I toured the Goddard school in Buckhead and like that it is so close to the office I could be working at. I like that I could go have lunch with Evie if I wanted to. I like that I could get out of work at 5 and have her back with me by 5:15. I like that I won't get stuck in traffic on 400 and wonder if I will get to her school before it closes.
Cons:
She has to commute also, which I don't love. At least until we move.
The biggest thing though is that the school is in a commercial building, with a parking garage. You go into the school through the parking garage and the outdoor play area is adjacent to the garage. The director assured me that no one idles in the garage, but I told him when i got there, there was a car idling in the school drop off zone. I also don't like that the gates are open to the garage, but an alarm goes off if one of the kids gets out. Or worse, if someone opens the gate to take a child!
They assured me that there is always an adult in the play area with the kids, there is foot patrolled security, camera surveillance and the screeching alarm on the gate. But I just worry that if someone wanted to take a kid, reaction times could be too slow to all of those things.
Am I over thinking this? What about the garage being so close to the play area? It is open above the play area to skylight. What do you think?
Re: Daycare Q - WDYT
How did I miss that you were moving? The first daycare we went to was close to my work (far from my house and no where NEAR DH work). The second daycare was on the way from our house to BOTH of our works. The 3rd daycare is less than 3 miles from our house...this location is perfect imo. If this one is close to your work ONLY, i'd be hesitant about the location (that's why I mentioned this). What if you were sick...would DH take Evie to school still? I also did'nt like that Doodle had to ride on 400 with me.
About the garage, that does sound a bit concerning to me. I'd have to see the set up for sure to know if you were overthinking it or not, but i doubt it.
Sorry, I should clarify. If I get this job, we are listing the house and moving closer to SS/Buckhead. The daycare is also close enough to SS that DH could drive her to school if I could not.
There is a Goddard opening in SS in November, but I don't think I will want to change her school when she is just getting used to the idea.
As for the commute, that has not been a problem for us at all. Gavin has commuted with us since he was 8 weeks old and we love it. All 3 of us ride together (an hour each way) and we listen to audiobooks (usually Harry Potter :-) and if Gavin is really restless, he watches DVD's. We leave really early- like 6 am, so sometimes he sleeps in the carseat- but sometimes he doesn't. He's a good rider so it's no biggie. If traffic is bad on the ride home, we stop and have dinner on the way. If he was at daycare up by our house, we wouldn't have that option and DH and I would literally be racing to get there before they close. So for us- this is the best option.
As for the parking area/play area, I don't think I would let that dissuade me if I liked everything else. My building is paralel to one of the runways and planes are constantly landing and taking off. The noise isn't terrible, but on cloudy days- it can be pretty loud on the playground. I wish this wasn't the case... but airplanes are a fact of life for this neighborhood! And parking garages are a fact of life in Buckhead.
Now when you say that the gates open to the parking garage, they don't have a swipe card reader on those? Because our playground also has a gate that opens to the parking lot/drop off area and it has a card reader that only the teachers can use. Even I can't go in and out through that gate. That should be a fairly simple thing for them to install- so I think I would suggest it, but again, if you like everything else about it- that wouldn't be a deal breaker for me.
DMoney will be a kickass big sister
Choosing a daycare was one of the most difficult things for me. I wasn't sure what our best option would be as far as commute. I work in Alpharetta, DH works in East Cobb and we live in Woodstock. I really wanted something that was in the middle of all three, but had a hard time finding something that would work for us. Ultimately, I chose a day care that was closer to DH's work and our house. It will be out of the way for me to drop off/pick up Ella, but not for DH. We figure I'll drop her off most mornings, since I go in later and he'll pick her up. That way, she'll only be there for about 8 hours, instead of 9 or more.
As for the playground issue, are the gates locked at all times? If so, I think I'd be okay with it. If not, I'd worry about this.
I also think you should look at a few more daycares. If I only looked at one and had a concern w/ something about it, I would always worry whether I made the right decision. If I looked at a few others and still chose the first one, I'd feel better about my decision.
GL!
If you have any hesitations, this is not the place for you. You'll know the right daycare from the minute you walk in.
For us, we decided that we wanted the daycare to be closer to our home. We didn't like the idea of the kids having to ride in the car for 2-3 hours every day when they could be playing with their friends instead.
It also allows us the opportunity to run errands quickly after work, without having to drag the kids in and out of the car into 3 stores.
My DH travels alot, so if I were sick and her wasn't there (or if I were taking a day off), i wouldn't want to drive all the way close to where i work to drop off the kids.
While i like your idea of having lunch with them, it may cause a meltdown for her when she sees you leaving at lunch and doesn't understand why she cant' go too. Just another thing to think about.
I've got my fingers crossed for you and hope you get the job!
Ditto this. I used to be able to go down and spend time with Gavin twice a day when he was still in the infant room and nursing. I could come and go and it wouldn't upset him... but now- it's not so easy. He throws huge fits and shrieks and cries and breaks my heart. I still go down to do his breathing treatments or take him to lunch at my grandmothers house sometimes, but when I leave, it is always a struggle and it makes me feel guilty. Just something to keep in mind.
ditto this.