January 2012 Moms
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Day care crisis!
Ok, so my sister had it all set with us that she would be our nanny for awhile after baby was born (like until May). Since then, her fiancee got a job in California and has moved out there. After that, I asked her if her plans had changed, and she said no, that she would still stay with us till May to help take care of the LO. Now, she is talking about leaving at the end of Jan! I want to support her, because I know how hard it can be to live so far from the one you love, but OMG, I feel like I am being left in the lurch here! I am so worried about finding day care on short notice (that we can actually afford). Any thoughts? Advice? What do I do? Is it even possible to get her enrolled in daycare this late in the game? (I am going back to work mid-Feb, but I have heard horror stories of 6 month waiting lists.) Thanks in advance....side note: anxiety attacks suck... :-/
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Re: Day care crisis!
get on waiting lists ASAP for places you like.
then, you might just have to find a back-up or home daycare or something in your area for the meantime. In our area, we were on the lists for the places we really liked for upwards of a year, but I know we did find a few home daycares that had immediate openings.
relax. you'll find something!!! In CA you can look on the state's webpage for licensed daycares. I'm not sure about other states. if you're in CA and can't find it, let me know and I'll look it up and send you the link.
If you are looking for reputable day care centers in your area try the state website. All states by law must list publicly each licsensed day care and any infractions they've incurred, what they are,and how long it took for compliance. Also there are references on what to look for in a quality daycare (and also how to report anything that you feel the state needs to be made aware of). If you have questions about what legal responsibilities the daycare provider must comply with, you'll find it there too ( some states don't allow babies to be put in swings or bouncy seats, some states allow caregivers to wear babies, some don't etc). This is the link for AZ I believe. Arizona Child Care Liscensing. Good luck!
https://www.naeyc.org/academy/accreditation/search This is a national database of NAEYC accredited day-cares which I strongly prefer over just a licensed facility--they have stricter standards of care and will do activities that are developmentally appropriate for your baby not just watch.
care.com alternately, this is a website that allows people to list themselves for childcare and could be a great resource if you are looking for more intimate care can be in home care or a nanny in college, but a mixed bag so you have to do all the leg work interviewing and working out terms.
You are getting some great advice here and it's never too late to enroll. I know someone mentioned Care.com and I just wanted to give you their child care center page...it's much easier to find what you need if you start here.
Child Care Centers