Who Cares About Day Care?

I do. I think.

The choices Du Jour are:

A) Fancy: Northeast Stars Montessori is located on Capitol Hill and serves mostly this professional population. Located in the basement of a Baptist church, it certainly doesn't look fancy. Little natural light, no outdoorspace, only two small classrooms. But a 30 minute observation proves that this is pedigree montessori. The children are quiet, focused. Each is working according to their own preference and strengths. They make choices. They work independently or in pairs. It's nothing short of miraculous. The teacher, Ms. Basir, is warm and professional. The children will work on their little trays for two hours, then continue with another activity (spanish, tae kwon do, etc.), lunch. rest, outdoor time... The quality of this education is definitely in the methodology and the educators. I would pay for that. To the tune of $320 + per week? More than Jasper and Josie's daycare combined last year.

B) Not so Fancy: The Geneva Ivey Day School is located less than a mile from our house right on my way to work in a big, beautiful brick building. The classrooms are large with big windows. They are filled with toys, the alphabet, books, animals (bunnies, chickens, guniea pigs, lizards, fish, etc.). I have yet to see the kids and teachers in action (they were outside for the hour that I visited with the director, Mr. Love... Yes, that's his name.), but I went to a PTA meeting last night at Mr. Love's suggestion. There are going to be lots of "changes" this year. They were established last year and are in the process of becoming accredited. There is a new director, an administrative assistant, new teachers, and a lot more kids. A lot of unknowns. It has a distinctively "public school" feel (the new director was a principal in PG County for 42 years), but it is clear they really want to build something good. There were many parents there, about half African American and half Latino, who seemed professional, involved, engaged. To the tune of $160 per week, I think I am willing to take the risk. Am I favoring convenience and affordability over early childhood education for my child? Perhaps, but I feel it is worth a shot. As long as Josie is happy, safe and learning, I think she'll be okay. As long as we can pay the bills and get to work on time, I think we'll all be okay. Geneva Ivey Day could be the happy medium. I ran in to Mr. Love at our local cafe last night and I told him to sign us up. He said, "Welcome to the community."