Waitlist Expectations

[Anonymous]

Hi!

Not yet pregnant but have been following the daycare discussion for sometime because I have heard from friends in the area how important daycare planning is. I would be looking to either do in home or a center in Dupont or Takoma Park (ideally a small in home to keep cost low) but when should I start planning to get on some waitlists? What is the typical waitlist time for those areas?

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Honestly, it varies. Most waitlist can be as long as 1+ years. If you are trying now I would recommend calling around to the daycares you’re interest in to see if they have an active waitlist. It doesn’t hurt to get on it, however, most daycares require a registration fee to be put on the waitlist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi!

Not yet pregnant but have been following the daycare discussion for sometime because I have heard from friends in the area how important daycare planning is. I would be looking to either do in home or a center in Dupont or Takoma Park (ideally a small in home to keep cost low) but when should I start planning to get on some waitlists? What is the typical waitlist time for those areas?

Thanks!

There are no small in-home daycares in Dupont. There are a few large centers, and they all have waiting lists of more than a year. I don't know what's available in Takoma, but since you are not pregnant yet, my advice is to scope out which daycares you want to try and get on the list as soon as you confirm that you are pregnant.

[Anonymous]

It's been mentioned around here before, but a lot of daycares are more likely to accept families that contact them often rather than go through the waitlist. Ask the director what they prefer. Our daycare suggested interested families email them every other week.