Opinions on South Mountain YMCA childcare archived

I was very happy with the Y's baby care. As we got into preschool age I wish, in retrospect, we had gone another route.

My youngest daughter was at the Y from 3 months until she left for 1st grade. I was very pleased with the whole experience. She graduated from the Y kindergarten in 2006.

Did you see Lord of Flies?

DGM, what are you implying?

As I posted on another thread, we've been at the Y three years now (since our son was 4.5 months old) and overall have been very happy with the program and the quality of care there.

We've had two kids go through with very positive experiences.

My wife and I placed our then 1 year old daughter in the S. Mountain Y in Sept. 2005, but we pulled her out and hired a nanny about a month later. We didn't think there was anything wrong with the Y - it just seemed a bit impersonal and my daughter never relaxed enough to eat and sleep properly. (I suspect that she just wasn't ready for the daycare experience - I suppose that some kids are and some aren't.) After using a nanny for a year, we placed her in St. Stephen's Preschool in Milburn. She fit in right away and still loves it.

St. Stephen's usually takes kids at 6 months. They do make exceptions and can take kids as young as 3 months if they have the space available. Their tel# is 973-376-3534. The director (Ms. Clarke) is extremely hands on. I routinely call to check on my kids (we now have our 8 month old son enrolled as well) and she provides updated information based on having seen them within the past 15 to 20 minutes (she buzzes between each classroom and monitors everything - she is quite remarkable that way). She and her staff never seem annoyed that I call 3x per week. Instead, they seem grateful when parents take an interest and show concern.

Having said that, the parents that I met whose children attended the Y with my daughter still have good things to say about the Y, so I think you and your baby will have a good experience with them.

Good luck with your search -

2 kids over 7 years at the Y. Overall we've been happy and most of all the kids have been very happy and learned a tremendous amount. 2nd kid "graduates" to public kindergarten at the end of the month!

Pros:
- Hours
- Overall communication to parents including weekly emails, fliers in mailboxes, parent association and class parents
- Kid stays with same class from infant through waddler and toddler (usually)
- Good teacher/kid ratio infant through toddler
- Good age-appropriate curriculum
- Extra-curricular classes kids can take during daycare hours (extra $ though)
- Most teachers have been there a while, know all the kids and are really good
- Lots of "events" to meet other parents...come to the Carnival this Saturday from 12-4!
- The Y summer camps can be a nice change for preschoolers while staying with their friends (and your preschool spot is held)
Cons:
- Hard to get in (get on the waiting list NOW!)
- Recent turnover in directors has been disruptive in communication (though new director seems on the ball)
- Sometimes communication about specific classroom situations isn't great (like when a teacher leaves)
- Parking especially in winter can be a hassle
- Preschool classes seem over crowded...I find the teacher/kid ratio at that age is ok, but I'd prefer fewer kids in the classroom space

Because of my daycare search angst 8 years ago I put together a list of local centers/home care facilities. So if you want more options do a search and it should come up.

Posted By: algebra2I was very happy with the Y's baby care. As we got into preschool age I wish, in retrospect, we had gone another route.

algebra2, can you tell me why you weren't happy with the pre-school program? We are moving to Maplewood and the Y would have a spot for my four-year old. TIA.

Every child is different. Many many kids were very happy there. In hindsight, I can clearly see it was too much for my son - he would have benefited from a smaller facility (or even better, from a 1/2 day at pre-school). A lot depends on the class, teacher and all that. I say take the spot - if you are moving to town you will meet lots of other parents and make a nice social circle for your child.

