Daycare in suffolk county

Any daycares out there that deal with fluctuating hours? Now that I am getting closer to my due date I am starting to look closer at this and am having a huge problem. My schedule fluctuates...3 days per week I would 11:30-7:30 (so DS would be dropped off at 11, picked up at 5:30 by DH). 2 days per week I work 9-5 (drop off at 8:30ish, pick up by 5 by DH). I just got off the phone with 2 places and basicly you have to set your hours as the same every day with them...that's not going to work, especially since one of the places is right by my job...not dropping him off at 8:30 when I don't have to be at work until 11:30. Besides I would like that extra time w/ DS. Not for nothing it also kinda irks me that I would have to pay if he goes or doesn't (there are weekends that I work and get guaranteed days off during the week) or pay for a full time day when he will only be there for 6 hours (full time day they said was 8 hours). I wish there was family that could watch him, but there is no one and all of my friends work. I am already stressing out about this and he isn't even born yet! Any suggestions?

Re: Daycare in suffolk county

Maybe look into in-home day care? They are more flexible with hours and usually charge by the hour. Ask around your neighborhood.

I think most daycare facilities are like that- even if you don't use the whole day, you need to pay for it. Unless you only needed a hald day everyday your kid was there, than they could plan around it and would probably only charge you part time.

Re: Daycare in suffolk county

Honestly, I don't know if you are going to find any center type daycares that are going to be able to offer you flexible days and prices based on what time you drop DS off. Think about it from their perspective. They can only have a certain number of children in each room per day so they need to schedule when each child will be there so that they can open certain days up to other children. In DS last room, they had a total of 27 children in there. However, they never had more than 18 per day. DS only went Monday, Thurday and Friday, so they were able to offer Tuesday and Wednesday to another child who also went part time.

Unfortunately, I think the only way you will find something as flexible as what you are looking for is to look for someone who will watch DS is their home or in yours.

Re: Daycare in suffolk county

Its just so frustrating...like daycare isn't so outlandishly expensive to begin with...now we have to pay for times he's not even there!

Re: Daycare in suffolk county

I'm not sure where in Suffolk that you are looking, but I know Gerty has fluctuating hours and found a few places. Contact the Child Care Council of Suffolk and they will give you referrals of places that do part time. Not necessarily all "day care centers." There are some that watch kids in their home but are NYS certified.

Re: Daycare in suffolk county

try small wonders in Hauppauge

360-0472

Re: Daycare in suffolk county

its totally normal to pay for the full day even if you only use say 4 hours of it. You are paying for the spot to be held for you, not for the hours you use it. They couldnt take a baby for the other 4 hours, so theyd be out money when they could fill the spot with a child who would use the entire day.

My daycare center in smithtown does PT (days not hours) and we pay for the entire day but can drop him off anytime after 6:30 and pick him up anytime before 6:30 when the center closes.

If you want my centers info FM me. They are wonderful!

Message edited 9/9/2009 9:55:20 AM.

Re: Daycare in suffolk county

Re: Daycare in suffolk county

daycares are so difficult and expensive - i know because I work at one. I think it's very difficult for the parents that they get charged even if their child doesn't go in that day. It's like a set fee. But I am VERY surprised that you couldn't find a place that works with your fluctuating hours. I know that at every place I've ever worked at, we had kids that didn't come in M-F all day. We had some that only came in a couple days for a couple hours and that was fine. So i don't understand why the places won't work with you. Unless you don't know which days ahead of time. I know that they DO need to know well in advance, only because they can't go over their ratio. You can only have a certain amount of children per adult, so they need to know way in advance how many children will be in that day. As long as you have a set schedule (whether it's full time some days and part time others) then you should be fine.

However, if you actually do not have anything 'set' and you will be fluctuating weekly, you would probably have much better luck with a home daycare. There are some really good ones out there, and in many ways I would prefer one of them over an actual school. I just feel like my child would get more attention in a home with fewer kids. KWIM?

Message edited 9/9/2009 10:12:51 AM.

Re: Daycare in suffolk county