Childcare and Teachers' Schedules

crsanchez87

Hello all, 

I had been looking through old posts and did  not see anything related to my current situation.
I work at a school as a speech pathologist and have a teacher's schedule, so I will be off during the summer. Our current daycare (which we love) only offers full time care. I would like the option of being able to take DS in 1-3 times per week to keep him familiar with the learning and social environment plus if we can save a little money that would be a benefit (current daycare is about 750/month). 

Should I speak to his current day care and see if we can create an arrangement or should I begin looking somewhere else that offers both part time and full time? What have other teacher moms done previously? Where we live, day care is extremely competitive and definitely requires advance planning. 

Thank you for any input! 

Bigboobsmcgee

Couldn't hurt to at least ask them. I know the daycares near me do a time share type deal and if other kids only go part time then there's an opening for my kid to go part time.

SLGILL1978

I work for the school district. Until this last year, I had the same breaks as well. My daughter went to an in home daycare and what we did was more of "play dates".We would just go and play with the kids 1-2 times a week. I only ended up doing this her second summer since she was going through separation anxiety (she was 15 months when school ended). Her first summer she was still a baby and didn't notice. This past summer, since I transitioned to a new position, I worked so she went daily. 

sweets7508

If you do end up looking for another sitter, I would see where other teachers in your school/area go. Many times if a sitter is used to teachers, they are willing to work with you. Also keep in mind that many places like that your child will go home in the summer so that there is room for older school age kids to be while school is not in session. Good luck!

mattanda2011

I would check with your place, but if it is a full time center (and care is competitive) it is unlikely that they will let you do that. For us, when we found a place we loved it was worth paying the whole year to know we felt good about care. I know work partially during the summers and my kids go everyday but for shorter days. I will also say it tends to be a much bigger disruption to older kids who are getting into a more of a "school" environment. We specifically would have a really hard time if I kept my 3yo home for 2-3 months and then she had to jump back in. 

4N6s

I would search for some type of summer program or activity! It'll probably be cheaper and more fun. 

NYTino24

This is a concern of mine because I am a teacher with a long commute and a 3:45 end time. We are getting close to TTC and I have an hour commute each way unless there is bad weather or an accident. FH is on a shift schedule - 24 hours on and 48 off. He would spend at least one day at home with our kids, but it's not the same day each week. With my long commute and his shift schedule, I don't know that I will be able to find a daycare that works. We may have to do a nanny (he's fine with this) or au pair (which he doesn't want).