Hey moms,

(Child) and I were playing in the sand at Johnson Park on May 13th when a little girl came to join us. She was part of a (PACCC) Palo Alto Community Child Care daycare group so there were lots of little 3-4 year olds there. We must have interacted for at least 7 minutes before one of the daycare attendants noticed and said, "it looks like you found a friend, " to the little girl. Then she asked me if I knew her and I said, "no." The attendant just let her play with us. About 5 minutes later, time another girl came and joined us. By the time we left, we had another 3 kids join us.

I know that (child) and I don't look threatening but I am a stranger, nonetheless. Since I had (child) with me, does it make it acceptable to allow the kids to hang out with us? Is seven minutes too long for a daycare provider to respond? Finally, is it acceptable for daycare providers to be on the phone while supervising many kids, even if it's just for a few minutes at a time?

I just need to know your thoughts because I'm thinking of sending (child) to a daycare in the Fall for a couple of days a week and I'm unsure of what the expectations are of daycares. Thanks!


Just to answer some of the questions: after she asked me if I knew the little girl and I said no, she just smiled and turned away, but stood within 10 feet. One of the phone calls was a caretaker making plans to go out for the evening. The other one, I didn't hear.

Finally, after thinking about it a bit longer, I've decided that I will not submit an application to Palo Alto Community Child Care ( PACCC ) since I think I could have walked off with that little girl without anyone noticing. Hopefully I'm wrong, but my guts just tell me that Palo Alto Community Child Care (PACCC) isn't the place for (child).

Thanks for your responses! I appreciate your thoughts!