Anonymous wrote:I am currently on the waitlist for Heritage and it looks like a spot will be available for me when I need it. Parents with children there - does it still get the same glowing review?

I'm not the PP Heritage poster, but am at Heritage (a pre-schooler and an infant) and have been for almost 5 years. We still love it there, no complaints at all (lol, except that it would be REALLY nice if they were open until 6:30pm instead of 6:00pm)

In NW DC, I paid $2000/month for a infant care in a nanny share for 47 hours per week and was quoted anywhere from $1900 to $2400/month in centers.

I now live in the Montgomery County and will pay almost $2100/month for an infant daycare slot close to home... it's not necessarily cheaper in the 'burbs...

I am currently on the waitlist for Heritage and it looks like a spot will be available for me when I need it. Parents with children there - does it still get the same glowing review?

If you have the baby close to work, you'll perhaps (depending on your work schedule) be able to nurse during the day during your lunch time, so that's a plus. And the baby will be in care less time, but then baby will be in the car longer, so either way you have pros and cons. (infants tend to just sleep in carseats, while older children either sleep when you don't want them to or don't sleep and you need to keep them entertained for long car rides to childcare.

On the other hand, if the baby is close to work and you tend to leave work toward the end of the center closing time, having baby close means you won't be late - no way you want to be fighting traffic to get back to a center in VA that closes at 6:30pm if you can't be sure that you can leave the office at a reasonable time every night.

You know your work schedule, how flexible it is, where your partner/spouse works. It is tremondously hard for you to be the only one who can bring baby to/from childcare as that's not great when you are sick and yet want baby to go to childcare, or when you are traveling and your spouse needs to take baby to childcare, etc.

Kids Corner, 22nd and California, is about 1750 for infants. I loved that center. Long waitlist so get on it ASAP.

If you would like to consider a home day care, I would recomend Curious Explorers home. They are on Georgia ave two blocks away from Roosevelt high. She provides a high quality care and does little bit more than the big centers offer. My daughter just graduated from C.E this September for school. We lived all the way in Bethesda chavy chase, but it was worth coming that far. Their website is curiousexplorers.com and on Facebook is curiousexplorershome.com.

Thank you all for the great advice and I will rethink the strategy about daycare in DC versus over the bridge in VA. I have some time as I do not need care until Sept 2015 depends if I take more one more month or not.

I have read the other posts to get on wait lists ASAP and am on track to do so.

Anonymous wrote:OP here.. thank you! This is helpful...

I work near L and 21st. Depending on time frame, I drive through Roosevelt or Key bridge so I was looking for something on my way in.

Waitlist is another headache but I wanted to be sure the price wasn't out of the ordinary. I know VA is inexpensive but the idea of an emergency popping up and being unable to go over the bridge in time, scares me! Thus my search for NW care nearby until (he or she) is able to speak

where does your spouse work? We had our kids downtown for a while, we moved them to VA. When they were downtown, for the spouse that was not downtown taking them to daycare or picking them up was awful- it meant driving into the city at rushhour, then back out. Now they are back in VA, both of us can be there midday in less than 20 minutes. Without traffic you can get to Arlington from the Foggy Bottom area super fast.

Obviously it's a personal preference- and there are plusses and minuses both ways. How soon are you looking for care? If you are not on the waitlists anywhere now, that may actually end up dictating where you can go.

I second the idea that having care close to your house is easier.

Infant slots in NW DC range from 2100-2500/month without a Fed discount.

Huckleberry Cheesecake is near your office and is supposed to be fabulous, but I think it's on the higher end of the price scale. Same with the BH in Georgetown.

Anonymous wrote:OP here.. thank you! This is helpful...

I work near L and 21st. Depending on time frame, I drive through Roosevelt or Key bridge so I was looking for something on my way in.

Waitlist is another headache but I wanted to be sure the price wasn't out of the ordinary. I know VA is inexpensive but the idea of an emergency popping up and being unable to go over the bridge in time, scares me! Thus my search for NW care nearby until (he or she) is able to speak

This is the PP who's toddler is at Heritage. I actually prefer having my DS as a center near my home as opposed to by my work. I'm on maternity leave right now for DS2, and it's really nice to be able to drive just a few minutes to drop my older DS at daycare. It would pretty much be hell if I had to do the 1 hour each way commute to a daycare by my work in NW just to drop of DS1 for the day. Just something to think about....not sure if you are planning on having more kids in the future. The short trip to daycare is also nice when I'm home sick for the day, etc. DS has never had an emergency at daycare that an hour wait for me to get there to get him him has been a problem.

OP here.. thank you! This is helpful...

I work near L and 21st. Depending on time frame, I drive through Roosevelt or Key bridge so I was looking for something on my way in.

Waitlist is another headache but I wanted to be sure the price wasn't out of the ordinary. I know VA is inexpensive but the idea of an emergency popping up and being unable to go over the bridge in time, scares me! Thus my search for NW care nearby until (he or she) is able to speak

First Baptist in Dupont is around $1600 for infants (I think? It has been a couple years...)

2200 is probably about average for NW DC. I live in NE, but work in NW, so checked out both areas. NW seemed to range from 2200 to 2500 or so. I think the Bright Horizons on K street is about 2400 per infant.

My DS has been at Heritage in Hyattsville for his entire life (he's almost 4 now), and we have been extremely happy with them. They are so inexpensively priced for the area, teachers have been there for a long time, and their languages program is great. My DS is doing extremely well with Spanish and knows some French too, and they are starting Mandarin Chinese classes shortly. There are a lot of us current moms with older kids there waiting to get our infants into the infant room though, so I'm sure there is a big wait list. The infant room caregiver is awesome and truly just loves babies, she took care of my 4 year old, and will be taking care of his baby brother shortly. All the other teachers have been there since we started too, and the preschool teacher is truly awesome too.

St Ann's is also a nice facility and is right next door to Heritage.

Where do you live, and where do you work OP? Could you make a location other than NW work for daycare?

Depends on where you look. We're on the waiting list at Heritage and St Ann's in Hyattsville (not a bad drive from NE) and they're both $1000/month (less for toddlers). Most in our neighborhood were $1300ish, with one closer to $1700. But I've heard NW is a lot pricier.

I am trying to get a gauge on how much I should expect infant care in NW DC. Is it really that expensive? I was quoted 2200 at one place FT. I am not a Fed so I can't get the discounts. Plus they are hard to find...

Is there part time Infant care?