home! I work about 40 minutes from home and initially my daycare was close to work. it was MISERABLE for me stressing about him being in the car that long during rush hour and it was equally miserable trying to get him to and from daycare when I was off or sick. I switched daycares to one closer to home about a year in and it improved my quality of life so much.

Home. Absolutely.

Closer to work if you can’t wfh.

Home for so many reasons, but #1 is logistics. Adding commute time back and forth is a mess, especially when you're running late in the morning and your kid won't wear shoes etc. And my son is starving at pick up, so adding more time before dinner would make that worse. And the falling asleep issue someone flagged above. We gave up a spot at a subsidized office daycare because being close to home was clearly so much easier (we're at one within walking distance).

Home. Most of the kids live nearby so it makes play dates easier and there is a higher likelihood that they may go to the same elementary together.

Home.

1) you could change job or get laid off or telework, daycare closer to home makes more sense.

2) It is less travel time for kid to be stuck in the car

3) Higher chance for your kid to get to know other kids go to your home elementary school or they live nearby to plan playdates/parties with other kids

Only one big con is kid stays longer at daycare. You have to leave home early to drop off kids and leave work early to pick up kids. If kid is sick or need to pick up right away, you have to be flex to leave early at work.

Agree close to home is best. We chose a daycare close to work because they had infant availability when we needed it, and we liked it when we toured. At the time we lived in a place where infant spots were very hard to come by and expensive. Near work availability and value were much better. The daycare has been great but we are very much looking forward to K when DD will be closer to home.