Close to Work or Close to Home?

If it were me... I would choose the NAEYC accredited program. I used to work for corporate day care and if you had that accrediation you are thought of very highly in the day care circles. They have to follow not only state guidelines but extremely strict NAEYC guidelines in several aspects of child care. They send people to inspect at any time and will pull the accrediation if things are not in order. If money is not an issue, I would feel better knowing that my child was close to me at work too! If he were to get sick I would want to be there as fast as I could. I would rather get there sooner if there was a problem than have to worry about it the entire car ride back. He will learn to fall back alseep in the car as you travel with him closer to work as opposed to dropping him off near the house where he wouldn't be able to wake at his own pace either. Just some things to think about. Good Luck!

I choose close to home. I have a 30 minute commute. The boys' doctor is close to home so if something was wrong with them I would have to go home anyway and if I have a day off or need to take them to the sitter when I am not working for some reason then its five minutes from home and not 35. Its a hard decision to make either way - but the kid(s) getting more time to "play" than to ride in a car was a big factor to me.

Good luck

I chose close to home, although I know people who have been happy with close to work. I was happy that I did since I later changed jobs and I work at home a lot now, and my second child gets to go to daycare with the younger siblings of his older brother's playmates. So it's worked out really well for us.

One thing to think about is what happens when you are sick - you would have to drive all the way near your work to drop off your child so you can get some rest.

I commuted 45 minutes from home and found care for my son near my work. I could visit him at lunch and if something happened (it never did) I would be able to get there quickly. I also found that the time in the car was valuable time we spent together. He didn't have to be with a sitter during the times he spent with me in the car singing, listening to music or talking. If you're worried about cost you could also look into home daycare near your work. There are many moms who can use a little extra money while they stay at home with their own kids. That would give your child a home atmosphere while being able to socialize too. Hope thi helps!

I would go with the close to home in your case if for no other reason than the travel time. 90 minutes each way is a lot to ask of your baby every day. And even though you will enjoy "being with" him for that time, how much can you really interact in the car? Not very much. If you feel good about the daycare close to home I would go with it.

I have a similar situation in that I have my son in a daycare close to work, and I have a 30 mile drive (Crystal Lake to Schaumburg). I am sure I could probably find some passable daycare near my home, but my options were easier to explore in Schaumburg cause they have a listing of all the centers and home daycare where as in Mchenry county you have to call someone at an agency and they find out info for you. The place he goes to is in a home but the owner is a certified teacher and has lots of experience with special education and autism, which we think my son may have a very mild case of. He is 3 and is starting to read words and this place is just phenomenal. It is also 200 a week for a 3 year old, but it is soooo worth it. I think when it comes to your child and the full time care they receive, you should always go with the option that seems best for the child, if you can afford to. We have quite a time affording it and it is almost more than our mortgage, but if I have to work I want him to get the best care possible.

So, my vote would be the close to work option. I also liked this because if I forget something, I can always run to a store on lunch and run it over to them. Or easily bring treats for special occasions. I have a little bit of the best of both worlds though as my husband doesn't have to be at work till 10, so he drops my son off in the morning, and I pick him up at night, or else I would be packing him in the car at 5:30 as well.

Also, in the beginning I did have to take him in the morning, and they adjust to the early waking time. They also adjust to the car ride. At first he hated it, but now we just use it as time to talk about our day or listen to some fun music. He really doesn't mind long drives now.

Good luck!

Hmm, tough call. The close-to-work center sounds nicer, but what did your gut tell you about the close-to-home center? Did the kids and staff there seem happy? I chose a daycare close to home in case there are days that I am sick and I need to stay home but I want to take my baby to daycare so I can rest. Also, since I occasionally travel for work, there are times my husband needs to take her to school, and it made the most sense for us to choose a place close to our home. If you didn't have a bad feeling about the close to home center, I would try that one first. If it doesn't work out, at least you know you have another good option.

