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I've heard people saying that you often have to book childcare when you're pregnant. Is this true?
The tricky thing is I am not 100% sure if and when we'll need childcare. But I am thinking probably after my 12 months maternity leave - but then again I'm not sure how many days per week.
So when would I need to book if I was wanting childcare that far away?
I don't even know where to start.
I would think that its best to book as soon as possible. Some areas are better than others for childcare so you may find it easy to find a place or it may be hard.
IMO it would be better to book to early and then have to postphone the starting date than to leave it too late and not be able to enrol in the center of your choice. It might be worthwhile to contact a few places and ask what thier waiting lists are and if you can have a look around. If you can visit a few places you will have a better idea about where you might want to enrol your baby. If all the babies look happy when you visit chances are yours will be too.
I had ny DS's name down before I was pregnant. I live in a rural town (not small though - pop around 60,000) and was calling around for my friend's little one and then put my name down also when I realised how hard it was to get a spot anywhere. So his name was down for at least 18 months before he actually attended....and we had to accept a spot about 6 weeks before we actually needed it in order for us keep it - otherwise we would go back to the bottom of the list.
I think the situation is a little better now with a few more centres popping up - but have still had this bubba's name down since when we started trying...can't be too safe!!!
With regard to the amount of care you need...I put my sons name down for full time care and then kept calling up every 2 or 3 months to make sure his name was still down and let them know if there were any changes to the days I wanted. I had to accept 2 days at first, and then about 3 months later they were able to offer me another 2 days.
Good luck - and put your name down at a few places - in case you don't like the one you first get in to! ;)
In my area I have been told there is an 18 month waiting list :shock: I would definitely put your name down now for 12 months after the baby is born. You don't have to take the place when they offer it to you. Also, I was told to ask for a full time place and then decide at the time if you want a full time place or not.
Maybe just call a few local places and see what they say.
Yep, put them down as soon as you can! I put Blake down when I was about 7month pg - I didn't want to go earlier, I wanted to at least look like I had a baby in my belly.
And yep, put them down for full time and make your decisions about how many days when you actually know.
I enrolled Ryley in the best day care in our area prob the week after I found out i was preg and he didnt get in until 7 months old.
Maybe call your child care board?
I tried to enrol my baby in childcare at various places some months back and was told to wait until he was born! They weren't interested in taking my name at all.
I'm assuming this is because the waiting list is already so long they didn't want to tell me. It was strange. Especially after everyone told me to do it right away as soon as I could.
Here in the ACT they advise you to put your name down at a number of centres as soon as you hit 12 weeks and even then the waiting list is up to 12 months after birth! We have our name down at 8 centres already. I've put our name down for full time care cause it's easier to say thanks but now I only need **** days than to say you need more days if that makes sense?
wow! I knew childcare centres were busy but not that busy lol
I called up one in our area a few weeks back in preperation for me going back to work soon and they said to pop down and have a look, a fill in the paperwork, no waiting time? We have had 2 or 3 more go up locally in the past few weeks also but I just never realised.
So it sounds like most places have a huge waiting list and some places have none.
I guess I will start ringing the centres near us to find out what their policy is.
I live walking distance to 3 centres, but they all have 2 year waiting lists and all I want is one day a week so I can start some work from home.
I think if you're looking for childcare for under 2s, it's best to get in early. I'm not sure about Oz, but in NZ they have higher staff/child ratios for the little ones, so it's harder to get a spot for them.
We started looking around when I was 7 months pregnant, and were told there probably wouldn't be anything available till the baby was 6 months old. I think it also depends on the quality of childcare. The good places have much longer waiting lists, so it pays to get it early.
Wow i had no idea that you needed to book in so early for childcare!
I plan to stay at home with my bubs for as long as possible, but i will keep in mind not to leave looking for childcare untill to late!
Girls - Family Day Care is another option to think about.
Family day care sure is a good option and that's what we're thinking about for the first little while. It's cheaper, more intimate and you only pay for the time you use. So with childcare being at least $260 a week here, family day care is much more cost effective til I'm back in full time work!
It is funny the one place I really want to get onto won't let me put my name down to the baby is born, but I will try again in a few months, maybe go in person rather than the phone.. Must keep looking for other places and Family Day care so I have all my options covered...
I am of the belief that there should be a central registry for childcare waiting lists. Just put your name down once with your list of preferred centres and reasons for picking them. I do think it is sensible to only be able to register once bubs is born, then maybe the waiting lists may not be as large.
For me I need one that is walking distance as we only have one car and DH needs that, so there are only 3 I can choose from. So I kind of think I should have priority over someone who drive from another suburb (that has its own centres). I suppose though it is hard to decide who gets priority as we all think that our circumstances are special.
IMO I think Day care centres are the way to go, I went back to uni when I had my 1st DD in Toowoomba (SE QLD). My DH stayed in Mt Isa (NW QLD) while Bree and I went alone. I put applications in at about five different centres when I was about 12 weeks pregnant with her and she was 4 months old when I went back to Uni and She didn't have a place with any of them. But one centre ran a Family day care unit and she was placed with a very lovely woman, I did stelth inspections and turned up early every now and again and Bree was happy being there and I developed trust in her and became quite friendly with her. She was there for four months when the lady got two little boys that were just totally out of control and wrecked her house and drove her crazy the boys had been expelled from 2 day care centres and she was their 4th day care mum that year. needless to say these boys had issues. She tried to off load them but the centre wouldn't let her so she quit 3 days before my 1st semester exams. I was devastated. And distraught. But the centre that ran the unit had a place open up and took Bree for me due to my circumstances. Bree stayed there for the rest of the year and it was fabulous. I faced the same dilemma when I finished uni and Bree was about 15 months old. I had put her name down when I was pregnant and she didn't get into the centre I wanted till she was 18 months old. She had missed out because of the sibling policy.
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.
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 ;)
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...
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!
I am almost 11 weeks pregnant and I have already booked 'Baby T' onto family daycare for 2007...as there is a waiting list.
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.
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.
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
Depends where you are, what centre you want etc etc. I would put your name down as early as the centre will let you