Thinking "out loud" about childcare. . .long. . . update in #9

[MoJo]

I'm trying to arrange childcare for my girls while I work 1-3 days per week.

1) We have no family close by
2) NO ONE I know I'm close to IRL has ever had to do this, which is why I'm thinking out loud here.
3) Since NO ONE I know at work or through church has ever needed childcare, I'm not getting any good feedback about any potential arrangement from anyone I know.
4) That means I'm resorting to Craigslist, and maybe a childcare referral agency I just learned about this morning, for help.

I had a great in-home daycare situation that was very close to my work, but it has closed because the mom got a job she wasn't looking for in a preschool. I need to find care starting in three weeks when DH goes back to school.

* The church preschool I really like right across the street from where I work one day a week DOES have openings for JellyBean, but not for Ha. (I had hoped they could both be there, but there isn't even a program for kids Ha's age. She wouldn't be able to go there for at least a year and a half)

* The "best" reading sitter on CL (IMO) who is close to home could take Ha or both Ha and JellyBean and is open 'til 6 p.m. DH could pick up sometimes, but I'd be able to get there in time if I needed to. JellyBean would have no equal or older playmates. And the sitter has two teenage boys, and I'm not sure whether to be concerned about that or not. DH's first reaction was, "No way," but now we're not sure. We'll probably try to meet them this week. My biggest concern was actually that she was close to our home. . . which means a long way from where we work.

* JellyBean loved playing with kids of all ages at the last in-home daycare. She would be sad to not be around babies, and especially her sister, if she goes to preschool. But when we go to church there, she doesn't understand why everyone leaves instead of staying to play!

I've got a few other CL sitters to call, and I can try the referral agency tomorrow. Most of the other sitters on CL are 1) the wrong direction from where I work &/or 2) have such an early pick up time that I couldn't complete my work assignment. Involving DH in pickup on any kind of ongoing basis is a recipe for family tension, I think.

Nearly everyone is priced exactly the same. In home daycare, center, preschool, priced by the hour or the day, all work out the same.

Most won't work with me when I'm only working one day a week (including the preschool) but I have what I think is a very solid lead on adding two more days to my schedule in another branch.

Maybe I should add my commute without dropoff is a full 30 - 35 minutes, probably 40-45 minutes to the alternate office. DH's commute is a full 45 minutes or more in the exact opposite direction. I work 8-5 (though actually leaving at 5 is a challenge); DH works 7-who knows when. . . sometimes he's off at 2:45; other times he's there 'til after dinner.

I'm also concerned about Ha's undiagnosed food issues (allergies?) and how those will be handled. They weren't an issue in the spring, because the daycare provider had moms bring food for babies.

So, any thoughts? Questions I should be asking?

TIA for any input and for any prayers for wisdom! I was up all night last night trying to think about all of this.

[ha98ed14]

I would go ahead and out JB in the church preschool that you like. I would then find a good in home daycare for the baby. Hopefully you can find one close to the preschool. I think that would be best for the kids individually and worth juggling 2 pick ups/ drop offs. Daycare is such a hard decision to make.

[TwinFoxes]

Have you looked at care.com? I think it's really set up well, you can be very specific with what you need (like wee needed dog friendly, multiples experienced) and check out hours/days that potential sitters are available.

[JustMe]

I would keep looking and definitely get some leads from the childcare referral place you mentioned. With the church option. having kids in 2 different places is really hard, especially with a longish commute. I have done this when it is really what my kids need, but if there is another just as good option, I would look for it/take it. Unless, of course, your dh will consistently pick up one kid when you pick up the other. The in-home option sounds mostly good but, I hate to say it, I would be concerned about the teenaged boys. I know many will hate me for saying that and it is discriminatory in a way, but I am very involved in the childcare field and hear too much about abuse that happend by teenaged children of the providers. Sure, most of the time it doesnt happen but as I said I hear about it too much.


Good Luck!

[amldaley]

Have you tried www.sittercity.com? I like that that you can select only providers with background checks on file. I have had really good luck with them.

Also, call your county social services and ask if there is a child care referral program in your area. Basically they are non-profits that rate child care providers and help match you based on your criteria and the service is usually free.

[MoJo]

I haven't checked care.com; this is only the second time I've heard of it. (And the first was an ad on CL where a sitter said she had a positive reference there). But I'll go there next!

I don't think sittercity is in my area; I know they weren't a few years ago.

I actually just got the number and hours for the agency in the county where I work that refers child care providers yesterday, and I plan to call them this morning.

I contacted another six providers on CL yesterday, with only one (negative) response.

I think the bottom line for now is to keep exploring all options, and once I find one for Ha, see if it's best for JellyBean too.

Thanks again!

[egoldber]

I would really try to find something close to your home. That will give you the most flexibility in terms of who does pick up and drop off. While one place is ideal, 2 pick-ups/drop-offs, as long as they are CLOSE to each other, is very doable.

[elephantmeg]

I did a similar work schedule (but without the long comutes) and found that home daycares were really the only option until DD was 2. Then I was able to put them in a church based preschool daycare for ages 2-5. That has been wonderful. Other places I found childcare included the classifieds of the local newspaper. Just keep calling around! And goodluck!

[MoJo]

Thanks for the input, everyone!

JellyBean is now officially enrolled at the church preschool :cheerleader1:.

I've gone through every provider on the referral program's list and every response to my Sittercity ad that's been up for a week and a half. I've contacted every potential caregiver on CL for the last three weeks.

I've actually gone to four of the best-sounding home daycares and can't bear the thought of leaving my baby at any of them.:( And this isn't the first time I've left my baby at a home daycare! You can read the details on my "big day" thread if you want to hear the sad stories.

I'm planning to visit two daycare centers and one or two more in-home daycares today.

[MoJo]

Egoldber,

We considered the "closer to home" option, especially since DH does frequently get home before I do. But the #1 reason providers have rejected us is that I don't get off work until 4:30 or 5. If the kids are close to me, I can get them close to 4:30 or 5. If they are close to home, I can't get them until after 5 or 5:30, and that's in good weather with no farm machinery, construction or accidents. I'm in Ohio and snow frequently doubles my commute time.

While DH could frequently get them before then if they were close to home, as an Intervention Specialist he has a LOT of meetings after work, and I can't impinge on his schedule with required child pickup three days a week. We tried having him come home at a certain time twice a week so I could go to work while he watched the kids, and the stress that added to both his work and family life was unbearable.

Also, the "closer to home" options are all in the wrong direction for me. DH leaves at or before 6 a.m. without doing dropoff, so dropoff would always be on me. And I'd have to add half an hour to my commute in the morning just to drive 15 minutes away from where I need to be going. We considered it, but just can't make it fly.

One of the two daycare centers I'm looking at today is probably only a block from the preschool (which means only a block from where I work one day a week), and the other one is 5 minutes from the office I'll be in on the other two days.

[llama8]

We tried an at home daycare with my DD and it was horrible..and highly recommended. At 1 we put her in a Tutor Time daycare center and she is so happy and loves it. She is 20 months and we are going to start DD 2 as they take all ages. Centers are licensed and may be the way to go.

[wellyes]

I'd only go with a licensed home DCP.

I've had DD in both a center and home and ultimately preferred the mixed-age situation by far. But it completely depends on the person. I looked at about 8 before hitting gold. There are a lot of princes, but a lot of frogs too.