Tristan got the boot at daycare :(

When I picked Tristan up today, I was informed that he could no longer go back after this month. Apparently, he is too much work compared to the other kids. They said he was too young and cannot play with the other kids and is very clingy to one of the staff members there. I had noted to Jean-Louis before that every time I dropped him off or picked him up, the lady there was always holding him. I wanted to say something before because I don't want Tristan to get used to being held all the time. I did express my concern about that on the first day when I went through my printout with them.

I am annoyed because this was never brought to my attention before today. I was under the impression that all is well, especially because the lady there keeps telling me that Tristan is good and that he doesn't cry much. The truth is she holds him a lot. She tells me now that she has to hold him all the time or he will cry. I asked her if she tried just letting him play on his own but she says he cries. I told her that we don't hold him much at home and that he can play on his own. How long has this been going on at daycare I wonder. I know lately, it has been more and more difficult dealing with Tristan. Feeding is hard and he keeps turning around during diaper changes.

Tristan is only at daycare 2 days a week but apparently that is too much and they can't handle it. They have been looking for 1 more person to help out but haven't found anyone yet. With just 2 people at the moment, it's too much to take care of 6 or 7 kids. Obviously, Tristan would get axed since he is the biggest burden. The lady basically told me to bring him back in 6 months or a year. So here is the current fact: Brillance Daycare does not accept kids under the age of about 2 years even though they claim to care for kids from birth to 12 years. I should have known something was up when they showed me the bassinet Tristan could sleep in. Our guess is that they have little or no experience caring for children under the age of about 2 years.

I do understand that they are in a bad situation. I appreciate them telling me the truth. I just wished they could have given me the heads up when they first sensed there could have been a problem. I could have tried to work with them to resolve it but now it's too late. Tristan is getting kicked out and with just 8 days left to the month, there is no way we'll have daycare for October. It's a good thing I work from home and can be flexible or we would be doom!

Here are the lessons I have learned from this experience:

1. When considering family care over group care, specifically ask about the daycare's experience with very small children under the age of 2. Normally, licensed family care accepts children from birth to 12 years but as I have learned here, the daycare may not have much experience with kids of every age.
2. Communication is important. When everything goes well it's not a big deal. When things come up, the daycare really needs to talk to the parents. In my case, we didn't talk much because there was a language barrier. They mainly speak Mandarin and their English is ok.

What now? Well, I have no choice but to stay home with Tristan for the month of October. I will continue to look for daycare next month. I will call back one of the daycares I am wait-listed for and see where I am now. Last time I checked a month or so ago, I was #54. In the meantime, I will attempt to do most of my work on the weekend so that Jean-Louis can watch Tristan. I will make more effort to squeeze in work wherever I can during the weekdays.