Moving to VA - how long does it really take to get a spot in daycare - panicking a bit...
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Anonymous
Nope, listings from the estate agent. |
Anonymous
I see your point but we would need a bigger place if we were considering an au pair so it wouldn’t be that much of a saving as we d have to pay more in rent. |
Anonymous
They found a 3 bedroom for 2k in Arlington? Pray tell. |
Anonymous
Not 2000$, no but 2500$ (as explained in my post if I lived in Arlington I wouldn’t need a car so my budget could stretch further), yes there are several. |
Anonymous
Not OP, but if you search Zillow rentals, several do come up. Mostly in S. Arlington. Not sure of the neighborhoods. |
Anonymous
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OP, I recommend Reston as well. We live here and DH commutes to Crystal City/Arlington and it takes a good hour in the evenings about about 35 min in the morning (he leaves at 6am though and I do mornings with the kids).
We have childcare in Reston; there are several excellent centers but infant childcare (under 2 years) will run close to $2k/mo. Even Bright Horizons is in that range and so are all the nonprofits. There are other options and some quality in homes so that would be an option. I think you’re going to find Sterling/Ashburn too far, especially if you have to get on 28 or use the greenway (which is also v expensive). Your commute is going to be killer unless you live in Arlington or McLean. |
Anonymous
| During the period you have to work so far apart, one of you is going to have very limited time with your child. There is no magic location that makes Georgetown and Ashburn close together. |
Anonymous
| Is there a bus or a shuttle or something that can get you from the silver line in Rosslyn (if you lived in Reston) to work? Even Uber or Lyft depending on how the rest of your budget works out? |
Anonymous
| I would agree Reston might be doable. Rent can be as little as 2400 within a mile of the metro and daycare for two at a Montessori is around 3800. The commute would be an hour via metro but it would be the same pretty much from Ashburn. |
Anonymous
Let's look at the issues point by point and their feasibility and what I've come up with is you're really SOL at this point and you must be willing to splurge a bit to sustain your working situation: 1) ok commute to Sterling/Ashburn/ok commute to DC by public transport or bike (really trying to save on the expense and headache of getting a 2nd car) This is practically a nonstarter. For the commute to Sterling/Ashburn with any semblance of public transportation to DC, your best bet is Reston. However, your commute to DC would be a pain, especially in the part of town where you work--a higher end area where public transportation is limited for a reason. Also, the Washington DC metro is not the most reliable system, especially in summer and the fact that part of the silver line is above ground doesn't help. Therefore, one of the priorities has to be give up. I'd lean more towards giving up the reliance on public transport. That way your living quarter won't be limited to living in close-in proximity to public transportation. 2) good daycare close by Based on your working situation, there are two primary solutions. If close to housing--one of you does drop off and the other does pick up. If you DH can do early shifts, then he does pick up. Yes, you might have to sacrifice some facetime with your child if 7:00 p.m. bed time is a strict requirement. Close to worksite--this solution will only work for you. However, given where you work childcare expense will be high. 3)housing and daycare at a price we can afford, and all that with no knowing the area at all... You should get the picture by now that the DMV area has one of the highest cost of living in the country, which is why many people here say that they are midlevel earners when their HHI is at 200k. I'd also try and look into any nanny share arrangements. |
Anonymous
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I'd look at in home daycares in Arlington, around where you'll be living. You do NOT want to put your kid in daycare out in Sterling if you live in Arlington.
Once you know what area of Arlington you'll be living in, try to connect to local moms group (on Facebook is best) and get a recommendation. |
Anonymous
This just isn't true as many pps pointed out. Lots of empty spots. It's only 3 month olds that have trouble getting in (due to lower ratios for infants). If your kid is over a year old, there are plenty more spots available. I pay $800 a month in Sterling at an inhome. $1200-1500 seems average for centers like kindercare and la petite. My work downtown has spots for $1800 for infants. |
Anonymous
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hmm. Don't worry about daycare- something will work out. You will be able to get a home day care spot or a nanny share.
Have you used the metro trip planner? https://www.wmata.com/schedules/trip-planner/trip-planner-results.cfm?locationLatLng=&destinationLatLng=38.9114532%2C-77.07527470000002&location=WIEHLE-RESTON+EAST+METRO+STATION&destination=Georgetown+University+Hospital&travelby-trip-planner=BCFKLRSTX123&arrdep-trip-planner=D&hour-leaving-trip-planner=8&minute-leaving-trip-planner=14&period-leaving-trip-planner=AM&month-leaving-trip-planner=5&day-leaving-trip-planner=16&route-trip-planner=T&walk-distance-trip-planner=.75 I would try a trip from a few different locations. I wouldn't necessarily assume that being in parts of Arlington is faster than being in Reston- if you are looking at public transit. For example I plugged in from Wiehle metro (Reston) to Georgetown Hospital- I got a commute of 87 minutes. Then I tried Shirlington library (south arlington) to Georgetown Hospital and also got a commute of 87 minutes. South Arlington is also going to be substantially worse for your husband- b/c he will have to get across Arlington, then start heading out 267. Setting aside prices, it seems like an ideal location would be McLean, near Chain bridge. You can drive down Chain Bridge Road, and across Chain Bridge, for a pretty quick commute to Georgetown Hospital. He can drive out 123 to 267. I know you mentioned biking to work? This could be a good way to get there depending on your physical fitness, need for shower and accessibility of shower, what type of clothing you wear at work, willingness to bike in all weather. But I would think carefully about the realism of this plan. |
Anonymous
| Are these jobs both set in stone? I just feel like no where is going to give you a semi decent commute. I used to work in DC and DH worked in Dulles. We lived in Falls Church. I had an hour + commute (unreliable by bus and metro) and DH had a 45 minute driving commute. We didn't think we could have kids with each of us having a nearly hour commute so I got a job in Reston and moved here. We both have under 10 minute commutes now. |
Anonymous
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OP, several blue or yellow line northern va metro stations will be closed this summer for maintenance. Don’t forget to take that into account.
The McLean/Reston/Sterling corridor is all orange and silver but don’t lose sight of that... |