Daycare
First off... congrats!!!
I am 17 weeks pregnant with my 2nd. I have had my daughter (21 months old) in daycare since she was 8 weeks old. It can be very frustrating to find a good daycare that you feel comfortable with.
We were very lucky finding our daycare. It was the 1st daycare that we interviewed and we instantly felt at ease. Price is hard to give advice on because we are in different areas... so different cost of living. We pay $170 a week for our daughter and will pay $195 week for our newborn. I live in Nashville, TN so this is a great price. Our daycare recently went up $20 per week per child (to the above mentioned prices). When this happened I was sick for weeks just thinking about changing daycare centers. I LOVE the school she is in... We thought about going to private care or chaning all together. I have visited 3 other centers in the past 2 months all but 1 of them were the same price. The 1 that was cheaper was a dump and I would not send my dog there. So we have decided to stay where we are. Even though we will be paying close to $1500 a month in childcare.
To answer a few of your questions.
1 - the center that did not answer the phone... TAKE THEM OFF THE LIST!! You always need to be able to reach them... I can understand once or even twice... but more than that and I would not be at peace about leaving my baby there.
2 - My advice would be to choose a center closer to your work...a few reasons... 1 - so that you can get to your baby in the case of emergency, 2 - if your child is sick and you have to pick them up, 3 - to have more time with your child (that is a long commute), 4 - if you are running late at work or get stuck in traffic... most daycares charge you per $$ per every minute you are late picking up your child
Some have mentioned in home care. (I did not read all the comments but thought I would give my 2cents)
At first when we chose to put our child in daycare it was strictly due to both my husband and I having to work... we need to be a 2 income family. Now after having her there for almost 2 years my reasons are the same yet different. Even if I could afford to be a SAHM I would still have my child in daycare... now I would either work or volunteer where she went so that I could be with her more... but the interaction with other kids and the learning is unbelievable. All 3 of my close girlfriends are SAHM ... and they have all commented on how far advanced my child is to where their are or were at her age. Now don't get me wrong... there are many many SAHM who work with their child and help them to learn the way a daycare would. I am not that diciplined... LOL.
We also considered hiring a close friend from church or one of my SAHM friends to care for our daughter. But if I am going to pay anywhere from $75-$200 a week I do not just want a babysitter to watch tv with my child all day. I want them to be in a learning environment. Those are just things to keep in mind.
As far as questions to ask... it may vary depending on what is the "norm" for your area... again I am in TN...so these are things I asked.
- tuition per age range (my center goes down as the child gets older)
- is there a sibling discount (mine does not)
- if the center is closed due to holiday or weather is tuition the same(my center... you only pay for days the center is open... my daughter is $34 per day... if they are closed due to weather/holiday I deduct $34 per day closed when I pay that week)
- is there a fee for supplies (not at ours)
- does the center provide lunch (this is for older kids- our does provide lunch)
- what program do they use to teach (our center is also a preschool)
- how do they dicipline (ours time out)
- how am I notified of what they do each day, diaper changes, eating time, nap times... etc (our center sends home a report card daily)
these should give you a few ideas.
I got on our waiting list when I was 4 months pregnant. Her spot opened up 2 weeks before she was due to start. I had to pay for those 2 weeks just to hold the spot even though she was not there yet. But it honestly was worth it... if not I would have gone to the bottom of the waiting list.
Now that I have written a book... lol
GOOD LUCK!!
I am 17 weeks pregnant with my 2nd. I have had my daughter (21 months old) in daycare since she was 8 weeks old. It can be very frustrating to find a good daycare that you feel comfortable with.
We were very lucky finding our daycare. It was the 1st daycare that we interviewed and we instantly felt at ease. Price is hard to give advice on because we are in different areas... so different cost of living. We pay $170 a week for our daughter and will pay $195 week for our newborn. I live in Nashville, TN so this is a great price. Our daycare recently went up $20 per week per child (to the above mentioned prices). When this happened I was sick for weeks just thinking about changing daycare centers. I LOVE the school she is in... We thought about going to private care or chaning all together. I have visited 3 other centers in the past 2 months all but 1 of them were the same price. The 1 that was cheaper was a dump and I would not send my dog there. So we have decided to stay where we are. Even though we will be paying close to $1500 a month in childcare.
To answer a few of your questions.
1 - the center that did not answer the phone... TAKE THEM OFF THE LIST!! You always need to be able to reach them... I can understand once or even twice... but more than that and I would not be at peace about leaving my baby there.
2 - My advice would be to choose a center closer to your work...a few reasons... 1 - so that you can get to your baby in the case of emergency, 2 - if your child is sick and you have to pick them up, 3 - to have more time with your child (that is a long commute), 4 - if you are running late at work or get stuck in traffic... most daycares charge you per $$ per every minute you are late picking up your child
Some have mentioned in home care. (I did not read all the comments but thought I would give my 2cents)
At first when we chose to put our child in daycare it was strictly due to both my husband and I having to work... we need to be a 2 income family. Now after having her there for almost 2 years my reasons are the same yet different. Even if I could afford to be a SAHM I would still have my child in daycare... now I would either work or volunteer where she went so that I could be with her more... but the interaction with other kids and the learning is unbelievable. All 3 of my close girlfriends are SAHM ... and they have all commented on how far advanced my child is to where their are or were at her age. Now don't get me wrong... there are many many SAHM who work with their child and help them to learn the way a daycare would. I am not that diciplined... LOL.
We also considered hiring a close friend from church or one of my SAHM friends to care for our daughter. But if I am going to pay anywhere from $75-$200 a week I do not just want a babysitter to watch tv with my child all day. I want them to be in a learning environment. Those are just things to keep in mind.
As far as questions to ask... it may vary depending on what is the "norm" for your area... again I am in TN...so these are things I asked.
- tuition per age range (my center goes down as the child gets older)
- is there a sibling discount (mine does not)
- if the center is closed due to holiday or weather is tuition the same(my center... you only pay for days the center is open... my daughter is $34 per day... if they are closed due to weather/holiday I deduct $34 per day closed when I pay that week)
- is there a fee for supplies (not at ours)
- does the center provide lunch (this is for older kids- our does provide lunch)
- what program do they use to teach (our center is also a preschool)
- how do they dicipline (ours time out)
- how am I notified of what they do each day, diaper changes, eating time, nap times... etc (our center sends home a report card daily)
these should give you a few ideas.
I got on our waiting list when I was 4 months pregnant. Her spot opened up 2 weeks before she was due to start. I had to pay for those 2 weeks just to hold the spot even though she was not there yet. But it honestly was worth it... if not I would have gone to the bottom of the waiting list.
Now that I have written a book... lol
GOOD LUCK!!
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