Temporary Availability for Infant Daycare at Merritt Academy
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Anonymous
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OP, Merritt parent here. I have had a child at Merritt since infancy.
I think it might be a good idea to inquire into being placed on the wait list for the Toddlers class. Pay for a smaller in-home daycare or a nanny until next September. Even if you are paying top dollar for a nanny you will come out ahead. I really don't think it would be worth the money spent for time that you won't use. As an aside while I felt my DC was well cared for in the infant program if I had to do it again I would opt for a nanny or a much smaller in-home. Also the infant classes are so big at Merritt and while well cared for my DC was always sick. He literally came down with something that kept him out of daycare at least once a week that first year. There are about 15 infants in each class and the babies on top of each other all day long (cribs are close together and the rooms are small). The teachers are all really nice and adored my DC but I missed so much work I wouldn't do it again. |
Anonymous
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Previous Merritt Parent here. We only had 12 in each infant class a few years ago, not sure if that number has changed. DD got sick a few times, but nothing crazy (very normal for first time in a daycare setting). Her teachers were actually amazing at making sure they didn't pass things around. We got noticed if a child came down with something and DD hasn't come down with any of it thus far (which was especially amazing to me in the toddler room).
I'm sure there are people who may be interested in the spot, but you would have to be VERY clear it's only for a limited period of time. They also would probably have to sign some sort of contract with Merritt too, although I'm not sure how that would work. |
Anonymous
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Our daycare will not offer a spot to a child that isn't yet age-eligible, so for example no infant spot until the baby is 6 weeks old. They also have a yearly classroom transition date, but kids can also move up during the year as they hit the right age or maturity for the next class, so there is movement throughout the year, just not as much as in August.
This situation sounds like intentional exploitation of the waitlist to make easy money filling classes with kids who can't even attend yet. And yeah, as a PP said, if the waitlist is so long why aren't there families with older babies accepting this spot before they get down to you? |
Anonymous
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OP here- Thanks to everyone for your responses. Our first child has been at Merritt since the infant room (soon moving up to k4) and we have been exceedingly happy with the school. We were the first family on the wait list for this spot, and consider ourselves lucky to have been given the spot after one family left the accepted roster.
We will therefore pay the full year if we must, but the school has given us permission to find a child to temporarily fill the spot until we are ready to use it. They do not feel comfortable, however, in directly offering temporary positions to other families. The burden therefore falls to us, and we cannot view the wait list. I understand that this is not everyone's ideal situation - but it is ours, except for paying for an unused portion of the school year. Merritt Academy is priced high, and the ratios for the infant room are not perfect, but the trust we have with the teachers and administration is very high. To me, that is worth the premium we pay. Any help that anyone could offer would be sincerely appreciated. |
Anonymous
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My husband and I are actually looking for a temporary spot for our infant son starting in mid-September while we wait to get off the wait list at our preferred daycare center. I'd be interested in discussing more specific details to see if this would be a mutually beneficial situation - can you contact me directly at my email (karen.bennett.bianco@gmail.com)?
Thanks! |
Anonymous
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OP here
Karen - Thank you for replying. I've responded by email. You may want to remove your email form the above post to avoid any spam. I look forward to hearing from you. |
Anonymous
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OP again -
The space is still available. Meritt's location was not convenient to the above poster. Thank you. |
Anonymous
im sorry if this is not helpful but doesn't Merrit have a sibling preference???? Every daycare center we visited has this and it is a major pro to our family. If you already have a child at Merrit why can't you have sibling preference for when your baby is born?Do they not have this policy anymore? |
Anonymous
| I'm not sure if they do or not, but we have a space. Our problem is that in order to keep the space for when we need it, we have to pay for the time we do not use it. |
Anonymous
| I think this is exploitative of Merritt. |
Anonymous
| If they have a sibling preference policy like most daycare a there is no need for you to pay for a spot before your baby is born. When your infant is ready for daycare and your older child is there the infant should be moved up on the waitlist dye to the sibling preference. If you can't find a family to take the spot temporarily I would not pay them a cent to hold it. |
Anonymous
| You could find an in home care provider nearby that is much cheaper then Merritt infant care. Then when a spot opens you can easily transfer to Merritt. Your infant should move up within a year due to having another child already there. What a tough situation for you!!! |
Anonymous
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This whole situation sounds ridiculous. I've never heard of a daycare not giving a sibling a spot without having to pay for all this time not being used.
(And really 12-15 infants in one room is not quality care worth paying a premium for.) |
Anonymous
+1 |
Anonymous
| +1000 |