Daycare Drama

We've had some major daycare drama these last few days. Of course, there was the Easter Party fiasco... but even before that, we've been very dissatisfied with Katie Anne's school.

The school changed ownership over a year ago, and the new owner (the previous owner's daughter) assured parents that there would be many new and exciting changes. Many of the things they talked about, including new toys for many classrooms, upgraded equipment on the toddler playground, webcam views into the classrooms, upgraded security measures including a computer for sign in/sign out, and the ability to pay with credit or debit card ... none of these happened. Instead, the director is around less and less, and the not-so-friendly front desk staff are also frequently MIA. The toddler playground is so run down and nasty, the toys in Katie Anne's room are almost nonexistent - and what are there are broken, dirty, and old - and the class size is steadily increasing.

However, Ms. Amanda was still a great teacher, so we decided to leave Katie Anne at the school until this year ended (she wouldn't be in Ms. Amanda's class next year). Then, when school started in August, we'd send her somewhere else. We'd started looking and touring preschools, church schools, and other daycares about three weeks ago, and luckily we'd found a great place for her last week.

Well, lots has transpired in the last week and a half. First, Ms. Amanda hasn't been back since the Friday before Mother's Day. Then, Katie Anne had three major accidents last week while under the sub's care. When I signed the third accident report last week, I mentioned to the sub that it sure was a lot of accidents in one week. She assured me that she was watching the kids, and she felt bad that Katie Anne had so many ... Katie Anne's was just one upon a stack of them waiting for parents to sign last Thursday. However, Katie Anne got great reports from the sub on Friday and Monday.

Then, I hear yesterday from another parent that Katie Anne and another kid exchanged blows on Monday - something the sub failed to mention to me, but the other kid's mom had to sign an accident report. Guess the sub didn't want to give me another report after I'd said three in one week was quite a lot, even though I clearly should've been told when I picked her up. Plus, the sub told the other parent straight out that Katie Anne was the other kid in the fight (a complete violation of state regulated privacy policies). Then, when I confronted the sub on the whole fight incident, she denied it and denied it... until I told her that the other parent had told me. Then, she downplayed it, said it really wasn't that big of a deal, and swore that she hadn't told the other parent Katie Anne's name ... hmmm. Makes me worry about how many other incidents have occurred that weren't "that big of a deal" since I complained last Thursday.

The cherry on top of this particularly not-so-nice sundae is that we heard yesterday that one of the two buildings owned by KA's school was foreclosed on last week, as well as the director's personal residence.

Needless to say, we were not taking Katie Anne back to that school, even for the week and a half left until summer. Luckily, Saunders called the school we'd wanted to take her to in the fall, and they were able to take her today!

So, yesterday afternoon, Katie Anne and I ran some paperwork out to her new school, and she got another chance to play on the playground, meet her teachers, and get used to the idea. She cried desperately to stay when we had to leave! This morning, she woke up at 5:45 am, ready to go to her new school. She was so upset when we told her it wasn't open that early! When, finally at 6:45, I told her it was time to leave, she spun around in a circle, stomping, waving her arms, and yelling, "I go my new schoo! I go my new schoo!" She was beyond thrilled, talking all the way there about playing with the baby dolls, playing on the playground, and playing with "Chuckie" (who I figured out was really a girl named Chauncey). When I dropped her off, not a tear was shed... she went right to her new teacher, and they were checking out the baby dolls when I left! She had a great day, took a great nap, had a blast... what a smooth transition! We're so glad it all worked out the way it did. And, check out this beautiful playground... the horrible playground KA left behind doesn't even compare.