Childcare/ New Job Dilemma...

Just a note about the high school set. AP tests are these next two weeks. So any kid taking them is freaking out about now. But in the summer a junior or senior would be great.

I would ask for college kids on summer break.

Or if you do move up here I have two teens. YOu'll have to wait unitl after next week though. I think AP Physics is going to do us all in.

I had to bridge a gap kind of like this when I went back to work. Lucky for me I got a job very quickly -and they wanted me to start very quickly! That threw me for a loop child-care wise. I joined Sitter-city.com for one month for $40 and found a number of great people. We finally settled on one person who was absolutely wonderful! It was more expensive than regular child care, but it worked for us for that time period until school could start the next August.

R.:

Move up here and I'll take care of the kids. You can work and I'll be your nanny!!! :)

Okay - so we know that can't happen right now. So I would go to sittercity.com and find someone who you trust and feel comfortable with to take care of the kids.

Since college is out - or almost - when will Ben be available to help out? Have you talked to him about this possibility?

Another thing? Find a high school student or a college student that is looking to make some extra money and who has their own transportation. there are some high schools around here to help you find one that "fits" you. Our high school here does a certification course and matches families up for summer "fun"!!! Might that work for you?

I used Craigslist *gasp* and Bethany has been our provider for a long time, and we love her. With our third on the way, I'm begging her to care for this one too.

EVERY working Mom has this problem. You have to do what you have to do.

Websites you can look at are care.com and sittercity.com (not sure if that's just in my area or not, so I apologize if they are).
Or you can try and find a referral from someone.
A friend's child etc etc.
A friend of mine got her sitter from a local take out place that her family gets food from alot. She got to know one of the girls at the checkout there, and the girl is now doing her afterschool care from 3 - 5.
Another friend of mine found hers from care.com.
I got mine from a family friend referral.
I would think with 3 kids an in home sitter would be cheaper. Not sure. But I think so...

I thought having an in home sitter was expensive (in comparison to daycare) but I only have one. I don't think the sitter charges that much more per hour for additional children (a couple bucks more per hour but not like triple rates) so for 3 children, a sitter may be more afordable than daycare. If you would like this for the summer only, it may be the perfect time to find someone. My son's first sitter was with us during the summer college break (almost 3 months). I found her through sitter city. She was a junior in college studying nursing with the goal of being a labor/delivery nurse so she was CPR certified etc. She did this every summer and had great references. There were so many more postings on sitter city during that time period because there were a lot of college kids that wanted a summer day job. She worked out great and watched him for $10/hour. I am thinking if you added two older kids, the rate may jump to $12/hour but that may work out cheaper than having them all in daycare/summer camp type of programs. When she worked for us, my son was just an infant so they stayed home all day but all of my applicants were willing to drive if I was comfortable with it. She worked out great and bought me time to find a more permanent sitter for him (that we ended up using for 2 years before he started preschool/daycare). Good Luck!

We got our in-home sitter off of SitterCity.com. She was horrible - but I think we found the needle in the haystack. She was also willing to do it for a very affordable price - you'll find some really decent ones on there for a great price.

Sittercity not too expensive...and the way to do it is go online and find a coupon code for the first month, then delete your account. Then they will give you 50% off all future times you sign up...sweet deal!

Good luck on the daycare and a job!!

Is there a college in the area? Could you post an add at a college and interview a few students needing to make some extra money.

Wish I was there to help!

i don't know that in-home would be more expensive. you might well get a multi-kid discount. you may well find that you like your person so much you decide to continue with the arrangments when the girls go back to school. i'd check out the local colleges and find a good reliable energetic kid with references, have a trial period to make sure all the personalities mesh, and give 'er a whirl.
how's the job search going?
khairete
S.

I pay $20 a day to get my kids picked up after school and taken care of until 6. I'm not sure why you think in home care is more expensive?

We just transitioned to daycare, but the long days that our in home manny was able to afford us were excellent. Also, we didn't have to worry about sick days whatsoever. Manny was perfectly willing to take care of our sick baby in our home.

Try local stay at home mom's with school aged kids, try recent retirees, try people who have recently lost their jobs and want some pocket money until they find something themselves. Ask at your place of worship or community center. You might also try the local pools and ask if there is anyone who tried out to be a lifeguard and didn't make the cut. Those kids have a lot of first aid/ cpr training, and tend to have their wits about them.

As best you are able, try not to start the new job and the new childcare at the same time. You don't want to have to flake out of work to fix a childcare situation which needs some tweaking.

Good luck to you and yours,
F. B.

The advantages of having someone watch your children in your home are huge. With 3 kids, I'm sure you'll find it's probably less expensive than putting all 3 in day care or other programs over the summer. There are tons of college kids looking for summer jobs.

I don't know what they cost, but just keep in mind that if they come to your house, you are their supervisor and are required to withhold taxes, cover them under workers comp and pay payroll taxes. You are, essentially, an employer.

Much easier to take them to the sitter!

In most areas an in home sitter is actually less expensive if you have more than one child. Centers are "x" amount per kid and that same amount for each next kid except for sometimes maybe a %10 discount. I know we had our boys in kindercare about 20 years ago. cost me at that time $120 per week for first kid and $95 for second kid. so more than $200 per week. an inhome sitter in our area would have been about $150 but i liked the activities etc they had at the center.

I second the idea of a college kid or junior or senior in highschool. check into sitter city. also call your local community college and ask to speak to the director of the early childhood education program. tell her what your looking for and ask if she would be willing to post it on the bulletin board or make an annuncement. she might do that. I know ours used to. But be prepared to pay and competitive rate. probably about $12 to $15 an hour for what your looking for especially if your going to need her to be transporting them.

I'd find a nanny to come to your home. For now...after school for the older ones and all day with your son.
For summer--keep her all summer or after school is over start summer camps, etc.

If the companies don't work out check out college students that are looking for summer work, or even trying to find a way to make money before their time as a camp counselor begins. Many colleges have let out or are letting out in the next week and sleep away and day camps don't begin for about a month. That is the type of person you are looking for: they are smart, responsible, like kids, drive, would be glad for $10 an hour, and are available for a short amount of time. Plus no company service fee.

Good luck.

If you need help brainstorming ways to locate these transient college students let me know, I can give you a bunch of ways to find them.

This may be a repeat I really didn't read many of the other responses before I posted.

Does your son have therapy through the school system/ Early Intervention? or is it private? If it is through the school system, with your permission the service provider will go to the daycare and provide speech. He may miss out on group, but they may be able to fill that time with another session.

I'm sorry but I don't have much advice on the in home nanny/ sitter. I have always talked to friends and conducted interviews with people that they, or someone they knew recommended. I haven't tried any websites. Good luck with your employment journey as well as finding a safe place for your children.
Take care