Jessica was born in late June 2009. My wife and I are both teachers, so Jessica being born in the summer was perfect! I was in graduate school at the time, but one of my favorite professors advised me to take one summer session off. I'm glad I did! I was able to bond with Jessica in a way that I never knew was possible. My love for her grew exponentially!
My wife was going to return to teaching in August, so we needed child care. I asked my wife to look into various daycares in the area, and let me know which places were the top three. We visited those daycares together and finally picked one; bonus - it was near her workplace! Unfortunately, we were only there for a short time as we felt it was not the right fit. Trust your instincts! Be prepared to walk way. We would later learn that the daycare went out of business.
The search for a daycare was on and we chose Grandma's Daycare (5507 Sugar Rd., Edinburg, TX 78539). One of my wife's coworkers recommended this daycare. We toured the facility, asked about the curriculum, security, and carefully observed the teachers and administration. At that time, Grandma's Daycare literally had "Grandma" working there. I loved her interaction with my daughter and she even called Jessica "Mi Cielo." "Mi Cielo" translates to "My Heaven," but "My Angel/Love/Sweetheart" is more appropriate. We liked Grandma's Daycare so much that Jaden also attended when she was born in 2011.
About the time Jaden was able to walk, we decided to move our daughters to St. Paul Lutheran Childcare (300 W. Pecan Blvd., McAllen, TX 78501). The main reason we switched was due to my employment with St. Paul. It was very convenient having my girls in the same facility in which I worked. Another important change for us was that our girls would be learning about God every day. Our daughters definitely benefited from a curriculum that prepared them for formal schooling!
In an effort to provide the most current information, I've asked my family and friends to share recent experiences:
Lizette G.
"When looking for childcare I felt overwhelmed because there are so many choices but more importantly I was highly critical when visiting these places. I visited so many different locations of every size because I felt it was important. I was looking for a place that was nurturing where my son was not going to be “just a number.” I knew that placing him in a center meant lots of visits to the doctor and it was likely he would be in a room with a person who was overwhelmed with the amount of children they had to look after. We chose to place him in a home daycare. This was a long process as well because we had to find the right fit. I started by searching on the department of health’s website and checked for daycares that were registered. I looked at all of their reports and demerits received. Then I narrowed the search from there and began visiting these homes. I knew immediately when I walked in which Home felt right. We chose a woman who had been caring for children for 25 years and partnered with UTSA and their bilingual department. She provided school for the children and all the different cultural activities. On the very first visit my son went straight for her arms and didn’t cry once, that’s when I knew we were at the right place. Child care is one of the most stressful decisions I’ve made."
Randall M.
"I live in Corpus Christi, TX. We got very lucky and our babysitter is our next door neighbor. She has a licensed daycare facility a few miles away. We have had absolutely no issues in the year that we have had her enrolled there. Our daughter is only 17 months old. We read a bunch of reviews and complaints to the state about the various day cares here in town. The stories on there will scare you off from putting a kid in daycare."
Erin K.
"St. Matthew's Episcopal School (2620 Crestview Dr., Edinburg, TX 78539). I love it because it has an awesome curriculum, family vibe, and strong roots in Christianity."
Cynthia F.
"Learning Journey, there are three locations and in ranking order 1. Trenton and Jackson location 2. Trenton and McColl location 3. University location behind UTRGV. We are currently enrolled at Trenton and Jackson (4770 S. Jackson Rd., Edinburg, TX) and they have a built in curriculum to prepare for elementary, a lot of hands on activities as well. I was originally thinking of enrolling Renzo at a Montessori school down the street, but Learning Journey actually exceeded what my thoughts were in the Montessori, plus it was a lot more affordable. I appreciate the combination of academic and free play Learning Journey offered, I’m combining the “unschooled method”of parenting in the early years with Renzo.
We were also at Grandma’s Daycare which had a proper child to teacher ratio, however I didn’t agree with their meal plans so it was a big deal breaker for me. I highly recommend how often they change their meal plans, if they are under the state program, etc. also know what’s allowed by the state, I thought surely it would never be allowed to feed young children Ramen from the packages, I mean the salt content alone is insane. However when I reached out to the state office in Edinburg I found out it was allowed. So do your research."
