Do You Have Reliable Childcare?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I work at an ES that dismisses at 2:25 (Loudoun). The amount of students being picked up at that time by a parent (vs going to aftercare) has probably quadrupled since pre Covid. All those parents are then “working” with their young ES kids at home and no childcare for the remaining 3+ hours of their workday. Watch all the parents come here to defend it.

Have you seen CASA in Loudoun? It's basically lord of the flies over there. Kids just running screaming everywhere for hours with next to no supervision. There's bullying and 5th graders picking on 5 year olds. Who would let their kids go to that unless they were desperate? It's much preferable to have the kids come home and have parents working while the kids read or do crafts.

Many options are superior to CASA. But they cost more and parents are too cheap to pay it when they can stick their kid on an ipad for free at home. And it shows in the child's behavior at school. The parent will later be SHOCKED to learn that their child can't focus long enough to read a novel or complete an in depth assignment. Shocked I say.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I work at an ES that dismisses at 2:25 (Loudoun). The amount of students being picked up at that time by a parent (vs going to aftercare) has probably quadrupled since pre Covid. All those parents are then “working” with their young ES kids at home and no childcare for the remaining 3+ hours of their workday. Watch all the parents come here to defend it.

Have you seen CASA in Loudoun? It's basically lord of the flies over there. Kids just running screaming everywhere for hours with next to no supervision. There's bullying and 5th graders picking on 5 year olds. Who would let their kids go to that unless they were desperate? It's much preferable to have the kids come home and have parents working while the kids read or do crafts.

Many options are superior to CASA. But they cost more and parents are too cheap to pay it when they can stick their kid on an ipad for free at home. And it shows in the child's behavior at school. The parent will later be SHOCKED to learn that their child can't focus long enough to read a novel or complete an in depth assignment. Shocked I say.

Check your privilege and condescension, Karen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work at an ES that dismisses at 2:25 (Loudoun). The amount of students being picked up at that time by a parent (vs going to aftercare) has probably quadrupled since pre Covid. All those parents are then “working” with their young ES kids at home and no childcare for the remaining 3+ hours of their workday. Watch all the parents come here to defend it.

And what do you do at the school? It seems odd that you’d have time to peruse DCUM at 10:20 am on Tuesday.

[Anonymous]

I didn't read all of the replies, but is anyone discussing the fact that many aftercare programs are completely full? Also, the cost of total childcare is mind boggling.

We pay:
$20,000/year for Montessori preschool for 3yo
$1000/yr for public school/bus for 5yo
$3200/yr for aftercare for 5yo
$4200/yr for summer camp for 5yo
$3000/year for all the back up care- gaps between school and camp, no school days, some of xmas break, etc
Total: $31,400

I make $77,000 and take home about $65k after taxes. Then subtract health insurance and retirement contributions. It's demoralizing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I didn't read all of the replies, but is anyone discussing the fact that many aftercare programs are completely full? Also, the cost of total childcare is mind boggling.

We pay:
$20,000/year for Montessori preschool for 3yo
$1000/yr for public school/bus for 5yo
$3200/yr for aftercare for 5yo
$4200/yr for summer camp for 5yo
$3000/year for all the back up care- gaps between school and camp, no school days, some of xmas break, etc
Total: $31,400

I make $77,000 and take home about $65k after taxes. Then subtract health insurance and retirement contributions. It's demoralizing.

PP here and our school district starts at 10am on Thursdays! So on top of all that we have DD5 home on Thursday mornings because we can't find a sitter for 90 mins once a week and can't enroll for 1 day per week of before care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I work at an ES that dismisses at 2:25 (Loudoun). The amount of students being picked up at that time by a parent (vs going to aftercare) has probably quadrupled since pre Covid. All those parents are then “working” with their young ES kids at home and no childcare for the remaining 3+ hours of their workday. Watch all the parents come here to defend it.

And what do you do at the school? It seems odd that you’d have time to peruse DCUM at 10:20 am on Tuesday.

Not every school employee is a classroom teacher, and even they get planning periods. Try to use your imagination.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I work at an ES that dismisses at 2:25 (Loudoun). The amount of students being picked up at that time by a parent (vs going to aftercare) has probably quadrupled since pre Covid. All those parents are then “working” with their young ES kids at home and no childcare for the remaining 3+ hours of their workday. Watch all the parents come here to defend it.

And what do you do at the school? It seems odd that you’d have time to peruse DCUM at 10:20 am on Tuesday.

