Childcare - when to enrol baby?

[Coolabahdee]

Now I had a good experience with family day care but my sister had a nightmare. three different women all the same sort of thing. The first woman took Mitch who was 6 months old at the time out in her care to pick up kids from school. Not a problem for Karen until she turned up early one day as the woman was pulling up and six children piled out of the 5 seat car and a child of about 8 was holding Mitch in the front seat of the car. no car seat, overloaded and in the front seat. Karen flew at her and made a complaint but she didn't get sacked. The little girls said to Karen "Oh it's ok I always hold him tight so he can't get down" The woman tried to tell her that it was the first time she had ever done it. Yeah right!
The second woman seemed alright until Karen turned up early to find the woman had gone up town and had left the kids at home with her husband, who was asleep in bed because he was night shift and had left her 10 year old in charge of the kids 4 plus mitchell who was 9 months old and walking. Again she made a complaint and again nothing was done. (three day care centres in town pop 35000, = huge day care shortage = nothing done)
The third and final straw (woman) was nice enough and things went quite smoothly for a few months until the womans husband changed jobs and started shift work, they had a two storey house and she ran the day care down stairs and her own children were about 5, 13 and 15. Karen came on a few different occassions to pick up Mitchell and the husband had been watching an MA movie rather loudly (probably to drown out the noise of the kids downstairs) the kids weren't watching it so she didn't say anything the next time she turned up and the father was home the five year old was screaming and the father was yelling and swearing called him a FnC Karen just looked at the other woman who had turned up at the same time in horror and the lady apologised and excused herself and went up and spoke to him, Karen said judging by the bottles on the verandah he was certainly drunk. Karen started looking around for other options and was guarranteed a place for Mitch when he turned 15 months which wasn't to far away. The final straw was when she turned up to pick Mitch up and the father had his work mates over and they were all drinking and swearing and having a rip rorter of a time even spitting over the railing to where the kids were playing. She said the woman was in tears, Karen felt sorry for her but quit right then and there. She never used Family day care again. The irony is, my sister is an early childhood teacher and at the time was working in a day care centre, but couldn't get her child into that centre because of their policies reguarding employees children.

[meow]

I couldn't book bubba in till after they are born- it's like you are giving them up before you meet them. (I don't want to make people guilty- I know this ins't always a choice).
Hopefully I'll be in brissie and I can look after your beautiful bubba fee

[Ambah]

Hey Dee, I'm just curious, what is the 'sibling policy' you referred to in your first post?
And also the policy about employees children being at the same centre (or not being allowed to be?)?
My friends sister works at our ABC down the road and I'm pretty sure that both of her sisters kids go there a few days per week. I guess different centres have different policies though.

I can't believe your sister's experiences with family daycare!! That has certainly put me off a bit...

[Fee]

I couldn't book bubba in till after they are born- it's like you are giving them up before you meet them. (I don't want to make people guilty- I know this ins't always a choice).

Yeah I guess that's one way to look at it! We won't be needing childcare (if at all) until after 12 months at home.

I'm hoping we won't need it ... aahhh we'll just have to see!

[ChrissyT]

I am almost 11 weeks pregnant and I have already booked 'Baby T' onto family daycare for 2007...as there is a waiting list.

[Coolabahdee]

Sorry Ambah, I haven't been around lately and was just catching up on threads when I saw your question.

The sibling policy meant that if you already have a child in the centre your next child skipped the waiting list and got into the centre above others that have been waiting. So Bree missed out for ages because of other children jumping the queue but I got Makayla in at 6 weeks because Brianna was already there. The centre that my sister worked at was an independent centre and their rules didn't allow their employees to have their children at the centre (a stupid policy I think) but that was their rules. I guess they saw it as a distraction, the really sucky thing though was that the owners had their children in the centre and the wife was employed to run the front desk. lol I guess although she was officially an employee, the rule just didn't apply to her. lol.

I feel sorry for my sister with her experiences as I said mine was relatively good.

[christy]

I so believe that it is the carer at family day care that makes all the difference. We have an absolute gem, who at this stage is able to pick & choose her kids. She has turned a few away because they didn't "work" with her long term children. Matilda absolutely loves family day care, and I guess for us the decision came because she kept getting really sick at long day care and we were on the waiting list for family day care & it came through just at the right time. I had interviewed 3 family day care mums, and one I wouldn't leave her with, one had days I didn't really want but was debating when the one she is with now came up. The minute I met her I knew I would be able to leave Matilda with her. I show up early, I show up unexpected, I stay and chat for 20-30 minutes, I have gone over on the weekend for a coffee....

She hasn't had the easiest time with other parents, some have different ideas on what is expected of a "Carer" but thats because for her family comes first, and I agree with her values so we work well together.

We are thinking of moving a fair distance away and I have already phoned the family day care office & put Matilda on the waiting list. I can always say "no" if we don't need it & the waiting list is 6 months long.

[beth1617]

The irony is, my sister is an early childhood teacher and at the time was working in a day care centre, but couldn't get her child into that centre because of their policies reguarding employees children.

I had the opposite from your sister.
I worked in childcare when i became pregnant and the director pretty much quarenteed a place for my child when i came back to work.
I suppose some centre policies are different depending who you work for

[kungfubecca]

Depends where you are, what centre you want etc etc. I would put your name down as early as the centre will let you