Contacting daycare re: waitlists

[Anonymous]

What do you say when you call daycares to ask the status of the wait list? I got on wait lists in early July and I'm due in March. I want to show my interest, but I am clearly not looking for any kind of definitive answer, as I won't need care for another six months.

Would you call this early? When and how often do you call?

Feedback is much appreciated!

[Anonymous]

Have you taken a tour? If not, scheduling a tour is a good time to ask. I did not start actively calling until my baby was born, at which point I said something to the effect of, "I'm calling to let you know that our little girl has arrived. Her name is X, and she was born on Y date. Can you tell me more about the movement of the waitlist and the likelihood of a space opening up on Z date?"

Then I called once a month after that until I got an answer. They get these calls all the time. After a while, I stopped even pretending to have a legitimate reason to call and started saying "Well, it's an alternate Wednesday! Do you have any good news for me this week?" They didn't, until close to the end of my maternity leave, but we did have a good laugh.

[Anonymous]

I agree, since you are due in a few months you can wait until after the baby is born and update their info at that time (they like to know actual birthdate, name, etc.) and you will also get more of a feel for how organized each one is. With some places the person on the phone will be able to look you up right away and other places you have to wait for a call back, sometimes days later.

But no matter what type of place, they are definitely used to these calls so don't worry about whether you're bothering them. Some of them are very upfront and will let you know when the next group of openings is likely to be so you can gauge how soon you should call back.