Calling All Day Care Mommy Gurus!

In Missouri and California, group home just means that they are licensed for a larger group and have help. It's a bit of a half step between the small, private in-home daycare and the big and sometimes impersonal center. Group homes in Missouri were especially designed for the small cities and towns that don't have a lot of options for daycare. But anyone can apply if they and their home can meet the guidelines.

I have been a family caregiver for over 20 years. I have taken children in after being in a center and hating it. I've also had children that just were not happy enough in family daycare end needed the large and rowdy environment of a center. Only you know your child best. If your child is outgoing, tends to make friends easily, doesn't have a lot of special needs that could fall through the cracks in those places, likes to have quite a few new experiences, enjoys the table activities and preschool work they would be doing in a more structures way, then a daycare center or group home may be good.

If your child is slow to warm up, needs lots of hugs and some lap time, has special fears or quirky behaviors, a family daycare would be the better bet.

child car center=actual day care building or facility. and family home+ a home based daycare. a group home is usually not for child care/ it usually is for the mentally impaired or older adults that need supervision all day or troubled teens.

Child care center is a for profit daycare center. there will be preschool type teachers and aides in each classroom. it is licensed by the state. hours will usually go something like 6am to 6pm program has meals and preschool curriculum in the morning hours and then nap time and play time in the afternoon

family home is a daycare run in the home. usually no more than 8 children wihout an assistant. not always licensed by the state (illinois you can care for up to 3 children without being licensed) hours are often a little less than child care centers cost is also less.

group home just means they are licensed for more children with the use of aides in the classroom. up to 12 per class and sometimes 16 per class

The advice I got when I had my kids was that if you were going to go with an in-home daycare, make sure you have at least one very good reference from a trusted person you know very well. As for a daycare center, it's also good to get recommendations but not as critical (as long as the center is licensed and free of major infractions). Either way, I would go with only a licensed daycare center or home. You can find licensing information here: http://www.dleg.state.mi.us/brs_cdc/sr_lfl.asp
It's a website kept by the State of Michigan and you can search for licensed centers and homes and see if they've ever been cited for anything bad. This site also officially defines the difference between childcare center, family day care home and group day care home.
Once you identify some places that you would like to consider, my best advice is to (a) ask around your neighborhood to see what others use and like and (b) visit the center or home - this gives you a good "feel" for what the center is like.
I've chosen a daycare center for convenience (I am also lucky that my local school district runs a really good early childhood program which includes a learning environment and daycare). If staff is sick or on vacation, you don't have to worry because they have backup staff. And a daycare center is usually geared toward learning as well. But with an in-home daycare, if the caregiver is sick or on vacation, you're out of luck. However there are definite advatages to an in home daycare too (lower cost, a more home-like atmosphere). So it's purely based on personal preference. I've been really lucky in that my kids have had some really great caregivers at our daycare so they're getting the best of both worlds.
Best of luck!

Not sure the difference, but I have my kids in a home daycare and I love it. less kids, and they still get play time and "school time". and not sure it you care about the price but I found when looking the in home ones were a little cheaper and most previed meals, where come centers you had to bring your own meals. I hope this helps some

I always like the family home setting best. I found a wonderful Mom who wanted to stay home with her kids and treated my kids like her neices and nephews. She was there for car pool, even kept the kids over night a few times when I was out of town and my husband was working double shifts. The kids are all great friends and very similar to being siblings. I just didn't find that in "care centers" where the personnel changes. Find the person you are comfortable with watching your child land help her grow.

I agree with the previous poster that a group home MIGHT be only for metally disabled persons. Child care centers are generally run by a fascilatator and have lots of staff. This type of center is one good option because you never have to worry about vacations for your provider (other staff always fill in) and there are generally several rooms for different age groups, so your child will be in an age appropriate setting. Child Care Centers are also generally very strong in educational value. The down side is that there isn't quite as much one on one interaction as you would find in a Family Home Day Care. The upside of the Family Home Daycares are that you get the personal feel of there being only one person that takes care of your child. However, if they have a family emergency or are sick or are scheduling their vacation, you will need to have a backup plan.

That being said...my son attended a child care facility. He learned a lot of things while there and seemed to have a pretty good jump start on what he learned. They did have a very good relationship with my son and I got to be very good friends with most of the workers. I never had any fear leaving him in their care, but that also was because if there were any issues that I was concerned about, I could ask to review the video of the class for the day and find out what happened. You most likely won't find that a family home will even have video of the day. A child care center might cost you a little more than a private home would.

Good luck with whichever choice you come to.

Child Care Center = a building (not a home) where childcare is provided. Usually from 6wks to 12 years, depending on the center.
Family Home = usually a single adult running a center out of their home. They can have, I *think* 6 kids in MI, but only 2 under the age of 2 at any given time.
Group Home = usually run out of a home, but there are multiple providers. I believe they can have 12 kids with 2 adults.

I'd have to look up the manual and check to be sure on the numbers. It's been a few years since I've looked at it.