Daycare Q

The Big D · December 2011

Sorry, don't mean to be a PW today but the office is seriously empty.

So, the advantage of being outed at work is I can ask coworkers with kids or grandkids for daycare recommendations. One woman strongly recommended a place right up the street...apparently it does really great and its so close I could potentially walk up there to have lunch when the kiddo gets here. Cool.

I call to get more info and to get an idea from the daycare people when I should call regarding getting a baby signed up. They only have four infant spots, with a spot opening in October. I'm due in August, so that's pretty aces. I'm SECOND IN LINE FOR THE SPOT. How is that possible? I feel like this is so ridiculous early to be on a daycare waiting list I'm actually embarrassed that I'm on one. Are people reserving and just planning on getting pregnant?

I'm so confused....

Beth&Derek · December 2011

I have no experience regarding how early people get on lists and what-not, but having worked in daycares myself I know that infant spots can be difficult to get. In MA, the infant:teacher ratio is 2:1, so there usually aren't very many spots (usually around 4, like you said) so I think people try to get on the lists pretty early. A friend of mine is due in February, but she won't need daycare until August and she's just now starting to look, so she's finding it difficult to find daycares with openings.

bbetson · December 2011

What?!?!? I guess we need to start looking and make some decisions. We don't need daycare until September, but still. I've been so worried about things we haven't discussed any of these major decisions.

The Big D · December 2011

bbetson:
What?!?!? I guess we need to start looking and make some decisions. We don't need daycare until September, but still. I've been so worried about things we haven't discussed any of these major decisions.

I can see that. I mean, I can always call back and get myself off the list, but as ridiculous as it sounds I feel like I'm jinxing myself and the baby, ya know? Part of this is the fact that I"ve turned into a ridiculous worry machine, I'm sure.

mrsjanks · December 2011

Landon's class has 12 in it, and we still had to wait 8 months to get him in.

Rangergal9 · December 2011

I was 13 wks pg with Abby when I started looking at daycares. I was due in January 2009 and originally was just thinking of waiting until Sept 2009 to send her (DH and MIL would have watched her for the 6 weeks I was back to work for the school year). Several of the places already had wait lists for the infant spots! I ended up putting a deposit down when I was 15 wks at our current location and I got the last spot. Most centers only have a few infant spots and they usually give preference to parents who have other siblings there. Like, when I told them I was having twins they secured two spots for me, so they had no openings from March - Aug when they could move another child up.

heatherac · December 2011

Julia doesn't go to daycare so I have no experience with that, but she has been on "the list" for preschool since I was pregnant, which I think is absolutely ridiculous. When I was about 20 weeks pregnant I was out to dinner with some girls, many of whom were already moms, and they asked where she was going to preschool. Um, hello she didn't even have a name yet! I hadn't even begun to think about preschool, when she is 4! They told me if I wanted to go to either of the "hometown" preschools, as compared to preschool at one of the big daycare centers, that I needed to call ASAP. I called the next week to get her on the list and she got the last spot!!! I mean these kids were not even born yet and her preschool class was full! Absolutely ridiculous to me, but then again I didn't want my kid to get "left out".

Lisa and Mickey · December 2011

Rangergal9:
I was 13 wks pg with Abby when I started looking at daycares. I was due in January 2009 and originally was just thinking of waiting until Sept 2009 to send her (DH and MIL would have watched her for the 6 weeks I was back to work for the school year). Several of the places already had wait lists for the infant spots! I ended up putting a deposit down when I was 15 wks at our current location and I got the last spot. Most centers only have a few infant spots and they usually give preference to parents who have other siblings there. Like, when I told them I was having twins they secured two spots for me, so they had no openings from March - Aug when they could move another child up.

This was my thought. Probably the spot is filled with a child whose sibling already goes to that daycare. If I had found a daycare I loved, I would tell them immediately if I was pregnant because if the spots fill the only choice is to pull the older sibling or have the kids go to two different day cares which is crazy.

mrsjanks · December 2011

Oh- and you're going to have to pay a deposit to hold the spot. We had to pay the $150 registration fee.

mrs.dilligaf · December 2011

heatherac:
Julia doesn't go to daycare so I have no experience with that, but she has been on "the list" for preschool since I was pregnant, which I think is absolutely ridiculous. When I was about 20 weeks pregnant I was out to dinner with some girls, many of whom were already moms, and they asked where she was going to preschool. Um, hello she didn't even have a name yet! I hadn't even begun to think about preschool, when she is 4! They told me if I wanted to go to either of the "hometown" preschools, as compared to preschool at one of the big daycare centers, that I needed to call ASAP. I called the next week to get her on the list and she got the last spot!!! I mean these kids were not even born yet and her preschool class was full! Absolutely ridiculous to me, but then again I didn't want my kid to get "left out".

Seriously? Since I SAH, I guess I don't think about this a lot, but now I'm paranoid that my 8 month old is going to fall behind. Hopefully Cincy is as slow as I think it is!

naylon511 · December 2011

I know NYC requires you sign a fetus up for the 'good' pre-schools but I didn't realize it would be that way elsewhere...

jo&sam · December 2011

mrs.dilligaf:

heatherac:
Julia doesn't go to daycare so I have no experience with that, but she has been on "the list" for preschool since I was pregnant, which I think is absolutely ridiculous. When I was about 20 weeks pregnant I was out to dinner with some girls, many of whom were already moms, and they asked where she was going to preschool. Um, hello she didn't even have a name yet! I hadn't even begun to think about preschool, when she is 4! They told me if I wanted to go to either of the "hometown" preschools, as compared to preschool at one of the big daycare centers, that I needed to call ASAP. I called the next week to get her on the list and she got the last spot!!! I mean these kids were not even born yet and her preschool class was full! Absolutely ridiculous to me, but then again I didn't want my kid to get "left out".

Seriously? Since I SAH, I guess I don't think about this a lot, but now I'm paranoid that my 8 month old is going to fall behind. Hopefully Cincy is as slow as I think it is!

This is absolutely crazy to me and I guess my kids are destined to be "behind" because I have no idea what state we will be living in when they get to preschool age so pre-registering is not a possibility.

Daycare Q

Re: Daycare Q

Choose Another Board

Search Boards