Please share your comments below.
My wife was going to return to teaching in August, so we needed child care. I asked my wife to look into various daycares in the area, and let me know which places were the top three. We visited those daycares together and finally picked one; bonus - it was near her workplace! Unfortunately, we were only there for a short time as we felt it was not the right fit. Trust your instincts! Be prepared to walk way. We would later learn that the daycare went out of business.
The search for a daycare was on and we chose Grandma's Daycare (5507 Sugar Rd., Edinburg, TX 78539). One of my wife's coworkers recommended this daycare. We toured the facility, asked about the curriculum, security, and carefully observed the teachers and administration. At that time, Grandma's Daycare literally had "Grandma" working there. I loved her interaction with my daughter and she even called Jessica "Mi Cielo." "Mi Cielo" translates to "My Heaven," but "My Angel/Love/Sweetheart" is more appropriate. We liked Grandma's Daycare so much that Jaden also attended when she was born in 2011.
About the time Jaden was able to walk, we decided to move our daughters to St. Paul Lutheran Childcare (300 W. Pecan Blvd., McAllen, TX 78501). The main reason we switched was due to my employment with St. Paul. It was very convenient having my girls in the same facility in which I worked. Another important change for us was that our girls would be learning about God every day. Our daughters definitely benefited from a curriculum that prepared them for formal schooling!
In an effort to provide the most current information, I've asked my family and friends to share recent experiences:
Lizette G.
"When looking for childcare I felt overwhelmed because there are so many choices but more importantly I was highly critical when visiting these places. I visited so many different locations of every size because I felt it was important. I was looking for a place that was nurturing where my son was not going to be “just a number.” I knew that placing him in a center meant lots of visits to the doctor and it was likely he would be in a room with a person who was overwhelmed with the amount of children they had to look after. We chose to place him in a home daycare. This was a long process as well because we had to find the right fit. I started by searching on the department of health’s website and checked for daycares that were registered. I looked at all of their reports and demerits received. Then I narrowed the search from there and began visiting these homes. I knew immediately when I walked in which Home felt right. We chose a woman who had been caring for children for 25 years and partnered with UTSA and their bilingual department. She provided school for the children and all the different cultural activities. On the very first visit my son went straight for her arms and didn’t cry once, that’s when I knew we were at the right place. Child care is one of the most stressful decisions I’ve made."
Randall M.
"I live in Corpus Christi, TX. We got very lucky and our babysitter is our next door neighbor. She has a licensed daycare facility a few miles away. We have had absolutely no issues in the year that we have had her enrolled there. Our daughter is only 17 months old. We read a bunch of reviews and complaints to the state about the various day cares here in town. The stories on there will scare you off from putting a kid in daycare."
Erin K.
"St. Matthew's Episcopal School (2620 Crestview Dr., Edinburg, TX 78539). I love it because it has an awesome curriculum, family vibe, and strong roots in Christianity."
Cynthia F.
"Learning Journey, there are three locations and in ranking order 1. Trenton and Jackson location 2. Trenton and McColl location 3. University location behind UTRGV. We are currently enrolled at Trenton and Jackson (4770 S. Jackson Rd., Edinburg, TX) and they have a built in curriculum to prepare for elementary, a lot of hands on activities as well. I was originally thinking of enrolling Renzo at a Montessori school down the street, but Learning Journey actually exceeded what my thoughts were in the Montessori, plus it was a lot more affordable. I appreciate the combination of academic and free play Learning Journey offered, I’m combining the “unschooled method”of parenting in the early years with Renzo.
We were also at Grandma’s Daycare which had a proper child to teacher ratio, however I didn’t agree with their meal plans so it was a big deal breaker for me. I highly recommend how often they change their meal plans, if they are under the state program, etc. also know what’s allowed by the state, I thought surely it would never be allowed to feed young children Ramen from the packages, I mean the salt content alone is insane. However when I reached out to the state office in Edinburg I found out it was allowed. So do your research."
Please share your comments below.
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