I would pick a stop point as someone else suggested- that would give you a couple months to aggressively apply to jobs and interview. And if you don’t find something and need to pull them out, at that point your infant won’t be that far off from 2.

A friend went through something similar but only had one kid at the time- she didn’t pull her kid out but ended up being out of work for over a year and it got really tight.

Good luck! I’ve had this thought too as my job is unstable.

My plan would be to pull the infant, move 4 yr old to as part time as you can afford without switching schools. 4 year old is close to school age so I’d want to keep the socialization.

Infant spots are hard but there are stop gap options.

FWIW - daycare “breaks the bank” on our budget. So my first priority for using savings would be for food, healthcare and mortgage...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Leave them both in and take on a job at the daycare while you are looking for job in your field. I know several women who have done
this.

Work a deal with the day care, work at the day care temporarily.

This is a thought. Or even just talk to day care and see if there’s a way to defer the majority of their tuition for a few months.

Daycares run on thin margins, none will let you defer tuition, especially for two spots.

I’ve been a director at three different programs and have waived / reduced tuition for families in this exact situation at all three. Programs want continuity just as much as you do. In most cases, it’s a very short-term solution that garners a lot of goodwill on both sides. Even if the program doesn’t have a scholarship fund, it’s worth asking.

Should have also mentioned that, as a parent, I was also able to get my tuition reduced by 50% when I lost a job.

Ask.

+ 1. Our daycare director deals with this and (a) is human and (b) views a 1-3 month blip of reduced payment as a drop in the bucket compared to the years of enrollment you'll ultimately provide.

OP, I'm sorry. This sucks.

I was in a similar situation -- with an impending layoff (although thankfully it did not come through for me). We basically worked out how many months we could swing before we'd have to cut the childcare.

Anonymous wrote:You don't have savings

Don't be a dick.

And yes, it matters what she does. There are tons of nonprofit openings in some fields if you are in dc. But other niches can be more challenging.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I am in non profit. I would definitely talk to the director since any schedule adjustment requires 30 days notice. I could switch both of them to part time, which means pickup at 12:30pm. Surprisingly, it doesn't really save a whole lot, but some. I can't remember how much it would be. That's the only thing I can think of. Switch to part time, suck it up, and dip into savings if necessary.

okay, and what do you do "in non profit?"

Why do you need to know? Are you going to offer her a job?

I am the person who asked. I am a senior level hiring manager at a nonprofit.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I am in non profit. I would definitely talk to the director since any schedule adjustment requires 30 days notice. I could switch both of them to part time, which means pickup at 12:30pm. Surprisingly, it doesn't really save a whole lot, but some. I can't remember how much it would be. That's the only thing I can think of. Switch to part time, suck it up, and dip into savings if necessary.

okay, and what do you do "in non profit?"

Why do you need to know? Are you going to offer her a job?

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I am in non profit. I would definitely talk to the director since any schedule adjustment requires 30 days notice. I could switch both of them to part time, which means pickup at 12:30pm. Surprisingly, it doesn't really save a whole lot, but some. I can't remember how much it would be. That's the only thing I can think of. Switch to part time, suck it up, and dip into savings if necessary.

OP, I am so sorry--this sucks.

I echo the post above; if you have to take one out, I'd take the 3 year old out first. It's much easier to find another option for a 3 year old when you find work again.

But I would think hard about whether your budget and savings mean that you absolutely have to take them out. The psychology of a job search--and your ability to start quickly when hired--will be changed by being SAH, and probably not in a positive way. I think that could be such a big issue that in your shoes, I'd put a couple of months of day care on a credit card if I could swing it.

Good luck looking.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Take both out. If you get another job, hire a nanny until a spot opens up at daycare.

You can't just "hire a (halfway decent, legal) nanny" overnight.

Also, you can't hire a decent nanny for "until you get a spot at daycare." It doesn't work that way.

Well on that note, you can't seriously expect the daycare to "help" with the costs somehow. This isn't a thing.

Also want to add, if you take your kids out of day care, and are looking for a job, when will you be able to research new jobs, assemble resumes, network and go to job interviews? If your kids are ho e with you full time, you will lose your flexibility and time to do all of those things, and it will make finding a new job even harder.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I am in non profit. I would definitely talk to the director since any schedule adjustment requires 30 days notice. I could switch both of them to part time, which means pickup at 12:30pm. Surprisingly, it doesn't really save a whole lot, but some. I can't remember how much it would be. That's the only thing I can think of. Switch to part time, suck it up, and dip into savings if necessary.

okay, and what do you do "in non profit?"

OP here. I am in non profit. I would definitely talk to the director since any schedule adjustment requires 30 days notice. I could switch both of them to part time, which means pickup at 12:30pm. Surprisingly, it doesn't really save a whole lot, but some. I can't remember how much it would be. That's the only thing I can think of. Switch to part time, suck it up, and dip into savings if necessary.

Definitely talk to the daycare before doing anything. If you're talking a center rather than an in home, they have more flexibility / may have scholarships and might have the inclination to help. (I know a family that a Bright Horizons daycare really met in the middle and they're hardly known as warm and cuddly.) Then see how long you can swing it and ACTIVELY look during that period. Is there anything part-time or short-term that you could maybe do while you job hunt? What industry?