulating for any child. The toys are plastic and battery filled. (My daughter has plastic toys but I expect more from a day care I put money into) The owner isn't into education. There is no curriculum just a daily schedule. I would NEVER send my daughter to a day care just because the room is colorful and filled with toys. I'm not impressed. A day care that is appropriate for any child is NAEYC accredited, utilizes Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP), requires shoes to be taken off upon entering. (Victor let us walk all over the rugs with our muddy shoes.), wooden toys, wooden floors (Somewhere in the facility so children can bang away with wooden blocks), music... etc. IMHO, "Daddy's Day Care" is a business started to make money with no clue how to work with children. Victor has a 4-year-old son that goes do a DIFFERENT Day Care in Bay Ridge. I understand that his son probably has his own friends and doesn't want to leave them but if "Daddy Day Care" is so great, then Victor's son AND his friends would make the trek to Park Slope for the better Day Care. I am a seasoned early childhood educator and children's illustrator and would highly recommend a day care that meets basic standards. "Daddy Day Care" is a "Daddy Don't Care." The first red flag was the flyer which has Looney Toon characters on it. Please.
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