We checked out a daycare today. My son is 19 months and not very verbal, but obviously advanced. We watched him for 2 hours in the 18 - 24 month room. He didn't play with anyone (and he does play with older kids), he only gave the toys a cursory look at best and he seemed confuzzled when they ended art time because he wanted to keep going.
When they went outside, he was clearly more interested in the sewer access holes in the ground than in their lackluster outdoor area.
I had a big issue with how everything was rigidly scheduled. Home daycares seem more fluid than that. Not much of a chance to eat a lot of your snack, for instance.
