Daycare Proximity to Home/Work

So I am due in November and would need childcare starting when DS is 3 months. Unfortunately there are no daycare centers that meet our needs in our immediate area (the one in our town has very limited hours, basically 8-6). I found one that is 15-20 minutes from us (west of us - call this day care option #1)... My office is 45 minutes from our home (east of us) and there is a Tutor Time down the block (day care option #2). Problem is, I visit client sites a few times a week when I am busy, and sometimes those clients are in NJ or the city, and so the one down the block from my office would be in the complete opposite direction.

Long story short - is your day care close to you (or DH's) office, or close to your home? What do you think is more important for convenience/emergency purposes? TIA

Re: Daycare Proximity to Home/Work

We do a in-home day care that is walking distance to where we live. I prefer for it to be close to home because my job is over an hour away.

Re: Daycare Proximity to Home/Work

I used one close to home. (Almost walking distance but not quite)

My reasonig was:

On days I was sick, but wanted to still send her so I could rest or work from home, it was easier to go 5 min up the block then have to drive her to one near my office

On snowy days, I could take her there- a quick 5 min ride- and just go work from home so I didn't have to commute in the snow.

Dh could get her more easily if I could not if it was closer to home

I work from home a lot so having the daycare close to home made sense

I also didn't like having her in the car with me for long commutes as an infant because I was so paranoid of getting in an accident

Daycare Proximity to Home/Work

My daycare is less than 5 mins from home. I work in the city so there is no way I'm picking one close to work. IMO it should be closer to home because there will be days you won't be at work.

Daycare Proximity to Home/Work

unfortunately we had a similar case and opted to put DS in daycare by my job. I am 5 mins /2miles from him but to NervousNell point DS and I have a hour and a half commute one way together :(
Going on 3 years now - Its taking its toll... and to what she said very rarely am I able to work from home when and if I am sick ot just want to take personal day - I have to take him close to work for daycare. That makes it less than optimal but my boss gives me the flexibility his work didn't when DS was sick and events at daycare... I don't regret it just looking forward to moving eventually some day and things switching up

Re: Daycare Proximity to Home/Work

Luckily my job is only about 10 minutes from where I live, and the daycare is pretty much equidistant to both. BUT, if I worked farther, I would put DD in a daycare closer to home for two reasons:

1- if I'm sick and am still sending her, it's easier to get her there

2- if I need someone else to drop her off or pick her up, it's easier for the other person

Daycare Proximity to Home/Work

I use one close to my home. And I'm so glad I did. We started him in a location between home and work while waiting for a spot to open up at the one closer to home. Thankfully, we didn't have to wait long. I was sick with that stupid fever virus about 2 months ago and could barely move, if I had to either (a) drive him to the other location or (b) keep him home because I couldn't drive him, I would have been in really bad shape. Thankfully, this is right up the road and I was able to drive the 3/4 of a mile to get him there and back the 3 days I was sick in bed.

Re: Daycare Proximity to Home/Work

Daycare Proximity to Home/Work

I agree with Nell's reasoning. Having a daycare close to home provides the following benefits:

1. My DH can pick up/drop off if needed.
2. If you are sick, it's easy to get there. I had never been sick in 9 years. This winter I got a stomach bug TWICE.
3. In bad weather, he's only in the car for a few minutes.
4. My DS is ATROCIOUS in the car. Listening to him scream for 1 hour a day in the car would be pure torture.
5. It gives me a little bit of a break/down time between work and home.

The only benefit I can think of for having it close to work is if you're nursing. It probably would have let me cut out 1-2 pumping sessions per day.

Re: Daycare Proximity to Home/Work

I work about 30 mins from home but most days in traffic it is a 45min-1hr drive home. Dd was previously in a daycare close to home and it closed at 6. It was soooo stressful having to leave every day at 5 on the dot and most days was still late for pick up. We ended up moving dd to a daycare closer to my office. It relieved the pressure on me to leave at 5 on the dot. Dh was never going to be able to pick dd up for, daycare either way bc of his hours. It's all on me.

But there are a ton of cons of this...most of which were named above. I can never have a day to myself bc daycare is too far from home. Also - come January when I am on maternity leave I will either have to drive dd to daycare with the baby or keep older dd home. I have to pay for the daycare either way to keep her spot. So that sucks big time and Im stressing it already.

Eta: one more pro is that I get maximum time with my dd and we have a lot of fun singing together in the car

Message edited 9/2/2015 10:38:54 PM.

Re: Daycare Proximity to Home/Work

Daycare Proximity to Home/Work

I also use one very close to my house for reasons previous poster's listed. Now that my DS is a little older and hates being in the car I'd hate having him spend extra time in the car.

