Choosing the "Academy"

 Let me start by saying that being 28 years old, it's been a while since I've been to daycare, but apparently there have been some changes. Lesson number one, it is no longer referred to as "daycare", my 15 month old child is attending a "learning academy". Lesson number two, he will follow a "structured" daily and weekly lesson plan that teaches him colors, numbers, sign language and Spanish, (seriously?). Lesson number three, 15 months is the new 25! This kid is going to be smarter than me and all of my friends combined by the time he's 2! Anyway, we're excited to be sending him to such a great "academy", and can't wait to watch how well he develops!

During our first visit to the "academy", we we're buzzed into the key-code locked front door, (nice, my child's attending a prison for tiny tots), and shown into a colorful lobby area. Above the front desk was a large flat screen TV displaying several different camera views of the classrooms throughout the "academy", (ok, so it's a high-tech prison for tiny tots), but safe non the less! The tour was impressive, each age group has their own learning area, or "classroom", and all of the toys and learning materials were up-to-date and clean. It happened to be nap time during our tour so we got to peek into the "napping room". Inside the lights were dim, there was soft music playing, and all of the toddlers were so sweetly lined up on their own little cots just sleeping away. It should have been comforting, but it threw me into a state of panic, the only thing I could think was, "Yeah right lady, if you think your going to get my child to lay on a little cot and go to sleep, your crazy"! I suddenly got visions of him tromping through all of the sleeping children, tearing all of their little blankys off, and running like a wild man around the room, ahhhh! In the end however, the tour was impressive, it seemed to have everything that we were looking for, and after agreeing to pay what seems like one years salary to enroll him, we signed him up!  I Guess we'll see how day one goes!