a home away from home

I recently mentioned that we are looking for a different child care situtation for Miles. For the past 9 months, Yasmin and titi Sheyla have done a wonderful job caring for Miles. I would not have been able to go back to work with such peace of mind had we left him with anyone else. They have taken care of him like any loving family member would - as if he were their own. And for this we are so. very. grateful.

But we always had in mind that this would be a temporary situation. We knew that at some point we wanted Miles to be in a more structured group environment. I know there are benefits to this approach, but it also has its drawbacks. He'll no longer be in a family environment. He'll be exposed to more germs. We'll lose some flexibility in our schedule. He won't be exposed to the spanish language as often. It is insanely expensive. I mean, we'll-practically-be-paying-another-mortgage-payment-expensive. Hmmm, that is a hefty list of disadvantages...

However, I believe that Miles will be gaining a lot from being around other kids and learning with and from early childhood teachers. Another not so insignificant detail is that Yasmin is a very hard-working, busy grandmother who deserves some time to herself. She's raised 6 kids, and helped care for 4 grandchildren. And with a fifth grandchild on the way (David's sister), David and I feel that there might be a tipping point around the corner, even though Yasmin would never admit that or turn family away. She would give anything, everything for her family. But we want to respect her time, and have decided that we no longer feel comfortable asking her to watch Miles full-time.

So after visiting 7 child care centers and calling at least a dozen others, I think we have finally found a home away from home for our little guy. The child care center we chose is a Montessori school, although it is unique in that it uses both the Montessori Method and Reggio Emilia Approach (both philosophies about education and learning that originated in Italy). It integrates the creative arts with the "work" and "tasks" of traditional Montessori. Learning is child-directed. And the school environment itself is beautiful. There is nothing on the walls or in the classrooms (as decoration/art) that has not been made by the children. And they believe in documenting the learning process through narrative and photography (very appealing to a photo-blogger like me!).

There is a waiting list so Miles will start in the toddler room in May 2009. This gives us some time to get used to the whole idea and will make for a smoother transition, I think.

This process has not been easy! And I still am nervous and worried about how it will shake out. But I think the place we have chosen will be a good fit. We'll give it a try.