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I think camera feeds aren't as useful as the sales brochure makes them out to be. Do you really have time during your workday to look at a webcam feed of the classroom? Even if it's just on in the corner how useful is it going to be when it covers the entire classroom and you need to scrutinize the shot to see which one's your kid?
I want to trust my daycare provider in the first place so I don't have to watch them all day and check up on them. Do you put out a nannycam when you get a babysitter or just hire the right sitter? The camera feeds didn't help prevent baby fight club, it was their cell phone videos that got them in trouble.
I agree. My daughter's daycare, when she went to one, had cameras but the coverage was poor (didn't cover the entire room) and the quality was grainy. At times, if I don't know what colors my daughter was wearing, I couldn't even figure her in a class of 10+ kids. The cameras do help to understand what activity is being done at the moment, circle-time, gym or napping, but not useful at all to monitor a specific kid's activities.
Thank you so much for this detailed information. And no this center does not have the camera feed, that was one of the reasons I was leaning towards Lightbridge because they do have the cameras... Do you think all BH have the same policy?
As other posters mentioned, the camera is not so useful once you and your child are used to the center. Maybe once in a while, you miss your child at work and you sneak a peek and smile when you see the top of his head in the video feed.
However, it is pretty useful during the transition period, which may last a few days to months depending on the child. For example, when my son started going to his current daycare, he was bawling for a month. There were no cameras. I didn't want to leave in the mornings because I didn't know how long he would cry and scream for or what the teachers were doing to acclimate him (which ended up being not much, they were waiting for him to tough it out), but if he even saw a strand of my hair from the hallway window, he'd start up again. It was tough. I'd much rather there be a feed so I could see how he was handling the new environment and maybe have some suggestions for the teachers to help him. Also, it's a wonderful thing to see progress in your child, e.g. he was crying for an hour and now he's doing better after 30 minutes, etc.
Other things a camera is useful for is whether the class is actually following its schedule. Bc our daycare now doesn't have a camera, it took several parents different pick up times to realize that the school was deflating the TV times. TV time is suppose to only be 5pm to 6pm. However, I've seen them start as early as 4:35, which on the schedule is free play time. When I asked the teachers, they always reply, oh we just turned it on. For infants, I would be curious to see how much time the babies were spending in jumperoos and walkers, since those are toys with pediatrician recommended time restrictions (for proper leg and knee development). The director and teacher may tell you one thing, but seeing it yourself consistently is another.
Other things a camera is useful for is whether the class is actually following its schedule. Bc our daycare now doesn't have a camera, it took several parents different pick up times to realize that the school was deflating the TV times. TV time is suppose to only be 5pm to 6pm. However, I've seen them start as early as 4:35, which on the schedule is free play time. When I asked the teachers, they always reply, oh we just turned it on. For infants, I would be curious to see how much time the babies were spending in jumperoos and walkers, since those are toys with pediatrician recommended time restrictions (for proper leg and knee development). The director and teacher may tell you one thing, but seeing it yourself consistently is another.
Hope that helps!
TV time, really? And you actually pay for that? I would not leave my child in a day care that has a TV. There would be too much temptation for staff to turn it on and do nothing. Our current Day Care does not have TV. They have a CD/MP3 audio player and they sometimes put audio books for kids. That I have no problem with.
The BH Centre in Fishkill NY I think did not have a TV either, I am pretty sure. At least not in the area where my son was.
TV time, really? And you actually pay for that? I would not leave my child in a day care that has a TV. There would be too much temptation for staff to turn it on and do nothing. Our current Day Care does not have TV. They have a CD/MP3 audio player and they sometimes put audio books for kids. That I have no problem with.
The BH Centre in Fishkill NY I think did not have a TV either, I am pretty sure. At least not in the area where my son was.
Well, during the hours that most kids are there, 9am to 4:30pm in our case, the day is structured for various learning and social activities. However, during morning drop off and evening pick up hours, what do you expect the teachers to do? If less than half the class is there, you expect the teachers to still be teaching the ABC's and singing nursery songs? Come on... I wouldn't be surprised if even the OP's two daycare locations did TV time outside of learning hours.
I can tell you what happens at pretty much every daycare I visited (Jersey City)--a few classes close in age classes get merged together so some teachers can go home or the kids watch TV in their own classrooms or they all go to a special TV room. You didn't expect the school to pay ALL their teachers overtime every day did you? All the schools stagger headcount through the day, shifting schedules by an hour or two for good coverage.
The alternative to no TV during those times would be the kids run wild in their classrooms which has bigger risk for accidents to happen since teachers are often getting each child's jacket and bookbag when parents arrive and may speak to the parents for a minute or so and cannot be as attentive to the kids.
I'm not happy that my son watches up to an hour of TV a day at school but I understand why it's done and in a good structured classroom, I'm ok with it.
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For infants, I would be curious to see how much time the babies were spending in jumperoos and walkers, since those are toys with pediatrician recommended time restrictions (for proper leg and knee development). The director and teacher may tell you one thing, but seeing it yourself consistently is another.
