It seems crazy that we have to look for child care already. And we've been looking for a few months. I have no idea what the market is for infant child care in other towns and cities but in Seattle, there are approximately four open spots for 3,675 babies. The concept of supply and demand are completely out of whack. Which means one thing: wait lists! Or maybe it means two things: nannies! Which we'll need, in case the wait lists don't work out.
First we had to register with an organization, a veritable Day Care Gate Keeper, to access listings of credible providers. Oddly, a simple Google search comes up with a big ol' ball of tumbleweed. I found a few places in my zip code, called them all, left earnest messages and spoke really clearly, and heard back from one. Dave and I went to visit. The good news was, it was close to our home and affordable. The bad news was it had cobwebs and seemed dirty. Nah.I expanded my search. So what if I need to make a bus transfer with Junior's stuff in tow?
The second place I checked out was run by Eddie, a Springer Spaniel of a man according to his enthuisasm over the phone. (This should've been my first red flag; as illustrated above, most providers don't even answer their phones, let alone jump for joy at the prospect of a new charge). We agreed to meet at his day care on President's Day. He said "Just look for the bright blue house with orange trim. You can't miss it!". (This shouldn't been my second red flag, but I'm starting to feel pressure and and therefore trying to be open minded.)
I pulled up and let out a groan at the site of his electric blue house with a sagging front porch and satellite dish. But I remembered my friend Rachel's advise, to see AS MANY day cares as possible, because they are each unique. I pulled myself out of the car and walked up the crusty porch. A quick look in the windows and I saw a mattress on the floor and a big ass box of Cheerios, but no children to speak of. I knocked on the door and heard a big dog lumber towards the door, which I took as my cue to run away.
I'm not scared of dogs, but I do trust my intution. And my intuition said "This place is a dump. Who are you kidding?"
Today I checked out a nice place at a Methodist church. I had to pay $35 to get on the waitlist, but it seemed worth it. It was
clean, they had a cool outdoor space, a music program, full meal plan, and it was in a good neighborhood. Even though it's at a church, they don't push a religious agenda, and they celebrate diversity by making sure there are black and brown dolls, and books and music that teach about other cultures. On the bright side, my mother in law will watch the baby one day a week (awesome!) and I have some flexibility with my work schedule. I guess we'll just hope for the best and play PowerBall in the meantime. That way, we can be stay at home 'ballers.
1 comment:
Hilarious. Hope there is a cheap, non-religion pushing daycare-church in my neck of the woods.
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