Daycare location: Near home or near work?

SarahKate31

I've seen this discussed before and the general consensus usually seems to be that close to home is better. But I'm leaning towards close to work instead and I want to make sure I'm not overlooking anything.

Here is our situation. We live in Eldersburg. We both work in Columbia, about 15 minutes away from each other at work, and about 30-40 minutes away from home. The plan right now is for me to drop DC off at daycare in the mornings and DH will pick DC up in the afternoon/evening. In the event of an emergency or any case where we need to pick DC up early from daycare, Columbia would be convenient for either of us to get there.

I've been looking online for providers (centers) in both Eldersburg and Columbia/Ellicott City and I am finding more options in Col/EC. I also had in the back of my mind that E-burg might be less expensive (CarrollCo vs. HoCo) but I'm not really finding that to be true, and like I said, I am not finding too many options.

Sorry this post is so long!! So my question is, am I overlooking some benefit to finding a provider close to home?

jnealet

My own personal situation - I was looking closer to work, in a place both DH and I would pass to and from work.  Then DH lost his job.  He now works from home and goes no where near where I was looking.  It would have been all on me for pick up and drop offs.

We ended up with somewhere close to home, and I guess, near DH's office.  And as an added benefit, when E is extra tired, the drive home is only a few minutes and I only have to listen to her whine/cry for a short time.

FieryIrishAngel

These are very nit-picky and may end up being non-issues for you, which is fine.  I'm just mulling it over to find anything you may have overlooked (or maybe you considered them and don't feel they're a big deal - I'm not saying that they are, just trying to offer up food for thought).

1. Time for your LO in the car.  Your commute isn't huge, but it isn't small, either.  It's deal-able, but I distinctly remember days when DD just did NOT want to be in that cars eat, so the less driving I had to do with her, the better.

1b. When LO is sick and needs to be picked up from daycare, which is an inevitable occurrence, s/he is going to have a bit of a ride before they're home and in Mommy/Daddy's arms, in their bed, whatever the case may be.  While it would take you longer to get to the daycare, they'd at least be fairly comfortable and well-cared-for while waiting for you as opposed to being strapped into a carseat for a chunk of time.

2. Once LO is older, making friends from the area.  This is quite a way's off, but once your LO is to an age where s/he is making friends, the friends they make will be concentrated around your workplace rather than around your home.  

3. Your jobs may change.  I'm sure you're both stable now and probably aren't planning to look for work elsewhere, but it could happen, and it could make the Columbia/EC location less convenient for you depending upon where you find work.

 

mrs. remy

Ditto Dani's points. My personal preference was to have daycare closer to home mostly because many infants don't tolerate being in the car very long, jobs can always change, and sorry to be morbid but car accidents are like one of the top killers of children so I really like to minimize that risk as much as possible by limiting time in the car.

Cooper81

Our big reason for having DC close to home is that my FIL is retired and can pick John up for us if needed, we also have other family close by so that in a pinch they have been able to pick him up for us.  I work in DC (and not in an area heavy with childcare) and DH works in Landover, not an ideal area for DC.  So if you have family near by that can help out, it might also be worth factoring that in.  Ditto on Dani's points too.

weezie825

Our plan was to use the DC at my work, but Evelyn's early arrival meant we had to find an alternate plan as there were no "slots" available when I needd to go back to work.  We ended up with a DC near our home and that worked out really well since DD doesn't handle long car rides well, especially in the evening. 

The only caveat I have for you about that, is I recall you mentioning that you guys wanted to move back to Howard County.  If you think that will happen sooner rather then later, you may want to look for a provider in the area you will be moving to.

SarahKate31

Thank you for all these points! This is the stuff I need to consider. Maybe I should pick some near home, near work, and maybe in between also. Right now my list is way too long and I need to pare it down.

We do hope to move to the Columbia/Ellicott City area someday, but *when* is very uncertain. I am hoping in the next 3-5 years, but DH thinks we will never be able to afford it - ever. (I think he's being overly dramatic, but that's a whole other issue.) So I'm not sure I want to take a possible move into consideration.

