anyone looking into child care now?

[avistar]

I am really anal and have been researching child care in my area. Child care facilities are soooo expensive and say that they are booked all the way into April of 2009!!! How much of this do you think is true??? Anyone else searching for child care? and or searched months after their childs birth and found a place just fine??

I know home care is cheaper (which I am looking into as well, but you have to depend on their openings) but I would feel more comfortable with a facility so there are multiple people there. I am expecting to pay around $1000 per month We cannot afford for me to stay home, not with our mortgage payment and bills. From my estimates thus far, we can barely make it with this expense but not with much more.

Any responses, help, suggestions, or opinions are very welcomed and appreciated

 

[Christine33]

i am a student occupational therapist who is returning to uni September 2009 and i have already booked my beanie into the university nursery school and i am so glad i did as they had hardly any places left at my time of booking. whether they exaggerate how popular they are i am not sure but i do feel better knowing i have childcare sorted out.
i don't think it causes any harm to be organised and you can always look for something better/more functional while holding that place.

good luck!

Christine
X

 

[nikky0907]

You know,Merv's Mum was the one who posted about all being booked and for us to better hurry up!

So I am currently in the process of enroling her into child care as of September 2009 and then her private preschool that she starts 2012.

They ask for a lot of down payments and stuff like that,I've been running around like crazy!

But yeah,you should hurry up!

 

[Blah11]

I'm going to book a place as soon as my LO is born. That'll be 9 months and there surely will be spaces in the 9 months.

+ Yeah, $1000 is pretty much what it is here, maybe a bit more. The nursery I like is £600 a month. Unfortunatly both my and my OHs parents work full time and we both need to go back to work so there's no other option. Luckily we do get help from the local goverment and they will pay upto 80% of childcare which I'm grateful for

 

[PeanutBean]

I'm going to start ringing around for prices/availability etc during my holidays in a couple of weeks. The local primary schools is opening a 0-5 nursery in September so I want to look into that.

 

[avistar]

I am scared that most places will want you to sign and pay a enlistment fee up front and that way you can't really hold a spot and look else where I know of one place that wants you to do that.

My parents are somewhat retired but I highly doubt they would want to babysit on a daily basis. With my new schedule I have now, I have every other Fri off which I hope to keep so that will give me some time with my child when I go back to work. All this planning really gives me a headache and my DH thinks I am weird for looking into all this now!! Apparently I am not so weird

 

[Pyrrhic]

I haven't started looking into child care as we're covered by a nursery on base. However, I have started to look at schools as I was surprised to find that some have waiting lists years long and some even require you to register your child at birth.

 

[cuddles314]

Following Merv's Mums previous advice, I have visited several possible private nurseries, and have now found the one I want bubs to go to. It's really lovely, and the only one which I saw which I can honestly say I wouldn't mind (as much) leaving my child at. And I really think bubs will enjoy him/herself there. There's a really long waiting list though, so have to put deposit down next week to secure a place for sep/oct 2009!!!
xx

 

[Mervs Mum]

As the girls have said I was shocked to find that some good nurseries are full for the next 12 to 18 mths!!!! That prompted me to get my skates on and we have just registered her and paid to secure a place from Sept 2009. I registered her with the prep school my daughter attended when I was about 10 wks gone - which they said was not unusual!! She will start in 2012!!!

x

 

[avistar]

My goodness

I have done some more research and plan on visiting some sites on my days off in August. I know home care providers are like half the price but really hard to get into. I figure I can put down a deposit and keep searching...if I find something better I will go with that...and if not, I will have somewhere secured! Like I mentioned, I am paranoid! I don't know how my DH puts up with me sometimes!

Best of luck to everyone searching!! Lord knows how difficult it is!!