Getting desperate - full-time daycare in Kensington/SS/Bethesda

[Anonymous]

My kids went here for a bit. i really liked it - http://stpaulscdcedu.org/index.html

[Anonymous]

I hate to say it, you are not going to have the luxury of being picky. It is going to be hard for you to find one pace with two open slots at the same time. If you are even able to find something, you will likely have to sacrifice travel time, hours, and/or cost. No harm looking at places near work, but then one parent is stuck doing drop off and pickup, availability is not likely to be easier, and it probably won't be cheaper.

My kid used Childtime for two days two summers as backup care when (Shoe) our regular place was closed. From that limited sample size, it seemed fine. And it might be somewhat more likely to have availability, but I doubt it is that much cheaper than Shoe or other centers downtown or in downtown Bethesda. Daycare, like most other things, gets more expensive when you move in from Germantown.

A home daycare may be your best option, but it might require hours flexibility. That, or with two, a nanny isn't always that much more expensive.

[Anonymous]

You could put your older child into a center and put the younger one in a nanny share or in-home daycare while you wait for a spot to open up.

We moved to SS two years ago and found a great in-home daycare for our younger child. That was the only option for us and although we had qualms about in-home care, we have been really happy with it. There are a lot in Silver Spring because it is so hard to find infant care here. Good luck-- I know you must be stressed out.

[Anonymous]

One more idea--email the neighborhood listserve for your new neighborhood (your realtor might be able to clue you in) and see if someone has a nanny that gets off at 5 that could pick your kids up and watch them for an hour or so until you get home. In my experience, a lot of nannies want some extra hours. You might also be able to get someone to do that in the morning, but my guess is that evening will be easier.

[Anonymous]

Friendship Children's center is not all bad. I know people who had their kids there.
May want to try downtown- bright horizons. FTC has a child care center.

[Anonymous]

Did you check with Easter Seals in downtown SS?

[Anonymous]

Try the early learning center at st andrew the apostle in silver spring. It's excellent and has great hours

[Anonymous]

You could also try the "G" school that shall be named at Mass and Goldsboro in Bethesda. They have a big now enrolling sign so they might have space. Jeff thinks their owner posts responses (and he could be right for all I know) but a couple of people I know casually from the playground have said they are reasonably happy there. Might not be cheaper than other options though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You could also try the "G" school that shall be named at Mass and Goldsboro in Bethesda. They have a big now enrolling sign so they might have space. Jeff thinks their owner posts responses (and he could be right for all I know) but a couple of people I know casually from the playground have said they are reasonably happy there. Might not be cheaper than other options though.

Sorry, shall "not" be named.

[Anonymous]

Thanks all, any and all feedback is helpful. DH and I stagger hours at work so we trade drop off/pick up to not put the burden all on one person. That is essential since both of our jobs are demanding. We could both need to work 12 hours/day to keep up (and need those jobs to pay student loans) so we do a lot of that after the kids go to bed. There are some core hours at work we just have to be there. I work from home 2 days/week. So, we are as flexible as we can possibly be at this point as far as hours.

I'm open to in-home daycares though. Any suggestions?

I'm going to tour Family Academy but uncertain whether we can swing tuition that high.

Karasik is an option but would put DO/PU all on me since it's the exact opposite direction of DH"s work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Try the early learning center at st andrew the apostle in silver spring. It's excellent and has great hours

I would not recommend this. We left - the director is horrible to her staff, which affects them with the kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks all, any and all feedback is helpful. DH and I stagger hours at work so we trade drop off/pick up to not put the burden all on one person. That is essential since both of our jobs are demanding. We could both need to work 12 hours/day to keep up (and need those jobs to pay student loans) so we do a lot of that after the kids go to bed. There are some core hours at work we just have to be there. I work from home 2 days/week. So, we are as flexible as we can possibly be at this point as far as hours.

I'm open to in-home daycares though. Any suggestions?

I'm going to tour Family Academy but uncertain whether we can swing tuition that high.

Karasik is an option but would put DO/PU all on me since it's the exact opposite direction of DH"s work.

Try Monday Morning Moms for in-home daycares. They are a clearinghouse to connect parents to spots that are coming available. The neighborhood listserve is a good idea too. Are you on Silver Spring moms yet? It's a Yahoo listserve, and people are always posting opening in in-homes that they love. It has large boundaries, but definitely covers where you are looking.

[Anonymous]

So the need for 7:30 to 6:30 coverage is *with* staggered hours?

I think your issue is that people who need that much coverage, usually are higher earners who are willing to pay for the convenience/longer hours of a nanny.

[Anonymous]

We have a child at Wonders at Leland and the experience had been wonderful. Very caring staff. But it would not be an option for the infant because they take kids ages 2-5.

[Anonymous]

Has been wonderful - not had been wonderful