(responding to Paul0110)
It's funny how the things that you write as negatives are some of the reasons why I absolutely love the Clark child care facility. I respect your opinion (especially when it comes to our children we have to do what we think is best!) but for others out there who might see the world differently I'd like to share...
I want my children to learn to take ownership of their choices, to learn to make healthy choices. What better way than with potty training and wearing a jacket! I love that the staff will let my child choose to wear a jacket (a choice that my child is fully capable of making). The consequence of my child not wearing a jacket is that they either get cold or they don't. Not a big loss either way and a great learning experience.
When I send my kids to school I learned quickly (like you) that they're going to come home dirty...but I was excited that they were given the opportunities to explore the outdoors, to experiment, be creative with art, and to play. (God knows I'd rather them paint at school than at home!) Those are good things, things I value, and if it costs me a couple bucks more in clothes it's more than worth it.
The ""mandatory class"" that you speak of was another aspect that I loved and that only cost me $13 (so by ""more money"" you meant a shade over $10) At Clark they have a holistic understanding of childcare. Their hope is to bless the whole family, to give the whole family opportunities to learn, play together, and spend time in your children's learning environment. Essentially the things that they invite you to do are to visit your children one time while they're in class, attend their quarterly class meetings where you're able to discover what they're learning, make an ""all about me"" book for your child to take to school (a photo album essentially), etc. These are great things that I might not do if I weren't invited to by the Clark staff.
Anyway sick kids, muddy shoes, potty accidents...those have been normal occurrences in my children's life...and I wouldn't expect much different from my child's learning environment at Clark. Maybe that's the big difference, you're viewing it as day care whereas the Clark staff truly views it as a place to discover, learn, and grow for short people.
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