day care dilemma...

groovygrl

so we are trying to decide b/w 2 day cares for our (to be) 5 month old twins. Both are equally clean & have webcams, etc. One is a 4 star, one a 5 star b/c more of their staff have bachelor degrees. 

Day care 1: when I went to visit, I liked the asst mgr but was not crazy about the teachers in the infant room b/c they weren't really interacting w/t he babies they were with and didn't really talk to me except to say hello. when MH went, they were interacting w/ the babies & he felt ok about them. In retrospect, I think it was naptime &they were trying to get the babies to fall asleep. The center is a little more 'day care'-ish if that makes sense, not as homey, but very clean & well kept/managed.  It is about $100 less per month than day care 2 & they twins can get in no problem.

Day care 2:  felt warmer to me when I went to visit, classical music playing in the room, warmer atmosphere. Knowing it was a 5 star may have biased me before I went. one of the teachers in the infant room came up & talked to me & asked if I had questions when I was there which I liked. This was my #1 choice after visiting both.  They do not have space for 2 babies for January- UNLESS we pay for 2 weeks in December for 1 baby (all complicated- there is one space available now, 1 available Dec 21 & they would only charge us 1/2 b/c we'd be using our 2 'vacation weeks' that we get per year, which are 1/2 price.). So, we'd be paying over $500 for nothing- we can't even take either child there for a day or 2 during that time b/c it is the 'vacation' weeks. 

I'm so torn. I wanted day care 2 the whole time. Now I'm slightly suspicious that they're trying to get $ from us b/c they know we really wantd to go there. But MH has been the one talkign to them & he doesnt think that is the case- he thinks they offered this to all the families on the wait list for Jan & no one has taken it yet.

It's not about the $, we can spend the $500 and pay the tuition they charge, but now I'm just second guessing if it is the best choice & am afraid we'll go there & for some reason be unhappy & switch & I'll be so mad at myself... both centers have gotten good reviews that we've seen online & through the grapevine.

WWYD? 

Temp159135562506975

i don't quite understand the vacation weeks- you mean the center is closed those 2 weeks? yet they want you to start then and pay?  that is strange.

i never had issues with my daycare having spots --- they knew we watned to start on a certain day - and that's when we started... though, i might be missing something here.  I just don't get why your deposit wouldn't be good enough?

I would pick the place that gives you the best feeling in your gut.

groovygrl

every family gets 2 'vacation weeks' where they only pay 1/2 tuition when they don't bring the kids to day care.

they have 1 spot for all of dec. open and 1 spot starting the 21st. The problem is that we are not first on the january wait list. Since none of the january ppl before us on the wait list wanted to start early in December, they offered it to us as a possibility, since we will likely not get in for January b/c the people before us on the wait list will take the spots. At first they offered it to us for full tuition but we were not willing to pay that much basically just to get in, when I don't need the care in Dec. Then they told us we could use the vacation weeks early as another option that is cheaper, but we won't get the vacation weeks later, which isn't necessarily a big deal, as I teach and will not be using day care from mid May to mid August anyway, which is when we tend to take our vacations. 

AnKa

This thing that daycare 2 offers you is very very common. First time parents might not encounter this as much but with my DD2, I paid from September through December for 1/2 the tuition in the infant spot to secure her January spot.

The director told me that this offer is only for existing families, and all families who have been offered, have taken her up on it. Fact is, good daycares have wait lists, and it is hard to synchronize childcare for 2 kids (same age or different ages). 

Believe me when I say that $500 is NOTHING when it comes to childcare that you trust and are 100% comfortable with. 

Our center closed (long story, nothing to do with the center itself) and I had to find new arrangements, it was a complete nightmare and the worst month of my life to sort this all out. 

 

ahava2005

Agree.  That is a very common way of working with parents.  And actually, 500 isn't bad at all.  Some parents end up having to shell out more to guarantee a spot.

I'd pay it and take it.