I am considering taking my 2 year old son to daycare but I feel so guilty and sad just thinking about it. I love my kids so much and I have been a stay at home mom for 5 years now. My daughter will start kindergarten next month and I want to be able to send her to a Catholic school however I am finding it difficult to make ends meet by doing so. I love being a mom and knowing that my kids are taken care of and loved by me. I feel kind of guilty sending him to daycare. I've posted an ad on Craigslist to offer babysitting from my home but no response yet. What should I do?
Thank you everyone for your advice! I have since put an ad on Care.com looking to offer daycare, but haven't had any luck yet. I've applied for several jobs and haven't heard from one yet. We've moved to a small town 30 minutes away from the city where they have great schools. My daughter will be attending a public school and my son will not need to be in daycare. I love being with my children as they grow and able to witness their every milestone.. please wish me luck finding a nanny job. Thanks!
I would try putting an ad on a site that is more reputable than Craigslist. I think there's one called care.com.
I did not want to enroll my children in daycare either. When I went back to work after maternity leave, we hired an in-home nanny.
I would not use Craigslist for anything.
Enannysource.com or sittercity.com will help you figure out your dilemma.
Both are great.
Good luck.
I had my children in daycare for five years. It was the best decision I could have made. The community of parents and teachers working together was incredible. The knowledge of the teachers and the observations that they had about my child each and every day were incredible. My kids made close friendships which we have maintained two years after leaving (my kids are in first and second grade now). My husband and I also made great friends with other parents which continue today. It was a very happy time for us. Everyone's situation is different, but don't rule out daycare without at least visiting and observing a few.
If you look around at some of the daycare options, that may help you make a decision. It probably also depends on your son's personality. My son is 2.5 and really likes going to daycare. He talks about the other kids and the teachers all the time, and I think it's good for him to play with kids his own age. (He doesn't have a lot of other kids near his age in the neighborhood or our family.) Since I work full-time, some of the days can be long, but if you could only take your son a couple days each week or part-time, that may make it easier. I think you would feel better if you found the right daycare. If you don't like the place, you definitely won't feel comfortable. But I can definitely attest to the fact that kids can do very well in a daycare setting, and not feel neglected by M. and Daddy!
If you can't afford catholic school choose another option. It's just going to get more expensive, then you'll want to send them both & that will be really expensive.
Life has a lot of hard choices for us. It sounds like you can choose catholic school or continuing to stay home, up to you, but it would be an easy choice for me.
One of the reasons I am a stay at home mom is because of the cost of daycare. You might want to check out how much it is going to cost you to put your son in daycare verses how much you would make, then go from there. If you are looking at someone to do it in their home, they will cost less than a daycare business.
Are your public school options at all decent? If so, personally I'd send my daughter to the public school and continue to stay home. I'm not judging - do whatever works best for your family. But personally I wouldn't want my two year old to do without just to send my five year old to a private school. Two years old, for me, is just too young to be away from my kids that much.
My son is starting a preschool through our church 1 day a week. Is there a church in your area that offers preschool to younger kids? It's a Parent's Day Out Program and I think he'll really benefit from being around other kids and older kids too! Don't feel guilty about it...they need to get out and be around others -- especially if they are always with just us! Or is there a friend or neighbor with a 2 year old and you can take both kids one day then she could another day? This would also get your 2 year old around another child and give you a break every so often.
A good place to start, if you are looking to find children to care for, a good place to start is your local child care resource and referral agency. In Sangamon county that agency is Community Child Care Connection in Springfield, IL. You can be listed on a referral database. They also have trainings and technical assistance for child care providers. If you are looking for a day care program, they can assist you by providing your with a list of programs in your area and information on licensing standards and quality indicators. You can contact them at 1-800-676-2805 or www.cccconnect.org.
Another site to look at is Care.net. I wouldn't use Craigslist for finding daycare kids or finding a daycare to enroll your child in. Never underestimate word of mouth as well. I know there is a shortage of home daycares in our area so when one gets a call, they spread the word around to everyone else they know running a daycare to see if anyone has room. If you choose to get licensed then you will also be listed with the state which would bring in more people.
