Guiding Light

Camden started a new day care this week. We loved PDO, but there were a number of reasons that made it important that we switch. The main reason was because PDO only went 8:30am-3:30pm. That made it difficult for me to get to work at a reasonable time and cut Kevin's sleep. They also were on a different school system then Southmont and closings/delays got to be a problem this past month. We got most of that ironed out, but they also only offer 2 days in the summer and we needed more than that. We knew a change was coming, so we began researching. Several women from our church take their children to Guiding Light at the First Baptist Church in Crawfordsville. They love it, but warned the waiting list can be 3-4 months. I needed to call and get Camden on the list.

When I tried in early January, sure enough, there were no openings. We were still investigating options, so I didn't put Camden on the list. However, the next week at church, one mom mentioned that a note was sent home that 2 openings in the toddler room were available because 2 kids had been moved up to the next class. I visited the next day and signed Camden up. The only downside, so far, is that we have to pay full-time even if we only use it 3 days a week. For now that is our plan. Kevin will still watch her when he's home on Mondays and Tuesdays, but we always have the option to take her if he needs to do something those days.

Another perk is they feed them a hot lunch and will provide breakfast if Camden arrives before 8. On most days, she will go at 7:30. The first morning she had poptarts and yogurt. Today it was donuts and banana. Tomorrow it's cereal. It's a good variety...and she loves her donuts!

Lunch always has lots of fruits and vegetables (Camden's favorites!) in addition to the main course. They provide us a menu each week, so if there is something she won't like or if I want to supplement, I can always pack her something. They also have a morning and afternoon snack.

Camden's buddy from church, Beth (seated on the right) is in her class. They like seeing each other every morning. Beth is an easy-going kid like Camden, so they enjoy playing together. There are 8-10 kids each day that attend. Some of the boys are pistols, but that is to be expected.

So far we are really pleased with Camden's experience. They send home a daily "cuddle gram" which tells how well she did eating, taking her nap, and the frequency of diaper changes. It also tells us what skills they are working on that day, how Camden behaved, and just general information specific to Camden. They do lots of activities - art, education, Bible, etc. They also decorate the room for the month and have the kids' names throughout the room. Her room has hearts in the windows this month.

I was worried about nap time. At her old day care, there were only one or two other kids who were there all day or who needed to take a nap. They usually let Camden dictate when she was ready for a nap. Usually it was after lunch around 1 pm. I tend to do that at home as well and it was similar timing. At Guiding Light, they each have a cot and we provide a fitted sheet, blanket, and pillow. All the kids go down from 11:30am - 1:30pm. On Monday (we took her part of the day for a "break-in" session), she went to sleep within 5 minutes of laying down. Kevin picked her up at 1 and she was still sleeping. On Wednesday, she went down within a few minutes, woke up a little early, but still slept. I guess I shouldn't have worried!

So far the only time she has had any unease is at gym time. The church has a HUGE gym.

The toddlers play in it for an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon. Apparently, she is a little overwhelmed by the size and has been crying and wanting to be held. Her teacher says that has happened with other kids and on the second day she was much better.

So far, the transition has been seamless. I can tell Camden is happy...which is the most important thing to us.