Please Suggest Alternatives (Ridgeland, Madison: day care, home, income)

[4sarad]

I live in Madison and work in Ridgeland. I have a son who is a little under two years old, and he has been spending his days at Wee Care in Ridgeland. I'm tired of seeing him spend most of his day either wandering around aimlessly or being restricted in his high chair. I think there are too many toddlers for each teacher and he is really not getting the attention he needs. I'm not from this area and am having a hard time finding alternatives. Can you please suggest some options? Also, we are not a religious family and it makes me a little nervous sending him to a church daycare. I'm not completely opposed to it, I just don't want to continuously be asked to join a church each day. Thank you for any advice you can give!

[JacksonPanther]

The best answer would be for you or your wife to stay home with your child during these formative years. I always thought it was folly to expect a stranger to care about your child as much as you do - for them it's a job, and these are not their kids. With a stay-at-home parent you can raise and teach your kids to your standards, not the standards of some day care center. The thought of some stranger spending 9 hours per day with my toddler freaked out me and my wife.

If you're a single parent then I understand your frustration. If there are 2 working parents however, my recommendation would be to sacrifice some income for a few years.

[covedweller]

I don't know of anyone with kids who attend church run daycares in the area who has ever said they have been hounded to join the church, even once, much less daily. Most of the ones I know of in the area are run by larger churches, and they tend to be run more like a business. Members tend to get priority on waiting lists, but that is understandable.