I agree with wendyn, with added comments:

Pro
- My kid loves being there (unlike the ECC at Emanu-El, which he truly hated, unlike Y and another we had him in up-state)
- The teachers put up with lots of idiosyncracies of the kids (and parents) and weird child-rearing philosophies
- They let the kids be kids (run around, play, have bad days)
- Rooms are a good size and have decent windows (unlike ECC - our kid never saw daylight except a few mins in a stroller)
- Lots of space for them to run around (other daycares have minimal space to run around)
- Lots of trips to local parks, etc.
- Can do 7-7 if needed (as those of us two-income families tend to)
- Lots of love and enthusiasm from teachers, only one or two bland (not-as-warm) people out of several dozen
- Flexible (need to be late occasionally? Early? Change from 5 days to 4?)
- Mixed crowd of kids and parents (ethnically, language, religion, partners work vs. stay at home, straight/gay, other nontraditional)
- Good mix of "professional" (read: long-term) caregivers and younger staff
- Clear native English spoken at all times (some daycares seem to have their caregivers speaking to each other in non-English, causing child language skills to lag)
- Great support for other programs; the Y is the "whole deal"

Cons
- (at least my kid's teachers) don't communicate well with each other - I often have to call repeatedly to get instructions passed along
- (at least my kid's teachers) don't communicate well or via day sheets with us, and since we do early dropoff and late pickup we hear so little of what's going on
- No Interet video feed (I'd love to see my kid during the day)
- Seems a bit less structured than others (might be why my kid loves it )
- Few (none?) of the caregivers seem to be able to afford to put their kids there
- Mostly black female staff (had same problem at an upstate daycare, was all white; I'd prefer a good MIX of all ethnicities and both genders, rather than mostly "anything")

Both of my kids are at the Y, and have been there since 3 months.

We've had ups & downs, but with the new director in place & a fantastic preschool teacher for my older kid, we're on a serious up.

I think it really depends on your teachers. Most of them are great, but if you get one that's a bad fit, particularly when they get to preschool, it can be difficult. I think this will be true throughout my kid's education, wherever they go.

Feel free to whisper me if you want more detail.

I started DC there a few months ago (at 3 months old) and have nothing but positives to share. We love the teachers in her classroom, as well as all other staff we have encountered. DC always seems happy to see them in the morning and the staff appear sincerely fond of her and bonded to her. The kids are kept clean, happy, and safe, imho. The hours are exactly what we need. The daily communication has been great so far, as has been any general parenting wisdom/advice they have shared. Overall, the piece of mind I have sending DC there is priceless. We consider ourselves lucky to have gotten a spot.

oakland - Everything I learned about babies I learned from our teachers in the baby room - Miss Marta, Miss Evelyn and Miss Sabrina. They are the best. My son was with them for three years and I cried that last day when we "moved up" and away from them. I recall being SO excited when my baby said "Momma" for the first time - unfortunately, we soon realized, he was saying "Marta".

:rolling: too sweet alg!!

I have not had a personal experience there but have known a few people who pulled their kids out because of the high ratio of staff to student. I had a friends son who I picked up there a number of times and the kids were all over the place and had no real structure (preschool program) the kid this year had a lot of trouble adjusting to kindergarden.
I personally cleaned some of the toys there as a volunteer a few years back and they were very very dirty (this might have changed) and the place was such a mess that I swore I would never send my kid there. I personally feel that a nanny or an at home day care is the best for small kids. They can get much more attention.
My son goes to a great one and if you want more info you can whisper me.

Again, YMMV, but I am regularly impressed by just how orderly my son's toddler class is; time after time I've walked in to find 20+ 3 year olds in a room, all sitting at their seats eating their snacks, or at circle time singing songs, or listening to the teacher read a book, or gathered around a table working on an art project. Once, when the kids were waddlers (2 years old) I was lucky enough to be working from home as the children were taking a walk through the neighborhood right past my house, everyone holding hands and walking calmly as a group. I never knew two year olds could be so well behaved -- including mine! Of course, the kids also have plenty of chances to work their sillies out, but even when they're cutting loose on the playground or in the gym or at free play, our teachers are "on". I think they're amazing.

Also, the staff to child ration at the Y are actually better than what is required by law -- significantly so at the infant and waddler levels -- but there have certainly been points in our last three years there when multiple teachers called out sick, or came in late, or had a family emergency and had to leave early, when our son's class was left temporarily understaffed. It sucked when this happened, don't get me wrong, but when you're open from 7 to 7, 52 weeks a year, it's bound to happen at some point. I also have to say that the current management seems to have a much better handle on this sort of thing now, and even with some staff turnover in my son's toddler class, we always seem to be fully teachered-up.

