Why Are All of the Night and Weekend Child Care Centers in Bad Areas?

In our area, that's because most people who *need* night/weekend care and don't have someone at home to do it are on the edge of poverty... and therefore living in bad areas.

What I did? (for a year when I had no help, nightshift, no weekends) Paid college kids $20 a night + home cooked dinner leftovers. They came to my home and got paid to have a quiet place to study and real food. Beat the hail out of noisy dorms. Sophmores were my bread and butter. Got all their wiggles out as freshmen, but can't yet afford to move off campus. My shifts worked out that I put my son to bed before they got there. Most of the time, they never even saw/interacted with him (I did have a nanny cam in his room that I never mentioned). Because my son could sleep through the second coming, if they didn't have a car I often drove them home (just popped my son in his carseat), or they were welcome to crash on the couch and catch the bus in the morning (ditto if they drove). They usually chose to go home, since my son would wake up / our day started very early. Met some REALLY great people this way.

I just posted a notice on the dorm's message boards outlining the job, hours, days needed, and pay (I only "required" 1 day a week). Then I interviewed. Always had tons of applicants is desperate need of a quiet place to study.

$20 a night is SUPER cheap for our area, since it's usually $10 per hour.

Well when my son was born I had regular nights and weekends and then was a challenge for me too. The reason they are in the ghetto is because most lower income jobs are the ones that require parents to work and nights and weekends. A majority (although not all i.e. doctors, police officers, nurses, etc. I was a social worker) of middle to upper class jobs are typical 8-5. So they are in these neighborhoods because that's where the majority of clients are. Unfortunately it makes it difficult for us. My suggestion, find an in-home daycare provider. You can usually find ones in nicer areas. My son started with an in-home provider. Also, contact a Child Care Referral center and they can often find some centers in nicer areas that you are unaware of. I ended up finding one in a pretty affluent area right up the street from my apartment well after I had found my in-home provider. There are nice, clean facilities in at least somewhat decent neighborhoods or in-home providers. Open the yellow pages and find and call EVERY listed facility and ask them specifically what their hours of service are. It literally took me months to find anything somewhat decent. The problem is you have to REALLY search for them and you have to be willing to pay for it.

ADDED:

If your comfortable with it, search unlicensed providers too. There are some really good ones out there who simply haven't gone through all the steps yet to get licensed. You won't find them on the DCF website, but you can find some on Craigs list that are actually reputable.

Like Katie said, it's probably just a supply and demand thing. People living in the areas that you're seeing this kind of care are more likely to have service industry jobs and other low-wage work that requires nights and weekends than those who live in higher income areas. Office workers, financial advisers, attorneys etc. aren't working nights and weekends. Anyone I know who lives out in the burbs and works odd hours works in law enforcement or medicine, and they choose/accept the non-traditional hours because either they make enough money that they can hire an in-home care provider or they are married and have a spouse at home who can care for the children while they're doing an overnight or weekend shift.

Sounds like you might have to just find the best of the not-so-great providers who have the hours you need and continue to work at getting a job with more traditional hours so that you can move your child to a place you like more. Out of 113, there have to be at least a few who are OK.

Is the kind of work that you'll be doing something where other people will be working the same shifts as you on a regular basis? Perhaps you can find someone else in the same sort of schedule who has a baby-sitter and ask if you can share the sitter and pay something that you can afford.

Can you talk to other people at your work and get recommendations??

Have you considered that this may be a great opportunity for you? How about you find a part-time job for mornings for now to tide you buy and then start offering nights and weekends in a nice area of town? Does Florida allow for you to get started with a few kids while you are getting licensed?

I don't know where you live but Im in Oviedo near UCF. I have a 5 year old girl and 1 on the way. I'm a SAHM now but I was a certified medical assistant and my husband is a chiropractor. I'm not licensed but I do watch children @ any hour so I just wanted to extend an invitation to you if you'd like to contact me & we can work something out regarding a budget if your interested in evening home childcare. Good luck & god bless.

I like the college kid die with nanny cam, also...what about a private person offering day/night care in their home?
Good luck, this would terrify me!