Monday, July 29, 2013

The Great Day-Care Debate!

Oh what I wouldn’t give to be able to stay home every day with my little nugget and still be able to maintain the lifestyle Brian and I are used to. Granted, if we gave up much of the frivolous things we spend money on it’s quite possible that I would be able to do just that, however, we like knowing that if we want to go out to dinner with friends we can, and it doesn’t break the bank when Brian needs a new pair of shoes for work (which happens every 3-4 months), or I want to get my hair cut.
That being said, we have known since the moment I got pregnant that daycare was going to be a requirement for us. And that’s where the debates, arguments and juggling began. Brian and I both work in Boston so the first thing we had to figure out was whether we’d do daycare IN the city or closer to home. The next item on the list was did we want a CENTER or an IN-HOME. Then onto, how much we were willing to pay for daycare, who would be responsible for drop off/pick up etc. It truly is a never ending list of decisions.
Once we started to nail down what we wanted I began making phone calls and inquiries. The first hurdle I came to (in mid-April) was learning that centers in Boston had infant waiting lists dating out to March 2014 … you do that math and tell me if that makes sense – people in the city put children on lists before they are pregnant – no I’m not kidding! The second hurdle I came to was cost, city centered daycares wanted anything from $500-800 a week or $26,000 - $42,000 PER   YEAR! I mean for that I might as well stay home! The last and final hurdle I came to was drop off/pick up… no way in hell was I planning on schlepping him to and from Boston on the train every day. So, with that an IN town daycare was out.
It was then onto daycare centers near home. Again, it was hurdle after hurdle. The first being how would we make it work. Even when I take the train roundtrip into the city, I’m away from home 11 hours a day. Most daycare centers have a max cut off of 10 hours a day, and many of them consider “full-time” to be 9 hours – anything over that and you’re paying a premium for the extra time (up to $60 an hour). The second hurdle was finding a center. Unfortunately for us, there really aren’t that many in our area (or in-homes for that matter). There are more pre-schools near us than anything, and the child has to be 2.9 years old to attend pre-school. From a cost perspective, the centers that we did find were a fraction of the price – wanting between $300-400 a week or $15,000 - $20,000 a year. We began thinking about what we could do to make this work – could I reduce my hours or possibly find something closer to home? Could we lean on our families to assist with drop-off/pick-up?
The more we discussed it the more stressful it became. I found myself wishing that all centers were created equal – that there was a master list out there of names/locations and you just had to say that one and you were good. But alas, no such list exists.
Finally, after getting recommendations from friends and family we happened upon Magical Beginnings in Middleton. My mother and I went for a visit and it was quickly clear to me I needn’t look anywhere else. One of the biggest draws for me is that the woman who runs the nursery program used to babysit for my sisters and me. If I’m going to put my child in a daycare center rather than an in-home, I take great comfort in personally knowing (and trusting) the provider. The center was clean, inviting and very secure – parents are required to be fingerprinted to access the building, there are security cameras everywhere you look and all external doors are locked (with the exception of the front door) all day. I instantly took to the director, she was funny and personable and I could definitely see my child attending their facility. Best of all, the price was perfect – just over $300 for a 9 hour a day, five day a week spot. Luckily, because of the proximity to my parents, my mother has generously offered to pick him up from the center after she gets out of work so we can avoid any overage charges and I don’t have to change my schedule.
In the meantime, my mother in law has also offered to watch the baby a few days a week (we’re still working on logistics) to help us off-set some of the costs! We are still hoping that Hannah will be able to watch him two days a week while she’s in school (before she goes abroad in the spring), and if that’s the case we can possibly hold off on enrolling him at Magical Beginnings until January.
My maternity leave is at the most 9 weeks, and I plan on returning to work November 4th (unless of course we win the lottery between now and then!) so I have, for my own peace of mind, put down a deposit to hold a spot at Magical Beginnings starting in November. On the off chance that the nugget is too much work for either Hannah (dealing with 2) or my mother in law (11 hours is a LONG day) I like have the security of a spot in Middleton. If everything goes according to plan, our deposit will hold our spot in January as well when we are ready to enroll him! Then in the summer, my mother has said she’d take him 2 days a week! So for those three months, we will ask my mother in law to only do 2 days as well so she can have a bit of a break and then we’d keep the nugget in daycare one day.
I can’t even begin to describe how much of a weight has been lifted off my shoulders just knowing this much. We have time to alter our plans a bit should things fall through with Hannah or my mother in law (which I don’t anticipate) so I’m no longer stressed about it! Now it’s just a matter of outlining the new household budget to accommodate the new cost! J
It really is incredible all the planning that needs to be done before the baby is even here! I’m trying to take it one day and one thing at a time. I know it will get done and if we find we need more help, we are so blessed with an amazing support system (family and friends) that will pitch in!
With everything that gets done, I feel a bit more ready for his arrival. Just over 5 weeks to go!

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