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The decision to go with an in-home daycare versus a larger daycare center is a difficult one to make. I am going to break down some differences for you today.
Our daughter has attended daycare at a large church facility for about a year now. They have many classrooms broken down by age groups.
I grew up with a mom who ran an in-home daycare. Just to be clear not all of my comments regarding in-home daycares will be a direct reflection of the daycare my mom previously ran. I do have some insight into the pros and cons though.
I have also come to realize with both daycare styles things I consider pros can actually be cons and vice versa. Once you are really into something you can start to see it differently.
Hopefully, my experiences will help you in making your daycare decisions.
Other Children at Daycare
Your child is going to be around other children in both daycare settings. In both settings, children can come and go as family situations change.
With an in-home daycare, there is more consistency in who your child spends time with. Say they go into daycare at 1 or 2 years old. They will likely stay with the same group of little kids until they go to kindergarten. The older kids will move on sooner and be replaced by younger children coming in to fill the spots.
This turnover for the most part is typically slow.
At a large daycare center, there will be separate classrooms. Your child will more frequently see children moving up to the next class and younger children moving up to fill the positions. They will however then move up and be reunited with kids they previously knew.
It is a constant cycle.
With an in-home daycare, your child will more likely be exposed to children of different ages, while a large facility will typically have classrooms with very similar ages.
The variety or lack of variety can be both a pro and con.
Kids of different ages can model actions for your child. This can encourage them to try new things, but also be bad influences with undesirable behaviors.
It may be difficult to do advanced activities like play-doh if your child is four but the rest of the children are more like 2 or 3 years old. This would be a con of the in-home daycare.
With the large daycare center, the children are all the same ages and therefore the room can be specifically tailored to where they are developmentally. I see where this can be very helpful for meeting your child’s needs.
There are pros and cons to being with children of varying or similar ages. Think about what you are most comfortable with for your child.
Food Served at Daycare
Anyone that is caring for children should do their best to offer a wide variety of healthy foods.
Large daycare centers though are going to be more regulated.
In-home daycares can do what they would like.
Both options may provide food or require you to pack food daily. They may also provide or not provide snacks.
The large daycare center is more likely to have a monthly menu. You will know what your child is eating in advance. An in-home daycare could do something similar but is less likely to do so.
Your child could also get better variety at a large center.
For example, my mom would buy strawberries one week because they were on sale. That week the children ate strawberries multiple times at meals and snacks. The next week it could be something different.
Another thing to consider is food allergies. Our daughter has struggled with dairy and eggs. An in-home daycare may not have the same structures surrounding food safety. However, just about any large daycare center will ban all peanut products for allergy safety.
An in-home daycare will likely only make food limitations off of a few children. The large center has to consider safety throughout all the classes.
In the 25 years of my mom’s in-home daycare she never had a peanut-free child and therefore never had to remove it from the foods she served.
Fewer children mean fewer food restrictions.
Restrictions/Rules at Daycare
Either daycare option will come with rules and regulations. The large daycare center is more likely to have a contract where you see what they expect from you and what you can expect from them.
If you go with the in-home option make sure to ask lots of questions in this area.
For example, I just touched a lot on food and the different rules surrounding that.
Other things to consider are what you must provide such as diapers and wipes.
You need to know about holidays and vacation time. When will the daycare be closed and open?
How do they handle sick days?
I believe often the large daycare center will come with more rules that are more clearly stated. This can be a pro or a con depending on how you see it.
Facility/Rooms
With an in-home daycare, the rooms and general scenery will stay the same for the most part. When the weather is good they will go outside and when it is poor stay inside. Overall though, they are in the same place.
A large daycare center may have more areas for rotation. Our daycare, for example, has an outdoor playground, a full-size gym, and then another room for indoor play that has a bounce house.
Every year or so our daughter moves up to the next room. In general, the rooms are similar in style, but there are little changes that occur. Her current room has a bathroom for potty training, while her previous room did not.
They also get larger seats at the table and more advanced toys. Just having exposure to “new” or different toys each year is beneficial.
Caregivers/Teachers at Daycare
At an in-home daycare, your child will be spending all of their time with the same primary caregiver. I have known certain in-home daycares to have helpers that come in.
This can be a pro and a con. If your daycare provider is ill they have to close, possibly on short notice.
Your child will have consistency though. You will form a strong relationship with the babysitter.
With a large daycare center, they will have certain teachers and caregivers while in a specific class. Once they move up it is a completely fresh introduction. This is good and bad. Your child may have been a terrible two-year-old but is doing quite well as a four-year-old. A fresh start could be good for them.
With the larger daycare, the teacher could be out for the day sick or on vacation and the room is covered by a sub. Some parents would view this as awesome because it means they are less likely to miss work. Others would not like the inconsistency in knowing exactly who is caring for their child.
