Anybody from Shakopee area?

cool_janey2002

Hi Ladies, I was just wondering if there were any expecting moms from Shakopee area?

JenK1108

Not expecting, but I am in Shakopee.  I have a 12 month old son. 

cool_janey2002

Nice to meet you Jen   How do you like the area? For how long have you been living here? What are some of the cool places you usually take your baby to around Shakopee?

JenK1108

Hello!  We love Shakopee.  We built our home here almost 8 years ago now.  DS is in daycare full time at the YMCA in Prior Lake, so most of his time is spent there.  I haven't done ECFE at all since DS is in daycare, and I work fulltime, but if you will be a SAHM, I have always heard great things about ECFE - great way to meet other Mom's too.  Now that DS is older, we will be out more this spring/summer doing fun things.  This past year,  besides errands, the mall, visiting family/friends, we've stayed close to home since he wasn't mobile yet.  He is walking now, so we have a lot more options, although not necessarily close to Shakopee.  We do love the Y in Prior Lake though - great pool area for families.  We belong to LifeTime in Chanhassen, so we will likely use the pool there (indoor and outdoor) more this year now that he is mobile.  There are tons of parks, which will be great this Spring/Summer as well. 

brooke+w99

My husband and I live in Shakopee and we are expecting our first baby in August!
I am eager to meet other Shakopee moms!

cool_janey2002

Unfortunalely, we can't afford for me to be a stay at home mom. I'll be going back to work soon after the baby is born. I hope we'll get to do some fun stuff around the area when Maya is born but I am afraid it might be tough to do, lol. Have you ever been to the high school pool? I hear you can go there if you get membership to the community center in Shakopee.

By the way, I also have a dog, so I think we will be probably going to off leash dog park in Prior Lake this summer

cool_janey2002

Awesome, summer babies are fun! It would be cool to have a baby play date sometimes and share our experiences if you would like. How is the pregnancy going for you? Are you going to find out who it is? By the way, have you also started looking into finding a day care? Do you know of any good places in Shakopee?

JenK1108

I know there are a lot of home daycares in the city and surrounding cities, but we chose to take DS to a center, for multiple reasons.  It costs more, but I feel assured of his safety and like the benefits of a center.  DS has been attending the YMCA in Prior Lake (right off Cty Rd 42 and Canterbury Rd) since he was 9 weeks old.  I cannot say enough great things about the program - fantastic infant room, excellent teachers.  we have had no staff turnover in his room since he started, same 4 teachers. 

 I worked as a Center Director and at the corporate level for KinderCare Learning Centers up until 4 years ago, and we have one of those in Shakopee, just a mile from my house.  If it tells you anything, we chose not to bring my DS there, and I worked for the company for 8 years and left on good terms.  I couldn't even get someone to schedule a tour for me or give me a price quote, so they went off my list quite quickly. 

I would suggest going to the MN Department of Human Services website.  You can view licensing information for all licensed home and center based programs.  This will provide recent licensing visit information, including citations they received, or unannouncced visits due to being reported by someone, for something.  I took a few places off my list to even call just by looking at what they had been cited for recently.  Licensing is a very unbiased view at the health and safety issues that could exist at the program, in most cases.