Switching Daycare - Again!

Our son stayed in one center from 3 months old to 3.5 yrs old.
Then he was potty trained and ready for pre-school so he went to a Montessori school from 3.5 through kindergarten (that was the highest grade they did).
Then we did private school for grades 1 and 2 and then we moved 4 hours away and he's been in public school ever since and will start 10th grade in a few weeks.

I have no idea what the circumstances are but the number of day cares your kids have been through seems excessive.
Some of it might be due to with issues of the day care(s) but for that many switches I'd tend to think some of the issues are with your kids.
Is all the switching in the best interest for them?
What sort of stability are they getting?
How can they make friends if they are switching all the time?
Are they having issues that seem to repeat over and over again and are not being resolved?
Only you can answer that one (I don't really what to know what the answer is).
If you have no other options then you'll have to get them a nanny or baby sitter to watch them.

My son was in one daycare at age 2. It wasn't a good fit, and we switched him to a Montessori for ages 3 and 4. Then, for kindergarten and first grade, I sent him to a charter school. For various reasons (the key one is confidential), I switched him to our local public school for 2nd grade.

None of these transitions were a huge problem, but as he gets older and friendships get more established, it does get harder. When he was teeny, no problem at all.

I was in a lot of daycares as a kid. I adjusted. Some were short term because they were not as advertised, like the one who had one small room she kept all the kids in except for snack time or the occasional movie, and very little supervision. When we told our mother how it really was, she pulled us out of there.

What I would consider is looking for someone (an individual or a company or a public school bus) that will transport your child. Our local school will drop kids off at a local church daycare in the afternoons. You just have to make those arrangements. There are also vanpool options for many other places. I see their vans in the parking lot at the end of the day. That might be a way to keep them together. OR, just look for after care programs at the 7 yr old's school. Even if they are not together right now, when the younger one hits K, you'll be able to roll that child into the same program. Or, does the school have a preK program?

I think you are the rule and not the exception. My sister and BFF have gone through several daycare facilities for their little ones. They've tried churches, home daycare, and day care centers. The places they used (other than home daycares) have a high turnover rate, so they may like it at first, but dislike when the in room provider changes. Good Luck!! You're not alone!

This is one of the problems with using home providers.

Since it's one person splitting their time between their home and caring for kids it's more like a mom at home with her own children.

If you truly want pre-school why not put th 4 year old in the Pre-K program at the elementary school? When she gets out her and the other one can both be picked up by the same full sized child care center and taken to the facility for after school care. Problems all solved.

I respect home providers but I know the reasons I would never use one. That's primarily because it is their home, and they have their own life to manage while the kids are there. They can even go take a nap while the kids are there, cook and not have the kids in the same room, they can leave the kids playing and go take a shower. I don't like that.

Having many years in child care I do not think watching someone else's children is like that. I had to have eyes on the kids the entire time they were in my care. School age kids could be left alone for up to 10 minutes but otherwise all younger kids were eyes on.

So, can you get your daughter in the elementary school pre-K program at this late date? Many are full within days of enrollment opening up.

That, to me, would be the best solution. If that won't work then take the 4 year old to the child care center the school age child will be going to after school, that will pick her up from school, and keep them at one facility.

My son went to a daycare center from 9 weeks of age and did preschool (ages 3 until 4-1/2 there). He went to a Montessori for his last year of preschool and kindergarten. He has been in public school since first grade with aftercare at our local community center. So he is 8 and has been 3 places.

My oldest (now 7) was in a home daycare when the provider moved away. He had just turned 2 years old when we put him in a family run daycare center. My daughter (3) is at the same center now and will be until she goes to school (unless something changes between now and then).
I found our current daycare via my employer (they give a discount to employees). I did some research on them, went in for an interview, and loved it. I know the family running the center well now, and trust them completely with my child.
No child care center is perfect, but if you can find one you trust, then you are set. However, if you burn through your options too much, you may want to look into a nanny. That way you have more control over their care (and who's caring for them).

My 7 year old went to six different ones before (7 if you count Grandma picking them up once a week as another)!! This was for a variety of reasons just like you. My 5 five year old son has only been to 4 and my 11.5 month old is on his fourth (moved a few months ago and with having a military sitter once a week, we have lost two of them recently due to moving or unforeseen issues).