Also, re: family picking up LO in an emergency...Both sets of our parents live in Columbia/Ellicott City.

shaina1215

I take my kids to the daycare at my work and I live 30 min from my work and have little to no traffic on the commute.

Having daycare so close to work has pros and cons. It's really nice when the kids are sick, run out of diapers, etc that I can get to them in literally 5 minutes, and when there are parties or events at daycare I can easily go participate in those. That time in the car with them to talk, sing, etc is extra time we wouldn't have otherwise. On the other hand, pick up and drop off is all on me which gets old sometimes. And when we want to bring the kids in when I'm not going in to work because I'm sick or have a day off it's really out of the way to drive 30 min and turn around and drive 30 min back home. Also I have to pass on most travel opportunities for work because DH would not be able to bring the kids in to daycare because his work is nowhere near my work/daycare and has an inflexible schedule.

Overall, having the daycare at work is nice and doesn't cause issues, but every once in a while I wish it was near our house.

madladybride

We are going with a place that is closer to home because my commute sucks and I work far away from where we live. DH goes to different sites for his job, so one close to our house is more convenient for him (yesterday he was in Bethesda and last week he had to drive to Chambersburg). Also, there may be a day when I am sick or need a day to do errands and I don't want to drive 74 miles round trip to drop LO off at daycare. Furthermore, I don't really like the options available to me near my work. It may be easier for you and DH to do closer to work since your family lives in Columbia/EC and BOTH you and DH work in the area and eventually want to move there...

nutmegger

Ditto all of Dani's points, but I'd like to modify the one about making friends in the area. As someone who currently has her child in a center in Columbia/Ellicott City, I can say that many of the kids at DD's center live elsewhere, but their parents work in Columbia. Of the 6 kids in DD's room, 4 live within 5 mins of the center and the other two live 20-30 mins away. So, in this area it's not uncommon to do this. Also, this is purely anecdotal/not based on percentages or other numbers, but I've overheard so many parents (of both kids of varying ages in in the school) talk about how they're sending the kids to private school, so the kids end up all over the place after preschool anyway. Another advantage to near work- you can visit your kid during the day if you'd like. And a word of advice if you choose to go with Columbia/EC: call now and get on waiting lists if necessary. You could also reserve a spot near home as a backup.

SarahKate31

nutmegger:

And a word of advice if you choose to go with Columbia/EC: call now and get on waiting lists if necessary. You could also reserve a spot near home as a backup.

Thank you for the advice! I am definitely trying to get this info together ASAP so I can call this week or next. I am already worried that I'm too late and spots will be taken!

nutmegger

SarahKate31:

nutmegger:

And a word of advice if you choose to go with Columbia/EC: call now and get on waiting lists if necessary. You could also reserve a spot near home as a backup.

Thank you for the advice! I am definitely trying to get this info together ASAP so I can call this week or next. I am already worried that I'm too late and spots will be taken!

Do you know which ones you're considering?

SarahKate31

The ones on my list in Columbia/EC are Columbia Academy, La Petite, Cradlerock Children's Center, Childtime, and Goddard (Goddard also has a location near home). Those are basically the ones I've seen recommended on here!

Destiny3_16

My ds is in day care in columbia because I too found that there were more options in that area. Columbia is in between home and work for both me and DH. I looked in multiple areas, including near his job, near my job and near home. I found more options and reasonable prices for child care in the Columbia area. You may want to look into Love of Learning Montessori. My son is older, but when I went on their tour they showed me the whole center. The teachers in the infant room was really nice and really seemed to care for the babies. She was the one that took me on the tour, since the director was out at the time.

nutmegger

Yes, Love of Learning is another one I didn't find out about until after DD started.  We use The Young School (they have locations in King's Contrivance and Kendall Ridge).  If you want more info about this daycare, feel free to PM me.

michelerenee78

I think its good that you are looking closer to work, especially since you mentioned that the grandparents live in Columbia/Ellicott City.  My sister and brother-in-law live in Middle River, but chose a DC close to work for them, which is close to me and my husband and my parents.  In an emergency, my mom goes to pick up my nephew.