Jay Getfield wrote:Can anyone recommend some daycare facilities in Concord (Dufferin and Rutherford) or nearby areas.  I have twin sons and I return to work in November.  I would like some advise or recommendation on quality caring daycare centres (and possibly home daycares as a second choice).

Hi there,

I unfortunately don't have any recommendations for your area, but having worked in several daycares in the past, I know that there is a waiting list and you may not be able to get into one on short notice (especially with 2 children).  Have you spoken with any yet?

A good question to ask when you're visiting a daycare is to see if they will let you observe for an hour or two and pop back in unannounced during the day (it's a good indication of how clean the facility is and how they're taking care of the children).  There should be at least one teacher to every 8 students (at least that's what the law was when I worked in one about 10 years ago).  I don't know how old your twins are, but if they need diaper changing, you'll have to ask what the policy is at the daycare.  Many are not allowed or do not wish to change diapers since there are laws regarding "touching" children.  At the daycares I worked at, you were not allowed to go into the bathroom with the children (the sink was outside the room so that you could help wash their hands).  So those daycares were for 3 years and up.  Also, many daycares now have streaming video where you can login to a password-protected website and see your kids at any time.

Hopefully, someone else will be able to reply with a direct recommendation.  I don't plan on putting my daughter in daycare so I haven't looked recently at any lists.  Good luck!

Jay Getfield wrote:Can anyone recommend some daycare facilities in Concord (Dufferin and Rutherford) or nearby areas.  I have twin sons and I return to work in November.  I would like some advise or recommendation on quality caring daycare centres (and possibly home daycares as a second choice).

Hi, there
My daughter goes to Thornhill Woods Daycare at Highway 7 and Langstaff.  E-mail me for the address if you need it.

An interesting concept in place a this daycare is that your child stays with the same group and (more often than not) the same staff. This means that when your twins move from the infant room to the toddler room, the keep the same friends, and they don't have to transition to a new nanny/teacher.

She has been there for just over a year now, and I have been overall, quite happy with the quality of care that she's receiving. The owner's name is Joy and and she has a good reputation among her clients and former clients (apparently, she used to run a home daycare with her mom for many years).
You can speak to me directly (I can give you my number if you e-mail me) if you wish to discuss specifics.

I'm not sure what you are looking for in a daycare. I've posted a few of the things that are important to me in a previous blog post: "Daycare or Nanny" http://lifewithababy.com/Blog?mode=PostView&bmi=117251

Thornhill Woods Daycare certainly wasn't perfect when I first put Naomi in as they had just opened but one thing for certain, the people truly, truly cared for her well-being. The owner and her mom were hands-on and made sure Naomi was constantly comforted during the first heart-wrenching few days when she was transitioning and was crying a lot. They personally many of the nannies/caregivers they hire and I'm told Joy even checks facebook profiles. As well, they have a lot of "extra" staff and so the children-to-caregiver ratios are higher than most places.

Hope this helps. Let us know how it works out.

Joanna

Hi Jay,

Upper Canada Child Centre has two locations in Thornhill that has infant program (up to 18 months). There is Butternut on Bathurst and New Westminster and Lyndhurst near Leslie and John. (Debbi posted the website address)   I'll be sending my daughter to Butternut starting December but there is a waiting list, but I heard from another mom that Lyndhurst has openings.

Thornhill Woods Daycare on Hwy 7 and Langstaff starts from 16 months old as I was told.

I was also looking into Wee Program which is home daycare and I've heard a lot of good things about it.  If you are looking for spots in November, it will probably be easier to find a home daycare.

Good luck Jay!

Julia