Not every school employee is a classroom teacher, and even they get planning periods. Try to use your imagination.

Why is PP using her planning period to post on DCUM? She is stealing from taxpayers.

[Anonymous]

Yes it’s reliable.

Maybe if it’s snowing she doesn’t want to drive over.

Only once in five years was she sick and we used care.com

When kids are home sick one of use works from home.

[Anonymous]

School for our 6 year old and then he goes to aftercare or an activity. He will not sit alone for long but look forward to when he will so we can save money.

[Anonymous]

I pay for:
2yo: full time daycare that is closed for two weeks a year (I take PTO those two weeks)
4yo: DCPS+aftercare or same daycare as 2yo when school isn’t in session

If one kid is sick, I don’t take off work and they hang out playing by themselves while I WFH (my employer is aware and fine with this). If both kids are sick/home for snow days, I take PTO.

So yes, I have reliable childcare at the moment. I’m dreading once we outgrow daycare and I have to piece together camps though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I work at an ES that dismisses at 2:25 (Loudoun). The amount of students being picked up at that time by a parent (vs going to aftercare) has probably quadrupled since pre Covid. All those parents are then “working” with their young ES kids at home and no childcare for the remaining 3+ hours of their workday. Watch all the parents come here to defend it.

And what do you do at the school? It seems odd that you’d have time to peruse DCUM at 10:20 am on Tuesday.

Not every school employee is a classroom teacher, and even they get planning periods. Try to use your imagination.

OP, your holier than thou shtick is tiring.

[Anonymous]

NO ONE I know has ever had reliable childcare. What is your definition of reliable?
If something fell through, they had to take off work, or occasionally bring kids to work (or stay home and work with kids). We are all middle class families in the DC area.

It must be a luxury indeed to have reliable childcare. Not in my universe.

Thankfully, my kids are now teens.

[Anonymous]

If camp is cancelled, no. Camp is childcare, why/how would you plan in advance for a backup to childcare? For random days off and regular sick days, not anymore either. Our 8 year old is self sufficient and likes to have "pajama days" at home. She also gets a week or two without camp during the summer, and loves to just sit around and relax without regular school year activities and practice schedules.

We both have flexible, but demanding jobs. DH WFH full time and I can take situational telework for unscheduled emergencies. If DH is traveling (rarely), I can block the time on my calendar to do pick up then sign back online from home. If she was so sick we needed to care for her (flu or norovirus I guess?), we'd just take a sick day ourselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work at an ES that dismisses at 2:25 (Loudoun). The amount of students being picked up at that time by a parent (vs going to aftercare) has probably quadrupled since pre Covid. All those parents are then “working” with their young ES kids at home and no childcare for the remaining 3+ hours of their workday. Watch all the parents come here to defend it.

OK, nosy, the deal is that my DH works 7:30-4 on his WFH days, and I have a flexible schedule that allows me to take time off in the afternoon and make it up later in the evening or even on the weekend. We actually still use aftercare several days a week, but our kid has activities twice a week that are easier to get to if we can bring her home and then whichever one of us is not working can take her. Sometimes we arrange it so neither of us are working and one will take her while the other makes dinner. Sometimes we both take her and DH and I hang out while she's at her activity and then we all go to dinner.

We make significantly less money by arranging our lives this way with my flexible job and his flex hours on WFH days, than we would if we both just took regular 9-5 or 9-6 jobs without flexibility. But we'd have to spend a significant portion of that extra income on childcare, plus we would not get to spend as much time with our kid or with each other, and stuff like meals and housework would be more stressful. So we accept this tradeoff, which works for us and our priorities.

But go right on judging. This is why I don't socialize with the people at school who always seem to be a little too focused on the details of other people's lives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I didn't read all of the replies, but is anyone discussing the fact that many aftercare programs are completely full? Also, the cost of total childcare is mind boggling.

We pay:
$20,000/year for Montessori preschool for 3yo
$1000/yr for public school/bus for 5yo
$3200/yr for aftercare for 5yo
$4200/yr for summer camp for 5yo
$3000/year for all the back up care- gaps between school and camp, no school days, some of xmas break, etc
Total: $31,400

I make $77,000 and take home about $65k after taxes. Then subtract health insurance and retirement contributions. It's demoralizing.

Hopefully your spouse works or ex pays child support too.

Just keep your eyes 👀 n the ball. Child care days turn into after school drivers. Always save 401k and annual Roth IRA, 529s. Have your cv ready for any opportunity if it comes knocking