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Daycare Search Timeline

JLKradioJLKradio
in Illinois Babies
We live in Chicago and have heard horror stories about long waiting lists for daycare in the area. For those who have children already or who have started the process of looking for child care in the city, what has your experience been as far as when openings will be available. I'm due in March and hoping to find a daycare for May or June, depending on what I arrange for leave. We live in Ravenswood/Lincoln Square if that makes a difference. I expect to start looking soon, but I'm not sure if it's too early! We barely know what we'll need yet - PT or FT, when we will start. Any advice or experience will be helpful. We just moved back to the city after three years away and this is our first baby, so its all new for us!
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Re: Daycare Search Timeline

  • MrsWindyCityMrsWindyCity member

    I could have written this post. I am also due in March, live in LS/Ravenswood, and am not sure if it will be PT or FT yet!

    I called Illinois Action for Children to get some referals, but have only called one place so far (FWIW, their waiting list was $50 but she couldn't tell me exactly how long it would be). I'm hoping after Labor Day we can start calling places and visit different centers. It's sort of hard since I don't even know if work will *let* me go PT yet, but that's my first choice, right now. 

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  • JLKradioJLKradio
    I just called Action for Children to get a list as well. I'd be curious as to what your experience is as you continue going through the list (I assume they are essentially the same if you are looking in the neighborhood). I have requested information separately from Ravenswood Community Child Care Center, too, but I know their waiting list is really long. Good luck in your search!
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  • egsquaredegsquared member

    I started looking for daycare when I reached the end of my first trimester.  I contacted several daycares and almost all had waiting lists at least 3-4 months after I would need DD to start.  I needed a start date of approx. Dec 1, 2009.  We found one center that had one infant opening starting in Dec., so we went and toured it, liked what we saw and put the deposit down.  I ended up having DD almost 3 weeks early which moves up my return to work date to the middle of November.  I'm not sure what we're going to do about daycare between then and Dec. 1.  I'm planning on calling the daycare to see if DD can start early.

    I joined Neighborhood Parents Network website.  They have a daycare message board that had a lot of good information.  There is a fee to join though -

    www.npnparents.org 

     

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  • Ankea97Ankea97

    It depends on where you are wanting the daycare.  I tried for a few places in the loop and despite getting on waitlists in my 1st trimester (or even straight up laughed at when I said I needed care starting 9 months from then- I had a 3 month maternity leave), I'm still on the waitlist and DS is almost 1 year old!

    We ended up doing a nanny until he was 9 months and then started at a daycare near our house in Logan Square.  I found out about the daycare on NPN.  I think it is one of the best resources if you are in the city.

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