Last month I started a regular writing job from home. The new editorial arrangement with a local publisher marks my official return to the workforce since leaving in 2008.
After accepting the offer, I had two choices when it came to the kids: I could do my work after they went to bed, or I could use my earnings to put them in daycare.
Needless to say, I went the daycare route.
The first thing I noticed when I started shopping for a daycare was just how many there are in Lake in the Hills and Algonquin. There are tons.
They are all so different, too. Different focuses, different electives, different policies.
I decided to just pick the one that was the closest to home and the cleanest. Hey, you have to start somewhere.
The first month at the daycare has gone OK. (I won’t mention any brand names here. That gets complicated.) The kids are there for only two five-hour stretches a week.
At first Evan loved it. He was excited to meet new friends and play with new toys. But now I have to talk him into going. As for my one-year-old Kayla, she used to cry at drop-off but now she doesn’t.
I only know a small handful of mothers who use a daycare in the area. I visited two of them on their recommendations. One daycare seemed to have a great handle on education for Evan but the room for Kayla seemed small and was packed with 10 kids.
The other daycare was enormous and even had cameras so that I could watch the kids. But there was nothing about the facility that made me want to switch them over.
And to make my decision even harder, just about every facility matches competitors’ prices.
A month into my new job, I’m feeling a little confused about what daycare to choose. Are you a local mom with kids at daycare? What made you choose that particular facility? How did you know you made the right decision?
