Parenting || 3 Things to Consider When Researching Daycare Options

As a new parent, figuring out where I was going to send my daughter to daycare was one of the more stressful decisions I had to make. In the Minneapolis area there’s so much demand for infant care that sometimes new parents have their names on waiting lists starting the day they find out they’re pregnant (I wish I was exaggerating about that). With that said, finding an in-home provider or center that checks all of your boxes and is available to take your newborn when you need them can be exhausting.

When I first started my daycare search I was around 30 weeks pregnant, which is much later than most parents-to-be start. We were in the process of moving and were uncertain of which city we’d be living in so it made the search especially hard. We were also undecided on whether we should send our daughter to an in-home daycare or a center. Originally I was set on a center because I liked the idea that it’s more structured and usually there’s a higher number of teachers to child ratio. However, after talking with some mom’s who had kids at in-home daycares I became super conflicted on what the right choice would be for our growing family.

Today I’m outlining some the of considerations to think about when deciding what fits best for you and your child(ren). I’ll primarily be referring to infant care but all of the considerations can apply to children of any age.

Daycare Availability

I talked about this above, but finding an in-home provider or a center that has availability to accept another infant can be one of the biggest hurdles. As a first-time mom, I was clueless with where to even start looking so I turned to the “professionals”, aka moms who already had kids in daycare. I first started by reaching out to friends and colleagues who lived near the areas we were looking to buy and asked if their daycare had openings for infants and if they could pass along contact information. Unfortunately, in my case, all of the recommended daycares were unable to help because they didn’t have an infant spot open at the time I needed it.

After that, Google became my friend and I spent a lot of time searching for daycares in our surrounding cities and made a pretty basic excel spreadsheet so I could keep track of who I contacted, who I spoke with, what the infant rate was and if they had availability. What I found was that more centers could guarantee me a spot vs. in-home providers because of the infant-to-caretaker ratio (in Minnesota, this ratio varies by center vs. in-home; additionally, the rules for how many infants, or children under a certain age, an in-home providers can be different based on the type of licensing they have). Additionally, most in-home providers weren’t willing to guarantee me a spot for one of two reasons: 1) they were maxed out on the number of infants they could care for (or didn’t want to take on another infant); or 2) they had an infant spot open (or opening soon) and knew they would be able to fill it well before I needed it to start (remember, I still had a couple of months before my due date and another 12 weeks of maternity leave before needing care).

Cost & Extras

Daycare is hands down the most expensive part of having a young child. Fun fact for you: Minnesota is ranked THIRD for having the highest daycare costs in the country, averaging around $1,200/month or $14,000 annually per child (if you’re curious to know where your state falls, see here). When I was doing my research in 2016, I found that centers were significantly higher and ranged from $290-$425 per week (or $1,160-$1,700 per month). In-home were slightly more reasonable, ranging from $180-$275 per week ($720-$1,100 per month). Note – these costs are for infant-care, which tends to be most expensive. I often asked if there was a price-break once my child reached a certain age (in centers they usually decrease the rate after your child hits the 16-24 month range; in-home providers may offer a break once the your child is no longer considered an infant under their licensing requirements). Another big question to ask when discussing costs is what’s all included with the weekly rate. Almost every place I contacted, regardless if it was a center or in-home, that answer was nothing. Parents had to provide diapers, wipes and breast milk or formula. There were one or two places I contacted that altered those requirements slightly (such as not requiring parents supply wipes and/or formula), so definitely something extra to factor into your budget.

Hours & Vacations/Closures

Understanding the daycare’s policies when they’re open, vacation policies and extra closures is definitely something to consider, especially for parents who work longer hours, have longer commutes or don’t have a ton of flexibility in their hours. Centers, I found, often open earlier (around 6-6:30 a.m.) and close later (between 6-7 p.m.); in-home providers often have hours that are slightly longer than the average 8-hour workday. Keep in mind, some centers may charge more if your child is there longer (for example, if you want the option to drop-off at 7 a.m. and pick up by 6 p.m. you may pay a premium for that). Additionally, both in-home providers and centers will charge a fee if you pick up your child after closing hours.

For in-home providers, it’s good to ask about their vacation policy. I found most providers have, at minimum, two-weeks off and require it be fully paid. Our in-home provider actually gets four-weeks off but we only pay her for two of those weeks. If you’re anything like my family and don’t live near friends or relatives that can help during those vacation days, be prepared to use your own PTO. Because centers have more employees working for them, vacations aren’t really an issue, however, it’s always good to ask if there’s any extra days (besides holidays) they won’t be open. I mention this because many centers will close for staff training days. Additionally, weather-closures are something to consider if you live in an area with snowy and cold winters. Many centers will close when schools close for inclement weather; this doesn’t tend to be an issue with in-home providers since they’re not having to leave their houses.

So there you have it – the three main factors to consider when you start your daycare search and whether a center or in-home provider is a better fit for you and your family. I’ll be back soon with a follow-up post that will help with next steps – questions to ask during the interview stage, what to look for when you’re touring the center/home and more.

In the meantime, sign up below if you’re interested in downloading my easy-to-follow contact sheet and as an added bonus I’ve pulled together a checklist of questions to ask when you first start reaching out for availability.