As suggested by Loanne…. here goes:

1. The hot lunches (inclusive in our tuition).

2. The convenience (e.g. 6:30pm pickups a doorstep away from my office, the ability to take Nicholas out to lunches on a whim to a nearby restaurant all by foot).

3. IPTV (I’ve been using this less and less over the years but it was still nice to have).

4. The digital photos we get tons of from our teachers throughout the school year and the detailed daily activity sheets in powerpoint format with additional pictures of all the kids.
5. The convenient computerized badge-in/badge-out, sign-in/sign-out process.

6. The onsite photography services (this year especially since they brought in Lil’ Angels Photography).

7. The adorable full firedrill evacuation of 400+ kids being led across the street (in buggies, in cribs crammed with 4 infants each, preschoolers on ringed-ropes) parading across the street to my downstairs cafeteria for roll call.

8. The facilities… especially the kids’ playground area (well-maintained and state-of-the-art).

9. Their center-wide festivities (Easter bunny egg hunt & potluck, Halloween Imagination parade, the childrens X-mas program, End of summer luaus, and various ethnic holidays).

10. Their summer program with visits from the Marine biology lab, NASA, Magicians, Dora/Rugrats characters from Great America, Storytellers, various community workers, visit to the firestation across the street from the daycare, and field trip to the Children’s Discovery Museum by light-rail.

11. The North/South lobby. We’ve spent many a spare moments in these lobbies admiring their beautiful tropical fish tanks full of exotic species, enjoying the lobby’s selection of books and reference materials in the comfort of vividly colored armchairs, our kids’ thrill over the ‘I spy’ motif-ed paintings on the lobby walls with hidden objects scattered throughout, and the unlimited fresh-chilled water/juices/sodas we can grab and go on our way out especially enroute to another destination.
12. The kitchen crew in action as they prepare the daily specials for the day. They purposely make the windows to this facility slightly lower so that the kids can catch glimpses of yet another “community worker” in action.
13. Their wonderful onsite extra-curricular programs (JumpBunch — our kids’ absolute favorite, Music Place, Karate, Ballet, T-ball/soccer summer camps, etc).

14. Their parenting seminars, newletters, kindergarten resources forum, articles of interest, breastfeeding workshop, baby massage, etc.

15. The really out-of-this world teachers that make our children’s days extra-ordinary.

… and to be fair, I will also mention the things I will not miss at CFC:

1. The trauma I recall of all eight babies crying at the same time in an infant room manned by only 2 teachers.

2. Having to be asked about arrival and departure times. I know the center uses this information to staff their rooms accordingly,… but all I know is that I’ve paid for 10.5 hours of daycare time and as long as our kids are in daycare no longer than the maximum allowed time, it shouldn’t be the parents’ responsibility to have to report in our window of arrivals/departures.
3. The mandatory on-the-mat policy at nap times (the kids have to be in lying down position… they are not even allowed to sit quiety on their mats to read a book).

4. The biting issues. I’ve been on both sides of the situation and it ain’t pretty on either side.

5. Their strong focus on the bottom line when the entire facility was essentially built, paid for, and subsidized by our company.

6. Teacher turn over rates.

7. The lack of a strong phonics curriculum.