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Help with looking for daycares

jsychienjsychien
in Boston Babies

Hi ladies,

 

I am not due until February with my first.  But I've been thinking about daycare options already, and find myself overwhelmed!  I only get 12 weeks maternity leave, and we can't afford for me to be a SAHM.  

 Any tips on researching day care options?  I know about Kindercare and Bright Horizons, but they are a little more than I would like to spend.  How did you ladies go about finding day care for your kids?

 FYI, I am living in the Cambridge/Somerville area.

Thanks in advance.

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Re: Help with looking for daycares

  • moonfrogxmoonfrogx

    In my experience it's never too early to start looking. Many places have waiting lists, and it can take a bit to find the right fit.

     

    https://www.eec.state.ma.us/ChildCareSearch/EarlyEduMap.aspx

    That link will give you a search engine to find licensed care facilities in your area.  I started off by getting the list of all the care providers in the towns I wanted to look, and started off by calling 5, then from there picked another 5 and so on.  Some won't answer the phone (if in home), some don't call back, some just don't have openings.

     I originally wanted nothing to do with in home care, but ended up there and haven't regretted it for a single minute.  The centers just proved to be too expensive or not have openings when I needed them.  The woman we chose is practically part of our family now!

    Good luck!

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  • meganmarieCAmeganmarieCA
    imagemoonfrogx:

    In my experience it's never too early to start looking. Many places have waiting lists, and it can take a bit to find the right fit.

     

    https://www.eec.state.ma.us/ChildCareSearch/EarlyEduMap.aspx

    That link will give you a search engine to find licensed care facilities in your area.  I started off by getting the list of all the care providers in the towns I wanted to look, and started off by calling 5, then from there picked another 5 and so on.  Some won't answer the phone (if in home), some don't call back, some just don't have openings.

     I originally wanted nothing to do with in home care, but ended up there and haven't regretted it for a single minute.  The centers just proved to be too expensive or not have openings when I needed them.  The woman we chose is practically part of our family now!

    Good luck!

    This exactly!  I did my initial look last year, then wound up being a WAHM for the last 17 months, and just now went back to the office this week.  I have family covering care for the first two weeks, but we'll be starting in-home care the week after that, and I found every place I looked at through that website.

    If you want to go the nanny route, try posting on gardenmoms and places like that before you go to sittercity.com or care.com....gardenmoms is free and those sites are expensive!

     

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