Hope you find a good fit OP. I will share that when my oldest was younger we paid for full time care for awhile but had him go to grandparents on Fridays even so. Because the grandparents wanted that time and lowering hours in daycare was something we wanted to do, but couldn't figure out how to do any other way! The time with grandparents was so special and their relationship is still really special today, I think partly because of that time. So just sharing that it could be worth it to do even if you are just paying full time. We just decided that was the cost of things for us, but didn't mean we shouldn't take the opportunity to build that relationship if we can.

Totally hear the poster about grandparent burnout - know your parents/in laws. My in laws can handle this 100% and cherish the time. My parents are so wonderful, but can't handle regular full days like that. so it really depends and I'm assuming you know well whether this would work.

Do you have a neighborhood mom or parent listserv? I feel like you'd have better luck there.

I’d just pay for a full time spot and use the time you need. This arrangement sounds shaky.

I'll just put this out there - really think through the grandparent care piece. We tried this and my parents burned out in a few months. I don't mean to question your plan, just a heads up from someone who has BTDT, I wish I had just started right away with full time daycare.

Ya, we've confirmed. They have no problem as long as the parents arrange from their side. They also allow part-time care, but the problem is that we would be lowest on the priority list and could be bumped if another full-time family is interested in our spot. The school seems to be very highly regarded with the families there, but I'd love to hear from anyone who's had a negative experience.

Are you sure they'll let you do a daycare share? Never heard of any good places allowing this.

We have a little one who is 15 months old. He'll be starting daycare at Petit Scholars @RIA in August. We have a full time spot for him, but would like for my in-laws to provide care at home 2 days a week. We are looking for another family that would be interested in 2 days a week at daycare to make this work. The daycare is great, montessori and Spanish language immersion. We were really happy to get a spot awhile back.