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Infant Day Care - Should be Closer to work or home?
My husband and I have a disagreement regarding when I go back to work...Should the day care we put our baby in be near home or work? We live in the Alexandria area and work in the Herndon/Dulles area...thoughts?
Also - separate issue - he is fully against licensed home day care and believes we should only be looking at day care centers. I am option to any options that are licensed, clean, safe and have a flexible schedule since I can telecommute 1-2 days per week. Thoughts on this as well? And any suggestions on either home or center care in Alexandria or Herndon/Dulles area?
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Re: Infant Day Care - Should be Closer to work or home?
are you more likely to move or change jobs within the next 5 years? do you plan on having more children? if so, add more time to that number.
do either of you ever travel for work? if so, how will your child get to daycare if, for example, your husband is away and it's a telecommute day for you? what if you are sick? if DC is near work, you have to make that commute (twice) just to have a day at home to rest/recover, or you have to keep the child home with you while you are sick.
and for the most practical reason to select DC closer to home - you reduce the risk of your child being in the car during an accident. while it is true that accidents most often occur close to home, the longer your child is in the car, the greater the risk. you might also consider your child's temperament in the car. does he/she sit quietly? sleep (which could interfere with bedtime by the time you get home in the evening)? fuss? current behavior might be an indicator of how he/she might be as a toddler. how will you entertain your child for what is likely a 40+ commute each morning/evening?
for all these reasons, we chose a DC closer to home.
what are your husband's objections to an in-home provider?
we went with an in-home (in Del Ray) that is more of a hybrid between an in-home and a center. it's small with a max of 10 or 12 kids and 3 providers. it's in a house but no one lives there, so the entire downstairs is dedicated to the daycare. they run a preschool curriculum for the older kids. my son stayed there from 5 months until kindergarten this fall and was just skipped up to first grade last week because he's reading at almost a 2nd grade level and his math skills are mid-way through first grade. My daughter just turned two and already counts to 20 and knows the alphabet. our friends whose kids go to centers don't get this type of attention.
i'm glad!! i reread that and thought it sounded way obnoxious!
they take infants up to kindergarten. i'm not sure if they have any openings right now. yes, they are licensed. i will send you a PM with contact info