Rethinking daycare choices for next year?

[Anonymous]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/04/21/coronavirus-secondwave-cdcdirector/

So, we are going to have this worse next winter?! More shutdowns likely...

Based on your experience now, is it making you rethink next years childcare? Switching daycares etc.

I’m on the fence. I’m already very stretched financially. I’ve had a salary cut and rolling furlough. Paying full price at a high priced center with no daycare for the foreseeable future (paying to hold spot). If I have to do it again next winter (pay w/o care), I can’t justify financially keeping my child at a high cost center.

And I feel really bad about it..... it’s a great place...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/04/21/coronavirus-secondwave-cdcdirector/

So, we are going to have this worse next winter?! More shutdowns likely...

Based on your experience now, is it making you rethink next years childcare? Switching daycares etc.

I’m on the fence. I’m already very stretched financially. I’ve had a salary cut and rolling furlough. Paying full price at a high priced center with no daycare for the foreseeable future (paying to hold spot). If I have to do it again next winter (pay w/o care), I can’t justify financially keeping my child at a high cost center.

And I feel really bad about it..... it’s a great place...

Don’t listen to the post. These outbreaks are never worse than the initial curve. Don’t make a stupid move and lose your spot because with all of the preschools that have closed for good and, you won’t find one.

[Anonymous]

What preschools have closed for good? I know lots of people with kids in various daycares and have only heard of one closing in April, but it was planning to close in June so not surprising.

[Anonymous]

I'm thinking about this a little. We've been happy with our center for four years but have a baby starting whenever everyone goes back. I'm wondering if we should look for a nanny share instead. The idea of a worse spike in the winter when flu season starts is scary with a baby in day care. The problem is we can't really afford a nanny share, or we'd have one now - it would be a stretch and for how long?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm thinking about this a little. We've been happy with our center for four years but have a baby starting whenever everyone goes back. I'm wondering if we should look for a nanny share instead. The idea of a worse spike in the winter when flu season starts is scary with a baby in day care. The problem is we can't really afford a nanny share, or we'd have one now - it would be a stretch and for how long?

this wave started during the flu season too ...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm thinking about this a little. We've been happy with our center for four years but have a baby starting whenever everyone goes back. I'm wondering if we should look for a nanny share instead. The idea of a worse spike in the winter when flu season starts is scary with a baby in day care. The problem is we can't really afford a nanny share, or we'd have one now - it would be a stretch and for how long?

So you would have 2 in daycare at once? We are in the same boat (but presumably closer in age if yours are 4 years apart) and are contemplating doing a nanny for both VA daycare for both (and a nanny would be more expensive and come with other tradeoffs). Would you be sending the older one to daycare and then doing a nanny for the youngest? We were contesting that but figured that if the older one was exposed then we were all doomed anyway so it was either put both in daycare or neither. We prefer daycare but could stretch to afford a nanny.

[Anonymous]

PP here. Did you consult pediatrician? We are checking with ours but many perspectives could be useful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm thinking about this a little. We've been happy with our center for four years but have a baby starting whenever everyone goes back. I'm wondering if we should look for a nanny share instead. The idea of a worse spike in the winter when flu season starts is scary with a baby in day care. The problem is we can't really afford a nanny share, or we'd have one now - it would be a stretch and for how long?

So you would have 2 in daycare at once? We are in the same boat (but presumably closer in age if yours are 4 years apart) and are contemplating doing a nanny for both VA daycare for both (and a nanny would be more expensive and come with other tradeoffs). Would you be sending the older one to daycare and then doing a nanny for the youngest? We were contesting that but figured that if the older one was exposed then we were all doomed anyway so it was either put both in daycare or neither. We prefer daycare but could stretch to afford a nanny.

This is sort of the rub. The older one is happier in the group care environment than i think he would be with a nanny for the last few months before K in fall 2020, and presumably a nanny share for two kids with a big age gap would be hard to find, but we definitely can't afford either our own nanny or nanny share + day care. So I don't have a good plan, the timing is rough, but it could change in September too.

[Anonymous]

Ah yes different situation. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

We are lucky that we are both employed (at least for now) and working from home. My kid really, really loves her daycare, but if one of us lost our jobs, we simply would not be able to afford it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/04/21/coronavirus-secondwave-cdcdirector/

So, we are going to have this worse next winter?! More shutdowns likely...

Based on your experience now, is it making you rethink next years childcare? Switching daycares etc.

I’m on the fence. I’m already very stretched financially. I’ve had a salary cut and rolling furlough. Paying full price at a high priced center with no daycare for the foreseeable future (paying to hold spot). If I have to do it again next winter (pay w/o care), I can’t justify financially keeping my child at a high cost center.

And I feel really bad about it..... it’s a great place...

Don’t listen to the post. These outbreaks are never worse than the initial curve. Don’t make a stupid move and lose your spot because with all of the preschools that have closed for good and, you won’t find one.

Question, if all the preschools are closing, isn't that a reason not to keep paying full price until they do? Seems like throwing a lot of money down the drain.