So you’ve gotten past the first 6 months of sleeplessness and worrying if your little one is eating enough or what percentile they’re in for their weight and height. You stop to think, wow, the past 6 months have gone by so quickly and it’s hard to believe in another 6 months you’ll be back to work! Work! It’s so hard to even imagine trusting somebody enough to leave the most important thing in the world to! And besides, your baby still seems so small to even understand the concept of you going back to work while they’re left with a complete stranger! I think most people will agree though, in today’s day and age it’s very difficult for a lot of families to survive on a one parent income. Which brings us to the next question…where do I even start to find childcare?
If you live in St. Albert you will quickly discover the shortage of daycares and the huge existing waiting lists. I remember calling a daycare when my son was 3 months old to put him on a waiting list and the daycare said there was a 2 year waiting list. I asked how that was even possible and they said people were placing their names on the list when they found out their due date! I couldn’t believe it! You find out you’re having a baby and you’re already overwhelmed by everything you have to do to prepare for their joyous arrival and now you have to search for a daycare before the baby is even born! In my search for childcare in St. Albert I found the YMCA to be a very credible, reputable, caring daycare that goes above and beyond the expected requirements of a daycare. http://www.edmonton.ymca.ca/Locations/YMCALicensedChildCare/YMCALicensedChildCareEarlyYears/CitadelYMCAChildCare/
Another option in St. Albert is a dayhome. I have found it’s a lot easier to find dayhomes than daycares in this City. Dayhomes can be advantageous whereas you don’t have as many children and your child can often get a little more one-on-one attention. Many dayhomes are not registered so you have to be careful in which ones you choose. However, I have many friends who have chosen wonderful dayhomes and have absolutely loved the postive impact it’s had on their child. Your children getsto socialize with other children while still maintaining that home environment. I found the Child Development Dayhomes Agency was extremely helpful in my search for availble, registered, St. Albert dayhomes and in addressing any concerns or questions I may have. http://www.childdev.com/
A third choice for childcare in St. Albert would be a nanny. I have one friend who has a nanny and she speaks the world of her. Her children have developed a very close relationship with their nanny, the parents are able to maintain more control over their activities, meals and manners while staying in their own home environment. Unfortunately you don’t get the same kind of socialization with other kids as you would in a daycare or dayhome, however, she’s very diligent about her kids having playdates and joining programs and activities where there’s other kids to play with. She also states that her kids get the benefit of not picking up any of the negative behavior (no manners, talking back, etc) from other kids. NannyServices.ca is a great place to look for full or part-time nannies, live-in or live-out, to meet your specific requirements and qualifications. http://www.nannyservices.ca/default.asp
If you would like to find out in detail about prices, waiting lists, pros and cons, questions you should be asking and the process of finding a daycare, dayhome and nanny please register for the Childcare Choices Event at https://modernmama.com/st-albert/upcoming-events/