The in-home daycare will result in a stronger attachment for your child, while the large center will force them to adapt and grow to their changing environments.
You may also have a teacher you love one year and then don’t vibe as well with the next. This can be difficult to adjust to as well.
One fear I had with the in-home daycare was if the single caregiver didn’t vibe well with our child. What if they simply didn’t like them?! I don’t know why this was such a worry, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of fear.
With the different styles of daycares, you need to also consider the ratio of caregivers to children. An in-home daycare should in most areas be 5 children to one adult.
Our daycare has a ratio of 4 children to one adult I believe if they are under a year or maybe 2 years. The class of two-year-olds is 5 children to one adult.
Do you prefer the in-home where it is 5 little kids with the one same adult all day? Or would you rather have 10 little kids to 2 adults, or maybe even 15 kids to 3 adults?
I am sure different areas have different rules and regulations here. These are just broad examples to think about.
Size of Daycare
A huge comparison between an in-home daycare versus a large daycare facility is the size of everything. The size of the playrooms and play spaces will vary. The number of children and caregivers overall greatly depends on the location.
One thing I didn’t realize but was brought to life by the pandemic was that sickness can take longer to go through a large daycare and can happen more often.
During the pandemic, an in-home daycare means running into 5 or so families.
The large daycare could have exposure to up to hundreds of families.
Sickness is going to happen regardless of which style of daycare you choose.
A smaller daycare will likely get through the sickness all at once rather than spreading it out.
Another thing we did not expect was how crazy it can get during peak drop-off and pickup times. A large daycare has this element you might not find with small in-home daycares.
Activities
Activities, crafts, and projects are very dependent on individual caregivers. Some people are great at crafts and some are not!
When it comes to an in-home daycare you are likely stuck with the one care provider and therefore it very much depends on that individual.
With the large daycare, your child may have different caregivers over time which could mean more crafts in some phases and less in others.
TV is another area to think about. The in-home daycare may allow more TV time than you would like. With the large daycare, it is probably more regulated to specific times only.
The large daycare may have more locations for play such as a gym and outdoor playground. The in-home may have a large basement area and may also have an outdoor play area.
Some in-home daycares will also go on outings during the day. This is an opportunity you likely would not have with a large facility.
When making your daycare decision, think about the activities and opportunities each daycare style would offer and provide.
Safety and Structure
With each daycare safety is important.
A large facility may require basic first aid and CPR training. At an in-home daycare, this of course is important, but not necessarily a requirement.
You should also know the policies as far as pick up and drop off.
With the in-home daycare, they are going to know you very personally. They will also get to know those who regularly pick up your child, such as grandparents.
With the large daycare center, you are going to find things like door key fobs and such for security measures.
However, the large facility can feel less safe with how many parents are going in and out as well as the fact your child could be with a substitute teacher who doesn’t know you as well.
Large daycares are also very obviously a daycare. They could be targeted. An in-home is less obvious.
Another consideration with in-home daycares is who else is in the house. When my mom ran a daycare I interacted with the children daily, and so did my siblings and father. If grandpa came into town he would spend time with the kids too. They called him papaw just like we did.
It was a very family-friendly atmosphere. Not all in-home daycares are like this. Some keep the children very segregated in the basement area for example.
This can also be seen as a positive or negative. The children got extra attention from all the various family members. I braided the little girls’ hair almost daily. I would help out the parents by cutting any long fingernails. These kiddos got so much love from everyone.
Just consider who could be interacting with your child and what you are comfortable with.
Costs of Daycare
An in-home daycare is typically going to be more affordable. They are not paying to run a huge facility. They are not covering multiple salaries, stocking multiple classrooms, and running a large building.
The large daycare center is going to have more costs which equate to higher tuition in general.
When it comes to cost ask questions about paying for sick days and vacation days and what those policies look like. Consider also holidays.
At an in-home daycare, you might pay if your child is sick, but you might not pay if the provider is sick and cancels last minute.
Know your rates going in so there are no surprises.
Conclusion
Choosing the right daycare setting for your family and your child can be very difficult. I hope these thoughts and areas have given you things to think about and discuss.
It is important to know your priorities and what is a deal-breaker for you. You are not going to find the perfect situation. Think about what matters most first.
I have linked below a few more articles related to selecting a daycare. Grab a notebook and pen and make your way through them jotting down questions and thoughts along the way.
Good Luck to You!
Check Out My Articles
The Top 7 Things to Consider Before Choosing a Daycare for Your Child
Smooth Transitions: How to Get Your Child Prepared for Daycare Success
How to Know if You are Ready to Send Your Child to Daycare
