DC decisions - thoughts please!

traveltheworld

Sorry but this is going to be long.

DS (10.5 months) has now been in his DC for 5 weeks and is starting to adjust well .  Well, today we got a call from a DC that I signed up for and a spot has become available.  I have till the end of tomorrow to decide.

DC1 (current daycare) - in my office building, I really like his DC teachers, but super expensive.  We have him there 4 days/week ($1,500) and my ILs watch him on Fridays.  My ILs live all the way across town and also travel 4 - 6 weeks a year; so when they travel, DH and I will have to use our vacation days to stay home with DS.  However, starting in January of next year, my parents will watch him 2 days a week so we?ll only need to go there 3 days a week ($1,000).

DC2 (potential daycare) - close to my office building.  Only does full-time, but for 5 days/week, it?s only $1,200.  So we?ll have the flexibility of having him there every day. DC2 is affiliated with a corporate sponsor which means that if any employees from the corporate sponsor wants a spot, there is a chance that DS may lose his spot (in which case we?d get 90 days notice to find alternate care).  Right now there are 5 employees who want a spot in September, but there are also 5 children moving up to the next room in September; so it shouldn?t affect DS, but there are no guarantees.

The quality of care appears to be the same at both places, and I plan to move DS to a pre-school close to our house when he turns 2.5 years old, so I?m not particularly concerned about the older-age curriculum.

Would you move?

*sparky*

I wouldn't move because (1) he has only been in DC for 5 weeks and has just gotten adjusted, (2) it sounds like you could lose your spot at any time at DC2 which could put you into a real bind, (3) you are going to move him again in 1.5 years, and (4) in January the cost goes down because of your parents taking 2 days/week.

Stella2008

Is the IL arrangement with DC1 presenting any kind of an issue right now? Do you all have a good relationship where you completely trust that they will take their responsibility seriously, and are your parents 100% committed to the arrangement in January? 

Is the more expensive DC putting you in a financially difficult position, paying $300 more per month?

I'd say if you can really count on the family support to help defray some of the expense of DC#1, I'd just stay there. For me, stability is extremely important, and the idea of 1) moving after just starting somewhere 5 weeks ago and finally getting used to it all, and 2) the potential of being "bumped" out and needing to find new care would be the deciding factors for me. However, if I was even a bit concerned about the "arrangement" with IL or parents, and may potentially need FT care anyway, I'd likely switch now and take the risk of the "bump"--after all, you'd have 90 days to find new care and that is reasonable period of time, especially since (at least in my area) more options for care open up at 15 months and you would probably be at that point. 

QueSrah

Where I am it's pretty hard to find daycare even up to age two or three, so I'd be very wary of a place that could kick out my kid to take a kid with some kind of preferred status because I might not be able to find a replacement in 90 days.  (WTH - that seems like a crazy system to me. I understand getting preference on a waiting list, but actually kicking out a paying family to let in a different family?)  So for me, DC1 sounds better to me.

2chatter

Unless you are planning on getting a job at the company that sponsors the other day care, I would steer clear of the 90 day bump list.

traveltheworld

To answer some questions - I'm comfortable with my ILs watching DS.  But they live really far from us and our work-place, so on Fridays we have to get up at 5:30, drive to their house, drop off DS, then take the bus/subway to work.  Makes for a really long day.  I'm 90% confident that my parents will watch him starting in January.  The $300 doesn't put us in a financial bind, it's just nice to have that extra money.

DC2 just implemented this new policy in September and since then, 2 families have been asked to vacate their spots (they have a capacity of 86).  But they operate on a "last in, first out" system in determining which family they'd ask to leave first.

I should also mention that my company has the same arrangement with DC1, so we are guaranteed a spot at DC1 whenever we want to come back. 

And lastly, I agree that this policy is annoying and unfair.  Unfortunately due to lack of good daycares, more and more companies and daycares in our city are now turning to this model.  The daycares make more money because the companies pay an extra sponsorship fee; and the companies uses this is a major recruitment tool for employees.  It leaves families that do not work for a sponsoring company out of luck...but that's another vent for another day.

brettsmama

Nope, I wouldn't move

jlaOK

I was all for DC2, until you mentioned the chance of losing your spot.  It is worth an extra $300/month and a few days of vacations when your IL's travel to be guaranteed that DS won't lose his spot.