In a couple months I will be going back to school, only starting out 3 days a week. The days/hours will change every 10 weeks, with only a months notice. I have 3 kids ages 8, 3 & 1. I have been looking at online sites such as sittercity.com and care.com. I am wondering if anyone can recommend a site they prefer and have had experience with. Also, do people prefer a daycare setting or someone to sit in their home?
Thanks in advance!
A.
I had expierence with both. I liked care.com better as I found more sitters in my area, but after we were done, we forget to cancel and ended up getting charged again. I liked someone coming to my house so i did not have to take the kids out, and also the lady tiedied up as well, it was also cheeper to pay $10 an hour rather than $50 each kid for a whole day. Good luck!
Call your local law enforcement and have fingerprints taken and a criminal background check initiated-no matter who supplies the nanny-have cameras installed in your home.
first i would like to say, Good For You! i am doing the same thing! and i have four kids ages 8, 5, 3 and 1. Yay for educated moms!
i personally prefer the cheapest and most convenient route.
depending on the school you go to and your income, you might be able to get reduced or free daycare from the on campus daycare.
all of the universities and most city colleges ive been to have on campus daycare that is subsidized depending on household income for people who are attending that school. the cool thing is, i believe they are also cheaper than private daycare if you make too much money for subsidized.
there is also EOPS at most schools, which you have to call and apply to and they help out with daycare for parents, if you need them to.
good luck!
We have had our daughter in daycare since she was 6 weeks old! It is totally up to you and what you feel comfortable with... We really like our daycare and feel comfortable leaving her there. In my opinion, I did not want someone in my home. Yes, it is probably nice to have the convenience of them coming to your home, but who regulates them and how do you know what they are doing in your home?? We liked the daycare because they are on a schedule, it's regulated by the state, they have security cameras that we can watch online, they are getting good interaction with other children and they are learning. I worried about her staying home that she wouldn't get the social interaction and that they may just watch TV all day! I love that when she is at school they are teaching her. It's not just "babysitting." She has learned so much!! Everyone is different, so it is just whatever you feel comfortable with.
I can't answer about the intranet sites. In terms of daycare setting vs. your home, there are positives and negatives for both. You may want to pursue both options until you have to decide which will work. There maybe daycare settings which can be more flexible with your schedule. It's also helpful to have the kids in daycare for some period of time while you are home (and they are in daycare). This can be valuable time to get homework/papers done. Conversely having someone in your home means you don't have to get them up early and move them to daycare. Also you have childcare built in when they are sick. In daycare you can't send your sick child. They always get sick at the worse time. Money is also a factor. If you have someone in your house you need to withhold taxes, pay social security, workman's comp, and disability to be legal. We have always done this. We had a nanny a few years ago who seemed nice and then turned on us. Thankfully we payed legally. She kept threatening to go to the state. We were like feel free. We payed legally and there were no issues for the state to deal with. Good luck in school! I went to grad school and post masters with little kids. It can be done!
