The Great Daycare Debate

The ever-dreaded process of finding daycare/preschool for Char has begun again. Luckily her nanny is still here and i think pretty happy (and we're pretty happy, too), but the whole "nanny plan" was to pull her out of school for about 6 months and then transition her back in. At this point, she hasn't been biting at home (or playdates, or the occasional Parent's Night Out or other group child powow) or even hitting much, and is showing lots of empathy. She SEEMS ready, but the only way to know is to try. Here's my wishlist:

• Part-time this summer (either mornings or a couple of days a week)


• Full-time next fall


• Keep the nanny happy through the summer in case it doesn't work out (i'd surely hate to let the nanny go on to another job and then have Char get kicked out of another school)


• A school curriculum that fits Char and fits my preferences (i.e. Montessori or Reggio-Emilia are preferred over fancy private pre-schools at this point)


• Get something in place for at least a couple of mornings a week soon just to give some relief to poor DH!

Here's the problem: I don't think we can actually find all of the above! Well, maybe we can get Char in a school mornings a couple of days a week and have the nanny in the afternoons, but is that affordable? Aaaah!

i toured a nice school the other day. Actually, it's where Char's biological brother goes to school (i got to see him through the little window on his classroom, squee!). It's pretty close to where i work but it is very expensive and VERY hoity-toity. The curriculum is very structured, and i would so much rather have a child-led curriculum or program. So, i just don't know if it's for us.

i called a Reggio-Emilia school yesterday and spoke to a teacher, and OH BOY do i love the sound of that school! Sometimes you can just *tell* things by talking to someone. The problem is that it's a program for 30 months to 5 years of age, which means Char wouldn't be eligible until December 1 (IF they have mid-year openings, which i don't know if they do or not very often since i bet most kids stay in the program until Kindergarten). It's also a 9-3:30pm program, so there would still be the issue of after school care. i'm not sure this one will work out in the end, but i'm touring it on Tuesday anyway. i'm a glutton for punishment that way.

i have a tour set up with a Montessori school next Thursday, which goes way up through middle school. It's a very nice-looking school, but it's a wee bit out of the way. i'm really hopeful this one pans out.

i've called 2 inclusive preschools (meaning they take "typical" kids as well as those with special needs like Down's Syndrome, Williams Syndrome, Autism, etc), but i haven't received any calls back.

i'm also looking for a Vacation Bible School for a couple of weeks in the summer possibly (maybe more than 1 program?), but of course most are age 3+. And since we should have a little more spendable income this summer (hopefully i'll get a raise, and also my car will be paid off, both in June), another option is to get her into a 2-day mornings-only program (Mother's Day Out maybe?) this summer and then start full-time at a different school in fall (or in winter if the Reggio school is the winner).

2 wrinkles: 1) i'd like to keep open the possibility of getting Char into the public Montessori school at age 3 (pay for ages 3-4 and then public school for age 5+), and 2) there's always a possibility of another baby entering the picture at some point, and the idea of getting Char into a school far from home and finding traditional daycare for new baby near home and dropping off and picking up both at once is a little more daunting than if they were both pretty close together, but that's just a back-of-the-mind thing really.

::pants heavily:: Yup, it's pretty tiring just to type it out, much less live it!