Ross Township Child Care (daycare, house, elementary school)

[nikketh]

I'm expecting my first child in May and looking for full time child care in or near Ross Township. We checked out Tender Care on McKnight today as it is 5 minutes from our house. I was pleased with what I saw but wondering if I can get something similar or even better for less than the $1000+ per month they are charging.

At this point, I'm open to either centers or in home care (someone else's home, not mine). I'm not sure how to find in home care as google searches don't tend to bring them up. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by nikketh

At this point, I'm open to either centers or in home care (someone else's home, not mine). I'm not sure how to find in home care as google searches don't tend to bring them up. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

I preferred my children were watched in someone else's home. That way I came home to a clean house. The caregivers I found the first few years watched multiple children in their homes. I later found a woman with a large family and she only watched my children. Since she essentially made them part of her family, they "lived" in her house like the rest of the children and went on day trips and shopping errands with her like they would if they were home with me. They didn't sit in a room specified for "daycare." I ultimately made her and her husband Godparents.

How I found all of my sitters. I briefly tried daycare center for the first few months. One of the daycare workers told me of a friend who had home daycare. The next one was found via my new landlord telling me the neighbor across the street watched children. My last one was the Godparents. I found them via one of their older children showing up at my door asking to mow my lawn. I asked if he knew anyone who babysat. He had sisters. I used them a few times for occasional sitting. When I was job hunting, their mother offered to watch them full time.

This sure isn't helping you figure out how to find them! My point is you need to get out there and talk to people. Join mommy groups. Talk to neighbors. Talk to strangers at mommy type places, like libraries. Speaking of which, a great place to find caregivers is the community bulletin board at libraries that are close to your home. For your area, I'd check the bulletin board at the Northland Public Library, and depending on where you live in Ross, the Shaler North Hills Library. Bulletin boards and grocery stores are also great resources. You can also post your own "caregiver wanted" flyer on these bulletin boards too.

Good luck with your search! Congratulations on your new baby!

[Bong477]

We used that tender care for about 6 months and we were happy with it. It was a bargain compared to what centers in Baltimore charged.

Try sittercity and care.com if you want a more off the books unlicensed experience. We used sittercity but I think they are basically the same.

[robrobrob]

When considering daycare, you either have to pick close to home or close to work. Close to home allows your child to miss the commute to work and spend less time overall away from home. It makes it possible for both parents to share the pick up and drop off duties. Close to work allows you to work longer hours.

Daycare v at home care. We have always used daycare and sometimes you have to scramble to find childcare if your child is sick. The opposite is true if you have a nanny, you have to scramble if you nanny is sick. My BIL and SIL use a nanny and they are forced to scramble when the nanny is sick or has a doctor's appointment.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by robrobrob

When considering daycare, you either have to pick close to home or close to work. Close to home allows your child to miss the commute to work and spend less time overall away from home. It makes it possible for both parents to share the pick up and drop off duties. Close to work allows you to work longer hours.

Thinking further into the future, it's best to have a caregiver close to home because then the same caregiver can be available when the children start preschool, kindergarten and elementary school.

Originally Posted by robrobrob

Daycare v at home care. We have always used daycare and sometimes you have to scramble to find childcare if your child is sick. The opposite is true if you have a nanny, you have to scramble if you nanny is sick. My BIL and SIL use a nanny and they are forced to scramble when the nanny is sick or has a doctor's appointment.

That's why having a sitter who watches your children in her own home is ideal. They generally watch children even when they are sick and take the children with them to doctor's appointments. It's easier to watch children while sick when you're in your own house where you can wear pajamas. LOL My sitter had an emergency and was admitted to the hospital while my children were with her, and I didn't even find out about it until after I arrived to pick up my children. She took care of my children like she did her own children when an emergency occurred. I realize my situation was absolutely ideal and possibly difficult to find, but it's definitely out there if you look for it.