Must. find. daycare. yesterday.

We've been looking at daycare. And since I've been working more and
sleeping a lot less, it is with a hint of desperation. Lil E already
goes to mommy cult co-op for two half-days a week and
even if he protests over pancakes every Tuesday and Thursday morning,
he's happy there.

He also spends one day a week with my parents,
spending countless hours quietly (of course) playing in the sandbox and
taking naps that last three times as long as they do in his own crib.
But co-op will soon break for the summer and my parents will soon be
doing what all the cool retired grandparents do and go to their lake
house where cable, wi-fi and stints with small children are all
intermittent. And so daycare it is.

I have some steep demands
other than the regular safe, bright, happy stuff. I need it to be
outside my home.I need it to be affordable. I need it to be within
walking distance. And I need there to be openings. One of those always
seems to be missing. There's a lady down the block who is ecstatic at
the idea of adding a boy to her home daycare, where there are eight
girls his age and where part-timers are welcome at a budget rate per
day. Did I mention she's the yelly lady who scolded my friend's
year-old son for no real reason while they were there on a visit? Scratch that one.

And
then there's the nursery school in the next neighborhood over that's
priced right and has a mission right up my alley: to nurture
self-esteem and personal responsibility in kids. Unfortunately, they
also give homework. To three-year olds. Did I mention that the director
was very snippy about why my boy's not potty trained even though he's
ready to advance to the three-year old room six months early because
he's verbal and curious and there's space there? Scratch that one.

And
there's the daycare down the street where several of Lil E's friends go
where there's no agenda other than playing together and where I've
called three times, playing with the idea of sending my child there.
But now, the class is over-crowded. Did I mention the lady told me to
kindly not expect a space until January and to please stop recommending
her daycare to anyone else in the neighborhood? Scratch that one too.

Of
course, there are more places I could get to by bike (oh God, the
bike), by bus (even worse, the bus) or by taking out some kind of loan
(oh God, my credit score). It's just that my pocket book or my friends
or my schedule or my guilt or my gut yell no no no at me for some reason at every place we see.

So what to do? Because this can't go on much longer. The way I'm
working now isn't working well for any of us and there's a long, long
summer ahead.

Comments

[2Jmama]

Know any responsible college kids??? I feel for you, it is so tough. trust your gut.

[Crabby McSlacker]

I have incredible angst just trying to find a CAT sitter whom I can trust and afford--can't imagine what it must be like to scramble for daycare for an actual child. Good thing I didn't breed 'cause I'd probably make less than an optimal arrangement.

Good luck and hope you find somehing that works soon.

[Ivy]

The affordable part is what gets me every time. Oy.

[Heidi]

Tell everyone you know you are looking. I was down.to.the.wire and unhappy about all of my options with my third daughter when a friend who knew I was desperate happened to be talking to the PERFECT homecare person who lived nearby and had great references and wonderfully affordable rates and had a completely unexpected opening. She was willing to interview us. In spite of a waiting list, decided she liked us a lot and we were in. So, spread the word far and wide! Oh - I also prayed hard too!