Tuesday, May 25, 2004
( 5/25/2004 10:15:52 AM )
When I hear someone is pregnant I immediately ask them to start thinking about day care options. I try not to be pushy about other things, but daycare is something that must be addressed and as early as possible. The amount of daycare options for newborns in the city is horrid. Whether you are going with a nanny or a large center, start your hunt early.
Action for Children (formally Day Care Action Council) is a pretty good resource to start your hunt. If you qualify, they can give you a listing for free of licensed day cares & nannies in any area of the city. If you don't qualify, they ask for a small fee. When I called a year ago, it was $30. We passed on it, but a few friends have done it and been fairly pleased. Be warned: It is just a listing, they are not recommendations or anything like that. You need to call and invesitate them.
When looking at a daycare center, I say first & foremost, go with your gut. We visited one that didn't sit well with us. I won't say which thou - I have a friend who does us it and loves them. But the day we visited, it looked messy and well, just didn't give us a good feeling. Even thou it was closer to the house and a few bux cheaper, we went with another place.
Things to think about:
1) Close to home or work? We chose in the middle. We wanted Ella to be close at hand in an emergency, but also close to home for the end of the day drive. Now that I changed jobs, she's across the street from me and I love it. I have friends who live in the burbs and have their child care out there and sometimes comment on being so far away from their child. Then again, if we lived in the burbs, I doubt I'd lug Ella in the city every morning.
2) How friendly is the staff? Remember, they are the ones who will be caring for your baby. If they don't seem friendly when you meet them, will you really trust them?
3) Full-time vs. Part-time? Unfortunately, there are not a lot of part-time daycare options. And when you do find some, there is not a lot of money difference. I work full-time, so there was no decision for us.
we used Babycenter.com for a lot of our questions.
We did consider the nanny option for all about 5 seconds. The cost was just too high for us after you add in a living wage, good benefits, and taxes. The feminist in me just couldn't offer anything less than $10 a hour (average wage) plus full benefits and of course, paying social security taxes.
Frustrated with daycare? You're not alone. The Family Intiative is just what you may need. They can't offer you help, but they can offer you an outlet for action.
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( 5/25/2004 10:15:52 AM )
FAQ - Daycare Options in Chicago
When I hear someone is pregnant I immediately ask them to start thinking about day care options. I try not to be pushy about other things, but daycare is something that must be addressed and as early as possible. The amount of daycare options for newborns in the city is horrid. Whether you are going with a nanny or a large center, start your hunt early.
Action for Children (formally Day Care Action Council) is a pretty good resource to start your hunt. If you qualify, they can give you a listing for free of licensed day cares & nannies in any area of the city. If you don't qualify, they ask for a small fee. When I called a year ago, it was $30. We passed on it, but a few friends have done it and been fairly pleased. Be warned: It is just a listing, they are not recommendations or anything like that. You need to call and invesitate them.
When looking at a daycare center, I say first & foremost, go with your gut. We visited one that didn't sit well with us. I won't say which thou - I have a friend who does us it and loves them. But the day we visited, it looked messy and well, just didn't give us a good feeling. Even thou it was closer to the house and a few bux cheaper, we went with another place.
Things to think about:
1) Close to home or work? We chose in the middle. We wanted Ella to be close at hand in an emergency, but also close to home for the end of the day drive. Now that I changed jobs, she's across the street from me and I love it. I have friends who live in the burbs and have their child care out there and sometimes comment on being so far away from their child. Then again, if we lived in the burbs, I doubt I'd lug Ella in the city every morning.
2) How friendly is the staff? Remember, they are the ones who will be caring for your baby. If they don't seem friendly when you meet them, will you really trust them?
3) Full-time vs. Part-time? Unfortunately, there are not a lot of part-time daycare options. And when you do find some, there is not a lot of money difference. I work full-time, so there was no decision for us.
we used Babycenter.com for a lot of our questions.
We did consider the nanny option for all about 5 seconds. The cost was just too high for us after you add in a living wage, good benefits, and taxes. The feminist in me just couldn't offer anything less than $10 a hour (average wage) plus full benefits and of course, paying social security taxes.
Frustrated with daycare? You're not alone. The Family Intiative is just what you may need. They can't offer you help, but they can offer you an outlet for action.
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