CHILD CARE SAVVY

Drop-In Child Care 101

Drop-in child care is starting to pop-up all over town.  This is a great resource for families that need the occasional child care during the week or need a consistent half day every week.  The drop-in child care centers offer a great play space at a reasonable rate.  

What to know:

Cost? 

Most are running about $8 to $9 an hour.  Some charge an additional fee for diaper changes.

How long can my child stay and play?

The max time is 4 hours in a day.  These are licensed preschools NOT CHILD CARE.  That means that children cannot stay past 4 hours.  

What are the ratios?

The ratios tend to be pretty high.  Since these are preschools NOT CHILD CARE you are looking to have between 20 to 30 kids at anytime with two to three adults.  

Do some kids come everyday?

YES!  At all the places we visited, the manager would state that many families come on a regular basis at the same time everyday.

This is reasonable child care at $8 an hour.

What age does my little have to be?

Most drop-in the kids have to be  2 1/2.  This is a licensing issue.

Does my little one have to be potty trained?

Nope.  Some places do charge more per hour if they are going to change diapers.  

Do the places provide food?

Snack no lunch, but you can bring your own.

_________

All of the drop-in child cares we looked at were very nice.  Four of the five are brand new within the past year, so everything is shinny and new.  I would feel comfortable dropping my oldest at any of these.  I think it is a wonderful option for the complex busy lives of many families.  Plus a few are open on weekends for date night and one is open for Husky games. 

Whirlwind U-Village and Whirlwind Mercer Street

Download Whirlwind Drop-Off Seattle U-District - Review 2010

Blossoming Buds Cottage 

Download Blossoming Buds Cottage Seattle Wedgewood - Review 2010

Trettin Drop-In

Download Trettin

The Nest

Download The Nest

Child Care Waitlist 101

So, I go to a child care eager to hear about their program and the first thing they ask is, "Are you on our wait list?"  I politely smile and say, "No, but I would love to get information on your program."  They don't smile back, but say, "You need to request a tour on-line.  Our wait list is over a year long."

What is a family to do?  

Here is what I have learned about wait lists:

Look for child care EARLY!

If you are planning on having care in a major metropolitan area, I say get on a wait list the minute the pee stick says POSITIVE.  This will provide you the most options for when your little one arrives.  Thinking about leaving your baby before you are even in maternity pants sounds horrible, but at the end of the day you will be glad that you did it.  

What do most child cares charge to be on the wait list?

Most don't charge.  Some charge between $35 to $100.  For many places, this is non-refundable.

Does price of the care impact the wait list?

Not necessarily.  The programs that seem to have the longest lists are the independently owned or non-profit programs that have a lot of art and well-established programs.  These programs benefit from competitive prices, long-term staff and word-of-mouth reputations.

Suggestions:

Put yourself on as many wait lists as possible.  

Be a considerate parent of their program and rules. If they say don't call, then don't.  

Don't put all your hopes in one child care.  Remember that you can always move child care centers or providers.  This is not the end of the world.  In a center, your child will have a new caretaker at least once a year.  Therefore, if you move them to a more suitable child care they will be alright.

Consider care outside the city.  When you go slightly north or south of the major City areas the child care options open and the price goes down a hair.  

Here are four child care centers in Seattle with a year long wait list.  Each of this centers has infant care. These infant spots fill up quickly and most families are on the wait list within three months after conception.  I believe all of these programs are worth looking into.  To get a tour you must contact them early because some only give tours every couple of months.  

Download Northgate Preschool and Child Care Center

Download Wallingford Child Care Center

Download Fairview Christ Child Care

Download Interlake Child Care

Drop-In Child Care's secret step-sister

The interesting thing about drop-in child care is that some places are using it in partnership with a preschool to extend what they offer to a full-day of care.  There are some concerns with this, but what do I know.  

Here are the partnership preschools to the three drop-in child care centers and one that could work:

Blossoming Buds Preschool - Drop-In Partner Blossoming Buds Cottage

Download Blossoming Buds Preschool Seattle Wedgewood - Review 2010

This preschool is on about 30 blocks away from the drop-in.  This would require a parent to pick-up and drop off your little one.  This is a great fit for a person who works near by, as in the University or one of the hospitals.  

Christopher Robin - Unofficial partner Blossoming Buds 

Download Christopher Robin Seattle Wedgewood - Review 2010

Blossoming Buds Cottage is a quick walk from Christopher Robin and could provide a family with the same benefits as listed above. 

Whilrlwinds Preschool - Drop-In Partner Whirlwind Drop-In

Download Whirlwind Preschool

This preschool is bellow the drop-in and is brand new.  This open space has huge windows for families to watch their little ones learn.  The space is fully loaded for a fun day.  Staff will walk children up to the drop-in center after the preschool day is over. 

The Children's School - Drop-in Partner Trettin Drop-In

Download Children's School - Seattle -U District - Review 2010

The Children's School is a preschool program in the heart of the U District.  This program has well-established teachers and a great learning environment.  The school will walk children from their program to Trettin which is in the same building.  The Children's School offers a lunch program for kids to stay at, then they are walked to Trettin.  This makes it a full day of care for a child.  This situation would be ideal for a student who is not on campus everyday.

Child Care Savvy's step-by-step approach to finding child care is about to go from great to amazing.  Stay tune for how Child Care Savvy is going to be a MUST for every family looking for child care!