My commute is 43 miles each way and I chose close to home. My main reason for doing this is that I would be very uncomfortable having my baby in the car for that long every day in such terrible traffic. I am so worried about getting into an accident with him in the car. I know I'm a total worrier, but it just makes me feel more comfortable. On the downside, there have been several occasions where when I've gotten to work after a 2 hour commute, I already have a message waiting for me that my son is running a fever, or has pink eye, or has diarrhea, or some other reason that I have to come pick him up and I have to turn right around as soon as I get here. But overall, I like him being closer to home.

Good luck with your decision!
L.

Closer to work, closer to work, closer to work!!! If you have a problem, you are closer to your child, as they get older, there is more time to talk while you are stuck in traffic, and you can't beat NAEYC accreditation.

I say close to home, as there will be some days you don't go into work, but may use the daycare...you have a doctor's appointment or something for work offsite. You won't want to do the commute in those cases. And, less time in a car is good for your child (and your sanity!) as they are usually really tired and can get cranky after leaving daycare.

Hello. We have done both and actually like close to home better. It is easier for both of us to get to her, if we need to and it isn't out of the way for either. We also like that she doesn't have to be in the car for a long period of time ESPECIALLY in the winter months when the weather is bad. Good luck with whatever you decide!!!

M R,

Well, it sounds like your gut wants you to go with the close-to-work (CTW) daycare. It seems that this center has more of what you are looking for in a daycare environment.

When I first went back to work we had our son at a daycare that sounds very similar to the close-to-home (CTH) daycare. I liked the center enough and they seemed very willing and able to care for our son. That was until we started looking to sell our house and I entered into a center that sounds like your CTW center. As soon as I left the center, I knew I was making the right choice and we moved. The cost was about $100 a week more, but well worth it in my opinion. In our case, we got what we paid for. I'm NOT SAYING that's always the case...just that it was in our situation.

That being said, I'd prefer our son to be at a daycare CTH so that he will grow and know the kids he will be going to school with. I'd find it difficult to ask him to change his friends at 5 years old and enter school having to make new friends. If you are confident that you will either be able to move (home or work) within a few years, then it's not an issue and I would choose the CTW center.

Good luck and I would consider making a decision soon as the waiting lists fill up faster than you can imagine!

T.

When I first had our son, I was able to take him to work with me until he was 4-5 months, (live in Naperville, worked in Lake Zurich, talk about a really bad commute). When I had too look at daycare centers, I also couldn't decide between the two. In the end I decided on the one close to home, 1) if I were to get sick, it would be easier on me to take him to daycare so I could focus on me getting better 2) It was on my way too and from work 3) I wasn't planning on keeping that job much longer. Which I didn't. The downside if he got sick, I had a 1 1/2 hour trip back, not really a big deal. I now take the train to work, I go out of my way every morning to take him to the daycare center (even though there is one right by the rt. 59 train station) to keep him with the caregivers he knows, no need to uproot him yet, not until we decide to buy a house in who knows where. Plus this one is the cheapest I found in the area and everyone is super nice there.

Good luck with your decision -- I know it's a tough one.

We've actually done both. Where we used to live, we went with a center close to work for a couple of reasons -- I was still nursing, so I could walk over throughout the day and feed our daughter. Also, the center was close to where both my partner and I worked so either of us could get there pretty easily.

When we moved here, we had to make the same decision you're going through now. My partner and I now work in completely opposite directions so we looked at centers close to home and ones that were halfway between both of our offices. We actually chose the 'close to work' center for all of 2 weeks, but it was terrible. Some of it was the center itself, some of it was strapping our daughter into a carseat for an hour and a half at the end of the day when she was a little more clingy/crabby than normal -- she was miserable and so were we.

Anyway, we switched to the center that's close to home (about 8 blocks away) and couldn't be happier. We have a great center, she's made great friends that she gets to see on the weekends and will likely go to kindergarten with, and we still have care on days that one of us works from home or if we're sick. Yes, there are days when I'm sitting in traffic thinking that I could've picked her up an hour ago if she were near my office, but I'd much rather her spend that hour playing with her friends than strapped into a carseat. Also, it's really nice to feel like she has her own 'community' -- we run into her friends at our neighborhood grocery store, we see her teachers out riding their bikes or taking walks, etc.

