Please help,
My wife and I are struggling to work out the best childcare option for us.
Heres the background:
My wife will return to work after 14 weeks paid leave
She cannot go part time due to her position in the school
Neither of us can leave our jobs as we will never get similar ones.
we have no grandparents or family members nearby
we only require care during term time as my wife is a teacher
I work shift work (not fixed) on a lot of days I can be finished at 2-3pm
We live in a small 2 bed flat
The long day care centre in our area is $110 per day.
Most centres are 12month waiting list around us
We really need flexibility, we simply cannot afford to pay for 5 days care a week, all year (to maintain the spot) when the shift work allows me to start earlier and finish earlier (most days) and we don't require care for 14(weeks of school holidays)
Please can someone correct me if I am wrong , but as I understand it; at a long day care centre, we have to provide set days and cannot book in for blocks of say 10 weeks (term time) ? or be flexible
we are trying to look into Family care but no-one will give us any definate answers, have also looked into renting a 3 bedder to accomodate an aupair. But this works out to be similar to the total cost of day care.
Help needed - which child care option to take ??
Re: Help needed - which child care option to take ??
Hi Joeli,
I have to say you explained your situation really well…
Now let’s get to the point… you are right, as far as I am aware in a long day care centre you will need to pay for the days you booked for the year.
Sometimes it is a nightmare to find a childcare centre because of the high demands and the availability in some areas. It really depends on the suburb you are looking for and the area you would like to put your baby in. Have you tried finding out the deal that other centers can give you that are probably located near to your work or a suburb you pass on your way to work? There might be some centers that may be able to do occasional care or long day care centers that are less than $110 per day.
Have you looked into occasional care centres? Occasional Care sounds like something that will suit your needs. Occasional care offers flexibility and you only pay for the hours you use and bookings can be made for a school term as well as hourly, daily, etc. So instead of looking for a long day care centre in your area try looking for occasional care centres. These centres differ from long day care because they may be only open for certain times during the days and you have the option for booking half days or full days. Although I'm not sure of the price or what they offer…
Also the fees are normally higher for a baby…and this also depends on what the centre is offering in the price such as formula, nappies etc.).
By the way congratulations for your new arrival.
,
L.A
I have to say you explained your situation really well…
Now let’s get to the point… you are right, as far as I am aware in a long day care centre you will need to pay for the days you booked for the year.
Sometimes it is a nightmare to find a childcare centre because of the high demands and the availability in some areas. It really depends on the suburb you are looking for and the area you would like to put your baby in. Have you tried finding out the deal that other centers can give you that are probably located near to your work or a suburb you pass on your way to work? There might be some centers that may be able to do occasional care or long day care centers that are less than $110 per day.
Have you looked into occasional care centres? Occasional Care sounds like something that will suit your needs. Occasional care offers flexibility and you only pay for the hours you use and bookings can be made for a school term as well as hourly, daily, etc. So instead of looking for a long day care centre in your area try looking for occasional care centres. These centres differ from long day care because they may be only open for certain times during the days and you have the option for booking half days or full days. Although I'm not sure of the price or what they offer…
Also the fees are normally higher for a baby…and this also depends on what the centre is offering in the price such as formula, nappies etc.).
By the way congratulations for your new arrival.
,L.A