To add to amandacat, the ratio by law at a center is lower than the ratio by law for a home daycare. Of course that doesn't mean the center is always better for your kid. Frankly as I said in my prev post I don't think it is really the ratio of student/teacher that is an issue, I think it is the # of students in each class that can be overwhelming, particularly in preschool.

I thought about a nanny, but I prefer a center because of several reasons:
- I don't like the idea of only one person in charge with no checks and balances.
- I know people who love their nanny, and people who went through 5 nannies over 2 years because they had problems with some, some left them abruptly, or the nanny didn't meet their standards. At a center there are definitely bad apples, but you can usually rely on there being good teachers in the same class so you don't worry about the kid.
- There is a curriculum (at least at the Y), even at the infant level, to provide age-appropriate stimulation.
- The Y is almost always open, rarely suprise snow/heat closings, never sick days or personal stuff that makes you scramble for care

But obviously a kid would get more one on one interaction with a nanny (at least until #2 comes along!) and there can be a great bond between nanny/home provider and child.

As to dirt, yeah, sometimes it gets gross in a class with 25 kids. The Y recently hired a much better cleaning staff which helps, and the teachers do what they can (when not taking care of the kids!). Yeah, germs are an issue. My kids both had ear tubes at about 1 yr old, and my youngest gave her whole infant class the chicken pox (got it from Imagine That!). But frankly they have been as sick/healthy as friends' kids with SAHP. And my 1st grader hasn't had a sick day in 3 years.

Best of luck to everyone trying to find a good fit for their child. It is a difficult decision!

To add to the positive comments, both our kids (4 and 1.5) are Y kids, cared for by the incredible Ms. Margie, Ms. Shakeenah, Ms. Kathleen, Ms. Kirbee, Ms. Erma, and so so so many others. As with any child care situations, there are some challenges, but I have always been happy with our decision to go there. In addition, childcare is a huge topic of discussion among my colleagues and the general choice among them is a nanny, but when they hear the details about how much my kids have learned, the kids' best friends, and when thee see the pictures of the kids that the staff or other parents post, the colleagues are always impressed.

Another benefit is that my husband an I have been able to meet some great friends with similar interests and lifestyles through the Y. As both of us work in the city and were new to the area when our first was born, this would have been pretty difficult otherwise!

Good luck, and whichever choice you make, make sure it's the right one for you.
-L

Agree with Amandacat and Wendyn. Every childcare solution (including stay at home parenting) has benefits and drawbacks. There are good daycares, bad daycares, good nannies, bad nannies, etc. You just have to find what works best for you (and agonize over it daily).

Regarding Bookbabe's comment about pre-school structure. How much structure does a four year old need? I think free play time is a good thing for young children. And I'm sure there are plenty of children from the Y preschool who have done fine in Kindergarten.

Another happy ex-Y parent here - from the baby rooms (Ms. Margie was so awesome) all the way thru preschool - the experience was positive and when issues did arise the staff/administration was responsive and supportive. Also, we had NO issues transitioning into kindergarten - in fact the preschool teachers worked with the kids to prepare them for a new school. One of the benefits that I didn't anticipate was the fact that the kids continue to know so, so many kids from all around our towns - we bump into Y kids everywhere (sports, town events, other activities). As other posters have stated, there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to child care but the Y sure worked for us!

Another happy ex-Y parent! Miss Jean was the best!

Our daughter's last day at the Y kindergarten will be tomorrow as her camp starts on Monday. This was her 4th year. One year wasn't so great but overall the experience has been positive. It becomes like one big family as the kids go through the years together. You can see this at the pool a lot when it becomes one big play date.

Incidentally, the Miss Marta/Miss Evelyn team will be starting with a baby class in the fall, so your child could potentially be with them for 3 years...