So Im starting to look into daycares as I know many in the area have waiting lists. Well, much to my surprise, they are about $60 more a week than they were 1.5 years ago when I working in daycare.... WTH! Sure, I can find one for about what I was expecting... but I will be sacrificing quality... ie. it will be a babysitter not a pre-school.
Well thats $240 more a month which yeah... isn't a lot, but it starts getting to the point to where it is almost pointless to work. I mean between that and gas (I commute 50 miles a day) it would be $300 a week which leaves me bringing home about $150 a week... see what I mean about almost pointless?
But that is on my current income, I am expecting a raise in about a month and another raise next April. But still, it sucks! I don't want my child in a sub-par daycare.
The daycare that my sister uses is one of the "cheaper" daycares. She has very high standards and says she has never had a problem with them, but from all the reviews I read, they are a babysitter and not a pre-school. I really want there to be a POINT in my child going there. But then again, as an infant, what would the difference really be?
So we have a decision to make, put the baby in a "babysitter" environment while it is an infant then changing to a pre-school when it gets a little older, start paying the extra now and put it in the nicer daycare now, or me stay home until the baby is out of the "infant" stage and rates are a little lower.
Oh this is giving me a head ache.
About Me
- Samantha
- I am 22 and married to my handsome prince Chad. We have been married for a year now. http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/b/babyfryer/ password: babyfryer
5 comments:
Sam,
First of all let me tell you that I have worke in the field of early childcare for about 15 years. I have my degree in early childcare and was an assistant director of a childcare center before I got my new job as teacher.
Second, there are several things you should look for when trying to find a childcare center for the baby. ESPECIALLY for an infant. Many of the "high quality" centers have a curriculum even for infants. Where I work now we follow a "lesson plan" for each infant in the center. I know you know this but...babies do much more than just lay on the floor and look cute. You will want to look for a center that provides high quality care for your baby, not just a warm body to rock them. It should be a place where they are aware of milestones infants should be making and how to encourage each infants area of development in physical, mental, emotional, cognitive and attatchement areas.
I have a whole list of criteria that I give parents when looking for a center.
Another thing you should be aware of and look at is the ratio of staff to children. If it is a good center the infant to staff ratio is usually around 1:4 or 1:5 at the max.
If you would be interested in that I would be more than happy to pass it on to you.
Please don't think I'm being harsh but like I said I've been doing this for a long time and I know some sneaky things that you should look for as a parent of a newborn child.
If you want to know more or get more "advice" from me let me know. I'd be happy to send you some information that I have.
~Jenny(12 month board on WEbmd)
This is TOTALLY my opinion...but I have never been for babysitters. I FEEL a daycare/preschool is ALOT better as far as how the child will be treated and so on...these places HAVE to reach certain standards by law. Now with babysitters, they have no standards they have to meet legally and you just NEVER know what goes on inside someone elses home. I have seen sooo many shows on TV about babysitters being cuahgt on camera mis-treating the kids etc... Whatever you decide I hope it all works out for you girl! Goodluck making a decision!
Hi Sam, I dont know if you remember me from WebMD, we were TTC together for a while last year.
Anywho, I found your blog and have had fun reading it, so I thought I'd stop by and say HI and I hope you dont mind my posting.
I agree about putting him/her in a babysitter until older, prices drop dramatically (besides getting older) when they are potty trained. And that's a good time to start having them in pre-school.
Its all a bit of a shock isnt it? But you do make it some how.
GL and Congrats.
Morgan- Let me be more specific - by babysitter I dont mean an actual babysitter... I mean a "babysitter". It is still a daycare and it still goes by state licensing (which by the way they have no serious offenses on the States website), they just don't have the same curriculum based activities that the more expensive daycares go by. They are "babysitters" not "teachers".
Oh I got ya...sorry! :)
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