Reply to Moving to VA - how long does it really take to get a spot in daycare

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Thanks for the tips.
Unfortunately where I will be working in DC (Reservoir Road, near the Medstar Georgetown University Hospital) seems to not be so great for public transport. From what I gather, closest metro stop would be Farragut West, and I'd still have 25 minutes on the bus after that, so I'm guessing a commute of at least an hour and a half. My daughter is asleep by 7pm, so weeknights I would hardly see her.
For my husband, best case scenario, if we find a daycare close to our house, I'll drop our baby off in the mornings so he can work early shifts, he'd be starting work at 7am and finishing at 3pm, hoping this would make the commute easier. If she has to go to daycare around Sterling for a bit then he would have to work 8-4 or 9-5, longer commute I imagine, with a baby in the back, but that would only be temporary, until we find somewhere closer to home.
Hard work to find somewhere with 1) ok commute to Sterling/Ashburn 2) ok commute to DC by public transport or bike (really trying to save on the expense and headache of getting a 2nd car) 3) good daycare close by 4)housing and daycare at a price we can afford, and all that with no knowing the area at all...[/quote]

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:
[b]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) 
[/b] 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.  
[b]2) good daycare close by[/b] 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. 
[b]3)housing and daycare at a price we can afford, and all that with no knowing the area at all...[/b] 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. [/quote]

NP here.  The quoted poster is 100% correct.  Your jobs are 27 miles and 35 minutes away from each other [i]without traffic[/i] and that's with paying the very high tolls on the Dulles Toll Road (VA 267).  If you avoid tolls, the route without traffic becomes 45 minutes and 24 miles.  The DC Metro area has some of the worst traffic in the entire country, and it's much worse on the Virginia side than on the Maryland side.  Your place of employment is also directly across from some of the most clogged bridges in the region.  The wait to cross the Chain Bridge is pretty long and it's worse if you take the Key Bridge.  In other words, something, or someone has got to give.

Your daycare expenses will be astronomical compared to Florida if you live in Arlington or find a cheap 2 BR in the Foxhall neighborhood close to your work.  My suggestion is to live closer to Sterling where you will find an apartment in your 2-car price range and an in-home daycare similar to what you're paying in Florida, have your husband work 9-5, you work from 6-2 if at all possible (and plan on leaving your house at 5:15 AM), and raise your child's bedtime to 9:00 to get more quality time with her.  There will be traffic starting at 3:00 leaving DC (by 1:00 on summer Fridays) and it only continues to get worse until 6:00.  There will be traffic if you leave work any time from 3:00 - 7:00, and likely other times, too.  Plus, you'll have tolls and you'll have to pay for garage parking in DC, so make sure you factor those into the equation.

If you want to ride a bike, you can take an hour to ride your bike if you work the 6-2 shift before picking up your daughter at 4:30, or just have your husband pick her up after work at 5:30.

FTR, we live in Silver Spring outside the Beltway.  Our in-home daycare charges $210/week, the center we've been at before is currently $1,550/month for children under 2 years, and rent for a 3 BR apartment is going for about $2,200/month in our neighborhood, inclusive of utilities, feeding into an elementary school that has a Greatschools rating of 2.  In other words, this is a crazy expensive area.

I hope everything works out for you![/quote]

Thanks for your detailled analysis, I have to say I really appreciate how many people are taking the time to answer, your help is precious !!
I was asked with work if I could do "early" shift but I know a 6-2 is not going to be on the cards. I'll be positively impressed if they agree to a 7.30 - 4 to be honest, but that would still allow me to be home around 5-5.30 even with a monster commute, which would leave me a couple hours with my daughter in the evenings. 9pm for her bedtime is a no-no as well, she is a big sleeper, and it would not be quality time after 7pm as she would be exhausted. But that's given me food for thought thanks a lot !![/quote]

10:01 here again.  You're welcome and I think that everyone wants to help you because we've all been there at some point when the shock of the expense of this area hits us.  Every couple has had that breaking point when they realized they could go broke on two incomes that look great on paper in this area.  I think we're all just trying to help you avoid some of that.

If you can't do the early shift, could you time your work hours so that you get quality time with your daughter in the morning for several hours before daycare and then you miss bedtime? Maybe working 10:30 - 6:30 or 11:00 - 7:00?  The commute wouldn't be as good as 6:00-2:00, but you would probably have from the time your daughter wakes up until 9:30 or 10:00 with her.  You could have special breakfasts together at Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, a diner, etc with her before daycare.  This works assuming your work has enough parking for you to arrive that late and that they allow you to arrive that late.  It makes getting a bicycle ride in on a weekday a bit more difficult, but you would get the time with your daughter you want, you would stay within budget, and you would both have the least crappy commute combination possible.[/quote]

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