Post by cookswithwine9 on Nov 8, 2016 14:33:04 GMT -5
My H works shifts so he has days off during the week. I also was trying to find a day care center with part time care. I found in my area they do not exist! There are wait lists everywhere and why would they take a part time person when they could have a full time (more $$$). We ended up deciding to get on a wait list for full time care starting in March (wait list was 7 months at the time).
There's a lot of responses here, but I'll add our experiences. Childcare is one of the most stressful things about being parents, IMO.
We chose a center for our DCP, mostly because at the time we didn't know of any nannies or in home daycares in our area (we were new here) and didn't know anyone we could ask for recs from. Google searching wasn't yielding much. As PPs mentioned, we also preferred the socialization and structure that the centers we toured offered. 3 years later, we're very happy with our choice. DS2 will be attending the same center DS1 attends.
Our center is open from 6am-6:30pm and enrolled children can be dropped off/picked up anytime between those hours on the days they attend. (My sister's daycare center has a 10 hour/day policy, so make sure to ask if there's any chance you'll have variable pick up/drop off times) Infant room rates for FT are $215/wk (relatively LCOL area) or $53/day for PT. They do accept PT enrollment, but there has to be a set schedule. You can't just say, "I need care 3 days/week" and bring them on whatever 3 days suit your fancy that week, if that makes sense. DS1 currently goes 3 days/week, M-Th-F. They will work with you if your PT schedule needs to be changed, but typically they need quite a bit of notice and can only accommodate it during mass transition times (Jan, May/June, Sept are the big ones). Tuition gets less expensive the older the child/ten get and there's a discount for families with more than one child enrolled FT.
In the infant room we provided clothing, diapers/wipes, nap time essentials (blanket or lovie), and formula or BM. As the children get older, meals and snacks are provided or they'll serve food that you bring.
My aunt ran an in home daycare when I was younger. That's the only experience I have with it and I don't remember much. I know the families who used her provided groceries for meals. A friend/coworker of mine uses an in home daycare near her. I don't know what's included or how much she pays, but I do know her daughter goes PT, 3 days/week.
We chose a center for our DCP for exactly the same reasons as britta . DS has been there since he was 5months old and DS2 will go to the same place at around the same age.
We live in a M-H COL area and there are very few centers or providers that over PT options. Essentially you pay "rent" for your spot with no vacation or multi child discounts...
Nanny shares are popular options.
I would say that I personally think a licence is important. I just wouldn't feel comfortable knowing someone might not adhere to local regulations. As a minimum I would ask for references/ talk to other parents using the home to understand what they like or not.
V goes to a licensed in home provider. We only need care on Mondays and no local center does part time less than three days (initially we were looking at 2 to 3 days a week, 2 being most likely). We can up the number of days with advanced notice and availability though if something comes up.
We provide diapers, wipes, a sippy cup and a blanket. She provides breakfast, lunch and snacks. She has certain requirements on the food she supplies due to her license, and she goes to classes and training through the state as well.
She does have vacation days and sick days that we end up having to work around occasionally.
When he is older we'll probably move to a more preschool like setting. But for now she's pretty perfect for us.
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