Good luck!
Aimee

Close to work!
I travel 40-45 min one way to work, but I chose one that is 3-4 minutes from my office. The thought that he is so close to me, keeps my day going. I get to see him every lunch break and spend 1 ½ hours more per day with him, even in the car. Especially when the baby is little. You need this time. If you choose one close to home, you probably will leave him at the daycare, let’s say 7 in the morning and come back 6 at night, that doesn’t leave you much time with him.

The only downside is that – couple of times I got sick /or for any other reasons/ and I had to stay home. I had to keep the baby with me, instead taking him to the daycare, get myself some rest and not having him around coughing and sneezing. I almost don’t have any help from nowhere /parents live faaaar away/ and sometimes you just want to take a break. In my case I never got the chance to do that. If I had to drive all the way to work to drop him in the daycare, then go back home and repeat this in a few hours, I’d better go to work.

But over all I am glad I have him close to me during the day. On my lunch break I have an hour to play with him, talk to the teachers, see other kids and have a close look at everything there.

I commuted from Lombard to Northbrook. I do not know the mileage but it took 1 to 1 1/2 hr one way. My daughter was near work. i liked that bc if she was sick or my daycare lady got sick i could get her and go home. if I was sick or she got sick- we just stayed home.now I do daycare!
Good luck.
B.
www.gottotsinc.com

I live at Irving Park & Kedzie, and work in the Loop. When I first went back to work, I chose daycare close to home. The problem was, that I could not get to my daughter's daycare center by 6 everyday, with delays on the Blue Line & traffic when I would drive. I ended up spending at least $50 a week in late pick-up charges. Now, my daughter commutes with me & her daycare is just 2 buildings away from my office. I really enjoy the extra time we get to spend together during our commute. Also, it's great to know that when she gets sick, I can be there within minutes, rather than an hour. After trying both, it was an easy decision. Close to work, hands down!

I did a lot of thinking about this when I was deciding on a daycare for my daughter 1.5 years ago. I work dowtown 2 days a week. I ultimately chose a daycare close to my home for a couple reasons.

These are his/her first playmates. If there are going to be birthday parties or weekend play dates I'd rather they be closer to my home than closer to my work. Also the daycare I chose is also a pre-school and kindegarten. I like knowing that the kids (and Moms) she's with now will likely be the ones that she'll be with throughout her schooling years. I also didn't love the idea of having my daughter downtown. Seems like if something bad were to happen it would be downtown. With being close to my house, my husband goes to work later so he drops her off at 8a.m. vs the 6a.m. I'd have to drop her off which makes for a happier kid!

The only thing I would really like about having my daughter closer to my work would be to be able to spend lunch time with her or pop in whenever I wanted. But that could be disruptive too.

I'm sure whatever you decide will be the best decision for your family and remember that nothing is written in stone. If you choose one and it doesn't seem to be working, you can always try the other one.

Good luck!

.

I started with my daughter close to home, but then I found myself stuck in the office and driving like a maniac to get her on time so I didn't get charged overtime. And you can never predict traffic or accidents. The only advantage was my father in law lived in the neighborhood, so if she got hurt or sick, he could get her (that is if he was home). I changed her to 10 mins from work, and it is much better. If she is sick, I can pick her up right away. I also have a little more leeway time on when I "Have" to get out of the office, before I get charged. So my advice is if you have family close to home that is always there to get your child if something happens, then close to home. If not, close to you at work is the best suggestion. As for the commute, children CD's are the best. My daughter has learned all the songs by heart and sings them the whole ride to/from work. (I personally am tired of them, but it keeps her quiet.) When she was little, she used to sleep on the way to and from daycare.

I have the same situation. I choose to have my son closer to work than home. If there is an emergency I feel better having him close to where I am at opposed to having him an hour away from me. I invested in a portable dvd player for the car and my little guy watches a dvd on the way to and from daycare. Now my son has been at the daycare close to my work for 2 years and he has friends. If I could do it again I would put him in the daycare closer to home and have an emergency back up --like a friend --in case of an emergency.

Which is better for the comfort of me and to know that my child is safe and learning something at the same time I can't beat that I am at easy when I'm at work knowing my child is in a safe, nuturing environment and I'm only a mile away from him. However, can you afford to send your child to the place that is safe and nuturing would be the question