Should I join a daycare early?

[MeganM]

Hi Everyone,
I got word last week that a daycare I applied to had a spot open up for my daughter on the day she was born! In order to reserve her spot in the daycare I have to start paying for it now or lose her place. My question is, is this worth it? I plan to be home for 3.5 months and then my husband will be home for one month. Does it make sense to start paying for the daycare now out of fear that I don't get in anywhere else? This is my second choice daycare, but my first choice still has me behind about 30 families. This problem of course begs the question (again) of what is wrong with the Federal government that they can't provide enough childcare for their employees?! Another option could be to find a family that needs daycare for the next 4 months and then asking the daycare to let me sublet the spot. Any ideas about how to find a family like that too would be helpful.

Thanks so much!
Megan

[Anonymous]

I think your answer depends on where you live. If you live in the District or one of the close in suburbs, it might be a good idea. But, if you live out say in Olney or Burtonsville, it's probably not worth it.

[Anonymous]

If I were you, I'd do it.

I work for the Federal Government too and we don't have daycare because they stopped hiring people from the early 90s to the last couple of years, so there were no people with children to use the daycare (or not enough anyway) and they closed it. Now there are more people in their 20s and late 50s, so still not enough people. Anyway government daycare places still are expensive even when you're a government employee. ANYWAY, if you signed up very early in your pregnancy, you can probably be assured that somewhere else will open up, but if they do then they should be able to tell you within a month or so of the baby being born and you can then lock in with them and drop the other place and it will only cost you a couple of weeks worth of paying them. Everyone seems to find something even if they look last minute, but you don't want to do that if you have places you know you prefer greatly. I it may not be easy to find someone to take daycare for just a few months, but there may be someone who needs it because they are waiting for THEIR daycare to open up!

[Anonymous]

With my first we paid for daycare my whole maternity leave which stunk - but we were so relieved to get a spot (daycare is in my building) there was NO way I was giving it up. Despite the $$, frankly I was glad to not have to worry about it during my leave.

[Anonymous]

"This problem of course begs the question (again) of what is wrong with the Federal government that they can't provide enough childcare for their employees?!"

Very few employers provide childcare for their employees, OP. If it were me, I think I'd take the spot, pay for it, and be grateful.

[Anonymous]

We paid for a daycare spot for 3 months before I went back to work to guarantee a spot, our child attended it for 2 months, then it closed. We were very unhappy about the wasted money, but there was nothing that we could do. If it's a well-established daycare, then I would definitely go ahead and pay for the spot. If it's not, I'd proceed with caution. Also I doubt the daycare would allow you to "sub" another child in your spot, but it couldn't hurt to ask.

[Anonymous]

Assuming you don't have to sign some kind of contract, I'd take it. If a spot opens up at your first choice in the meantime, you can always back out of your second choice. For that matter, I wouldn't take yourself off the list at your first choice in case second choice doesn't work out once you start. I spent a good part of my maternity leave stressed out because I wasn't getting into anywhere (my DH is federal gov't too), and ended up signing up last minute somewhere closer to home. Thankfully, it worked out GREAT, but that isn't always the case.

[Anonymous]

If you want to "sublet" the spot you could post on this forum or on craigslist. I have seen similar postings in these places.

[LRP]

Megan - Not an answer to your question but just wondering when you signed up. Am 3.5 months now, a fed living & working in DC, and clueless as to how long the waiting lists are. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you want to "sublet" the spot you could post on this forum or on craigslist. I have seen similar postings in these places.

I would check with your specific center to see if this is an option and not assume that it is, because many places will not let you do this because it essentially skips others on the waitlist that are entitled to the spot before whoever you sublet it to.

Ultimately you need to make a decision that is best for your family taking into account what you can afford, if you think you will get another chance at this center or get in to your first choice. There is a family in my son's class that has an older sibling in our center and has been paying for a place in the room since July but has not started the baby yet.

[Anonymous]

You could talk to the director of the center to see how likely it is that another spot would open up for you in the next four months. I don't know how sought after spaces are, but four months sounds like a long time for a center to have no turnover whatsoever.

I got a spot in our center about a month earlier than I needed it and took it (I'm not government and am in the suburbs). It was nice to be able to ease my child in to the center without the stress of it being a last minute decision. Also, you could use it for occassional babysitting if necessary while you do errands if you do take the spot early.

[MeganM]

OP
Thank you all for your responses! I ended up taking your advice and signing up for the daycare center. I am in DC and all the other daycares I'm on the list for didn't think they would get my daughter in before next September. It's rough out there! You were also right that they will not allow me to sublet the spot. It will be nice in the last few weeks of maternity leave to be able to slowly transition my daughter into being there and away from me. To the woman who is newly pregnant and wondering about daycare - get on lists now, I heard everywhere that wait times were at least a year. I was only on the Library of Congress and the House of Reps daycare lists, both have great facilities.

[Anonymous]

I think you made the right decision.

We got a spot for my daughter at our first choice daycare center (at my husband's work) right after she was born. We had to pay for it for about 2.5 months to hold the spot because she couldn't attend until she turned 4 months old! Fortunately that coincided with my return to work after maternity leave.

I wasn't thrilled to pay for it but it was worth it to have the spot at a fantastic day care center. I would do it again in a heartbeat if I needed to with another child.