Re: Daycare Proximity to Home/Work

I ended up going with one by my job main reason I got a discount there but I will have to say its nice that I don't have to worry about leaving work and rushing to get DC in time because they are literally across the street (I pay for 8-6 and though technically I get out at 4 there are times that I have to work late). My mom picks them up for me sometimes and the one by my job can be on her way home from work and its also close to her house. its close to their pediatrician so I can make appointments right after work or during lunch hours. its also nice for when I have to run their say for a show they are putting on or like the other day DD had a splinter and they are not allowed to take it out so I was able to go their quickly remove it and be back at work within 15 minutes. I have been debating about moving them for other reasons and me having to go their the other day for the splinter has made me lean more towards not moving them.

but I will admit there are times I do wish it was closer to home. main ones when its bad weather or I don't feel good and I rather just have to drive up the block and then I can come home and just work from home. or if only one is sick I will send one in but I have to drive back home to stay with the other one.

Re: Daycare Proximity to Home/Work

Posted by Cacarina

I work about 30 mins from home but most days in traffic it is a 45min-1hr drive home. Dd was previously in a daycare close to home and it closed at 6. It was soooo stressful having to leave every day at 5 on the dot and most days was still late for pick up. We ended up moving dd to a daycare closer to my office. It relieved the pressure on me to leave at 5 on the dot. Dh was never going to be able to pick dd up for, daycare either way bc of his hours. It's all on me.

But there are a ton of cons of this...most of which were named above. I can never have a day to myself bc daycare is too far from home. Also - come January when I am on maternity leave I will either have to drive dd to daycare with the baby or keep older dd home. I have to pay for the daycare either way to keep her spot. So that sucks big time and Im stressing it already.

Eta: one more pro is that I get maximum time with my dd and we have a lot of fun singing together in the car

Daycare Proximity to Home/Work

close to home

Daycare Proximity to Home/Work

We use one close to home (5 minutes in the car, 20 by foot if I'm really hoofing it...). Its easier for DH to take her in the AM (he doesn't go to work until around 9:30 AM, whereas I'm outta the house by 6) and when I get out of work I can run into my house, change into my gym clothes and get in a workout, then jog over to daycare and pick her up...then stroll her home. I get in a little extra workout that way. When its bad weather or just super super cold, my MIL grabs her for me...she's even closer to the daycare than we are..

Re: Daycare Proximity to Home/Work

DD is in a program close to my house for a NUMBER of reasons.
1. I am more likely to change jobs than to move to another town. Should I change jobs I do not want to try to find a new placement.
2. There are more options where I live. I have the choice of curriculum (in my town alone we have 2 very strong day care programs with strong educational curriculum, 3 montessori schools, a day school, a number of very reputable family day care centers plus a slue of other programs.) Where I work, there are a few family day cares and 1 big day care center.
3. I live in a town where proper discipline and an emphasis in education is important. I work in an area where these are not priorities.
4. Emergency contacts- All of our emergency contacts can make it to our hometown a lot easier than they could the town where I work. If my daughter gets sick and I am in a mtg and don't have my phone, my DH can get on a train and get home much faster than he could get to my work. Likewise, family can get to our hometown between 10-45 minutes (depending on who they call). Family is 45-75 minutes from my job.

Re: Daycare Proximity to Home/Work

Re: Daycare Proximity to Home/Work

We use one closer to work, only because when she started, we knew we would be moving In the next year to year and a half and didn't want to move her. It's a huge pia, especially on days I need to travel to other locations for work or if I have to leave early for a doctors appt., etc.

We are likely moving her local now that we are settled.

Daycare Proximity to Home/Work

We chose close to home since it's easier for both of us to do drop offs and pick ups. Now that my DD is older, it's on the same school bus line as our house so it works out really well for us. If i'm ever stuck and I need the sitter to pick them up it's around the block from her too.

If you know you are going to be cutting it close with pick ups, I would go with option #1. Honestly though--that would really stink if you were at work, not on the road and had to first drive to DC just to drive back the opposite direction. I would consider a nanny instead..GL!!

Re: Daycare Proximity to Home/Work

In your situation I think it is probably better to have daycare close to home bc of the fact that there are times you are not near work and it would be way out of the way.

I work 10 minutes from home and the daycare is a few blocks from work, it is the place I liked best but also liked that I could get the baby first and then my son from prek, it sounds silly since everything is within 10 min of eachother but every minute counts when you have to get two kids and go home and cook and everything else

Re: Daycare Proximity to Home/Work

Closer to home for sure!

The only time it could get tricky is in the event of an early closing due to snow. In those cases, if you anticipate the possibility that the center may close mid-day, you'd probably have to stay home. My center closed a few times last winter and I only got a couple hours notice. If I worked in the city I never would have made it back in time.

But if you have an emergency contact who can pick your DC up for you, you'd be fine.