by: jannalabarriePosted on:

7 Perfectly Valid Reasons To Switch Childcare Providers

Hey mama. If you’re thinking about switching daycare providers but you’re wondering if you’re “overthinking” things, this one’s for you. 

Parents switch daycares for many reasons. Some of them are big no-brainers – neglect, safety issues, excessive turnover, bad staff, etc. – but some aren’t that obvious. 

Maybe the drive is too long, or your child is doing okay but could be doing better, or you just have a feeling in your gut that it’s time to move on.

Whatever the case, just know that your reasoning is perfectly valid. Moms have a sixth sense about their kids, and we’re usually right even if we can’t figure out exactly why. 

So don’t worry, you’re not being “dramatic” or “doing too much” if your child is fine where they are, but you’re still thinking about finding a new childcare arrangement. You’re being a mom. 

Here are some of the reasons parents consider switching childcare providers.

 

1. The curriculum isn’t good enough 

A childcare provider or facility may offer safe, nurturing care on the one hand, but on the other hand, may not be providing the intellectual stimulation your child needs. 

Although switching providers can be a hard decision in this case, it’s completely justifiable. Children should have the chance to do developmentally appropriate and engaging activities with their childcare providers. It’s important for their growth and development, and it helps prepare them for kindergarten. 

So yes, the curriculum does matter. If it’s important to you that your child is in a setting with a strong curriculum or that follows a particular early education philosophy, it’s worth looking into other options even if they’re doing just fine where they are. 

2. Your child has outgrown the program 

Moms know our kids. We know when they’re being challenged, when they’re bored, or when they’ve outgrown something. 

Maybe your child isn’t interested in the activities they’re doing in their current setting. Maybe the teacher only sticks to their daily pre-planned activities and doesn’t allow for individualized learning, even though your child is clearly bored and wanting more. 

If that’s the case, it’s possible they’ve outgrown the environment, and it may be time to consider making a change to a more stimulating one. 

3. Cost doesn’t match quality

With childcare being the ridiculously expensive investment that it is, it’s perfectly within reason for us to expect a certain standard of care. 

Basically, if your current childcare provider is costing you a 2026 Mercedes Benz but you’re getting a 1999 Honda (no offense to Hondas, I drive one – super reliable car I might add), it may be time to reconsider. 

So how do we assess the value of a childcare provider or facility? It’s all about quality. High-quality childcare programs have the following characteristics: 

  1. Children are exposed to healthy, positive interactions with teachers who are warm, engaging, and responsive to their needs.
  2. Children have access to a learning space in which they can explore their physical environment in a developmentally appropriate and safe way (appropriate toys, pretend play sets, puzzles etc.), as well as the opportunity for safe outdoor play time and interacting with nature.
  3. There is good administrative and program support (good leadership, adequate funding, trained teachers, low turnover rate, low staff to child ratio etc). 

4. Your gut is telling you it’s time 

Remember that sixth sense moms have that we were talking about earlier? Yeah, you should listen to that. That powerful sense knows things we don’t. 

As it turns out, there is actual research to support the existence of this magical sixth sense, at least in the first six years of a child’s life. I won’t get too much into the weeds, but basically, pregnancy rewires our brains and increases activity in a specific part of the brain that’s responsible for detecting threats and emotional processing. 

Essentially, we become hyper-protective and hyper-aware of our children’s needs. Over time, that increased awareness towards our children allows us to learn their behaviors like the backs of our hands, and we just seem to ‘know’ things about them.   

So that gut feeling/ instinct/ sixth sense? It’s real, and it helps us to protect and care for our children.

If you have a feeling that your child would be better off changing to a new childcare environment, even if there isn’t an obvious reason you can think of, it’s a good reason to look for an alternative.

5. Quality of life reasons 

As working moms, we should never underestimate the massive difference lifestyle changes can make on our quality of life. We should also never underestimate how important quality of life actually is, especially for working moms.

If switching our kids to a different childcare setting means the drive is thirty minutes shorter or the cost is a few hundred dollars less per month, it’s worth considering if the quality of childcare is still good. That extra time and money can go a long way!

6. You found a better option

Just because your child is in an environment that’s good enough, it doesn’t mean you can’t search for better. If a better, higher-quality childcare program becomes an option, that’s a pretty good reason to make a change.

Consider this scenario. You didn’t get a spot before at your top childcare choice and you’ve now enrolled your child somewhere else. Unexpectedly, you get a call that there’s now a spot available for your child at your first choice facility. The thing is, your child is already adapted and they are happy where they’re at. Do you consider making the switch?

Whether you change providers or not, just know that switching to better childcare is a perfectly valid reason to change providers. Yes, there will be an adjustment period, and yes, your child may take a while to make new friends and get to know their teachers, but it will happen.

If you think the new environment will be better for your child in the long run, it’s worth considering. 

7. Persistent communication issues with caregivers or staff 

When we finally pick up our kids after a long day at work, we usually want to hear a little bit from their teachers about how their day went.

We’re not looking for a thirty-minute conversation, but a line or two to let us know how our kids fared for the eight-or-so hours they were in their care. Yes, we know we can see it in the app, but we want to hear it from them. Pictures can only tell us so much.

Teacher communication really makes a difference for me. Oh, my son was really into the solar system activities today? I’ll get him a puzzle of the planets to work on at home. He really enjoyed reading about growing and making food? Let’s look for some toddler cooking classes he might enjoy doing. The information I get from his teachers helps me to parent him better.

If your child’s teachers are consistently reluctant to share information or seem bothered by you asking about your kids, that’s a valid reason to start looking for another childcare provider. 

Sometimes, these issues can be resolved by speaking with the person in charge or director, or by developing a relationship with the teachers. But if it keeps happening, even after making an effort on your part, it’s may be time to start looking at other options.

Most of us don’t take switching childcare providers lightly, for obvious reasons – it’s a big change for our kids, and we just don’t know what we’re going to get in a new setting. There’s a lot of uncertainty, which can make it uncomfortable to think about.

Nonetheless, there are many perfectly valid reasons to switch to a new childcare setting, even if they’re not ‘serious’ reasons or if your child is fine where they are. Ultimately, if it’s going to be better for you or your family in the long run, it’s always worth considering.

Sources

Workman, Simon, and Rebecca Ullrich. “Quality 101: Identifying the Core Components of a High-Quality Early Childhood Program.” Center for American Progress, 2017,www.americanprogress.org/article/quality-101-identifying-the-core-components-of-a-high-quality-early-childhood-program/. 

Martínez-García, Magdalena, et al. “Do Pregnancy-Induced Brain Changes Reverse? The Brain of a Mother Six Years after Parturition.” Brain Sciences, vol. 11, no. 2, 28 Jan. 2021, p. 168, https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11020168. Accessed 9 June 2021.

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