Opinion on Day Care Situation

amy919

New member
I'm really stuck here and looking for some opinions on what you guys would do.

A new school just opened literally across the street from where my girls are currently enrolled. Our current school, which I'll refer to as TT is OK. There have been a lot of changes in the last year with the staff and I have a few minor concerns, but nothing major and nothing that can't be addressed and rectified.

About 50% of TT's current enrollment has moved or is moving to the new school, which I'll refer to as COA. COA has recently opened 3 schools in our area and about 30% of TT teachers have left to join COA. It's a nice school, obviously because everything is brand new. There is some concern (although just rumors and speculation at this point) that TT will not survive and will end up closing. The prices are the same.

The two schools are almost identical in every way. In fact, the founder of TT sold the idea to COA, so they're virtually identical. TT is owned by an Australian company and COA is a franchise. COA offers some benefits that TT does not. These benefits would be really nice, but they aren't critical.

Safety is my number one concern. TT's layout is very safety conscious. The entire school is located on one floor and there are exits in every classroom to the outside. These exits are locked - they're for evacuation purposes.

COA's layout is much different. The school is a two story layout and the classrooms are upstairs. I am confident in the event of an emergency that my 4 year old would be fine. My concern is my 17 month old. The maximum in her class is 10, with a 5 to 1 ratio. The protocol in the event of a fire is that all directors, maintenance crew, bus driver and floaters report directly to the two toddler rooms to help evacuate the kids. Assuming that the center is completely full (unlikely), you're looking at 20 children total, which means that you would need 10 adults to hand carry these kids out of the school.

While I know the chances of a fire are slim, it's not impossible. DH is pretty much against it. He can't get past it. He just sees a potential nightmare in the event that an emergency does occur.

What do you think? Are we being ridiculous to worry about this? They practice fire drills once a month, as well as hurricane and tornado drills once a quarter (both of these are extremely rare here). The teachers are never notified when a drill will occur. No one is. The drills are handled remotely from another office. So everyone is completely unprepared.

How would you feel about this set up?

Thanks, Amy
 
ADS

Starlight

Senior Community Member
I would go w/ the best school.

I'm certain that the 2 story school has a very good evac policy in place - otherwise, the city would have never signed off on their licensing.

And 5 to 1 is an excellent ratio for a 17 mo old, btw.
 

An Aurora

Senior Community Member
Honestly, I am a complete worrywart and I would not feel comfortable with my 17 month old on the 2nd floor, in the (however unlikely) event of a fire. I'm sure it is perfectly safe, but I'm paranoid! As long as you are comfortable in the current situation, I would stay there, especially since your children are already used to the staff, layout & other kids.
 

broken4u05

New member
wait 5-1 under 2? i thought it was 3-1. In maryland it is. I would be fine with the class being on the 2nd floor the teachers know how to get the children out. I am sure even after hours they are talked to about what they need to do if anything was to happen. I know i was when i worked at a center
 

Melizerd

New member
I agree with the fact that the city wouldn't issue a license if their evac procedures weren't good.

I would send my son to the best school, whether it be single story or two story.
 

amy919

New member
The ratio here is 5-1. Under 12 months is 3-1. 12-24 months is 5-1. They do seem to have a good policy in place, but I'm still not completely sold on it. Matt is definitely not sold on it. COA offers a lot of added benefits, but safety is first and foremost for me. Thanks for your opinions. Keep them coming, please!

Amy
 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
My comfort level would be based on their ability to carry out the evacuation quickly and without causing undue stress to the kids. Is there any way for you to ask head office to give you a heads-up when a drill would take place? Then, if you were happy with how it happened and the efficiency of it, you could move your kids to the new place? Or do you have to enroll them now if you're going to?

Since a lot of the kids are going to the new place, and some of the teachers are going to the new place, plus it's so much closer to home and has some extra benefits that your current place doesn't have... I honestly think I'd go with the new place as long as I was confident of the evacuation plan.

Your youngest is 17 months, so will move up to the next room in 7 months? Is there a similar evacuation plan for the 24 mo to 3yr old room? Really, you're looking at probably less than a year before your youngest would be able to physically get out of the building on his own provided he had someone to follow & direct him where to go. If the evac plan is solid, I'd go for it.
 

amy919

New member
Your youngest is 17 months, so will move up to the next room in 7 months? Is there a similar evacuation plan for the 24 mo to 3yr old room? Really, you're looking at probably less than a year before your youngest would be able to physically get out of the building on his own provided he had someone to follow & direct him where to go. If the evac plan is solid, I'd go for it.

There are 2 maybe 3 rooms that would need to follow the current plan - one 12-18 months, one 18-24 month and one for 24-30 months. Now, the 24-30 month old room would probably need less help. I imagine only a few of those kids would need to be carried down. I know that at 2 - 2 1/2, Kaylie could easily run up and down a flight of stairs. So assuming that the other two rooms are at full capacity, you're looking at a maximum of 20 kids, so you'd need 10 adults. Assuming worst case scenario, you've already got 2 teachers in each classroom, so there's 4. You've got the 2 directors, 2 maintenance workers and the bus driver, so you're at 9. If the bus driver was out of the building, you're back down to 8, but then there are the floaters - usually 4 on per day, so they've got enough staff to manage the kids.

It sounds like they have a solid plan and they have fire drills once a month. The drills come from a remote location, so no one knows when they're going to happen. They alternate times - lunch time, nap time, etc. There is also a 1-2 hour period of time per day that Teagan would already be downstairs in another room, plus another 1-2 hour period where she'd be outside.

Amy
 

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Forum statistics

Threads
219,656
Messages
2,196,896
Members
13,530
Latest member
onehitko860

You must read your carseat and vehicle owner’s manual and understand any relevant state laws. These are the rules you must follow to restrain your children safely. All opinions at Car-Seat.Org are those of the individual author for informational purposes only, and do not necessarily reflect any policy or position of Carseat Media LLC. Car-Seat.Org makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. If you are unsure about information provided to you, please visit a local certified technician. Before posting or using our website you must read and agree to our TERMS.

Graco is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Britax is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Nuna Baby is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org!

Please  Support Car-Seat.Org  with your purchases of infant, convertible, combination and boosters seats from our premier sponsors above.
Shop travel systems, strollers and baby gear from Britax, Chicco, Clek, Combi, Evenflo, First Years, Graco, Maxi-Cosi, Nuna, Safety 1st, Diono & more! ©2001-2022 Carseat Media LLC

Top