After I had my daughter, I knew that it was going to be hard to go back to work. I was worried about leaving her at day care, but I also knew that without a little help, it would be hard for me to get in the hours that I needed to support our little family. It was a difficult decision, but I started researching day care facilities to find a place who could help. Fortunately, I was able to find a really incredible child care business who met my every need. This website is designed to help you to identify your child care requirements, so that you can find the perfect business for you.
Choosing Great Child Care
Returning To The Office? Tips For Finding And Starting Daycare After Working From Home
Steven Caldwell
Is your work-from-home job turning into a work-from-the-office arrangement? Now that an in-person return to the workplace is on the horizon, you need to start searching for daycare. But you're not sure when, where, or how to begin this process. If you had a pandemic pregnancy, and now are going back to office life for the first time in more than two years, take a look at what you need to know about child care and your choices.
Start Your Search ASAP
When do you need to lock down your daycare center of choice and enroll your child? The answer to this question might seem like it's based on when you return to work—but it doesn't. Even though you may have weeks or more until your first day in the office, don't wait until your return date nears to find child care.
You need time to find the just-right center that has an opening right now. If you wait until you're ready to return to work, you may not have as many options. The day to start your center search is the day you learn that you need to go back to in-person employment. This gives you the maximum amount of freedom to interview directors, tour centers, and make choices that fit your family's needs.
Ask for Referrals
Ask friends, family members, neighbors, or co-workers for real-world referrals. Your nearest and dearest, or at the very least people you know in real life, can provide honest reviews of local daycares. Avoid anonymous online sources or social media-based references that sound too good to be true.
Enroll Your Child When You Find "The" Center
Your return to work is slated for one month from now. You've started to look for centers and think that you've found the perfect fit. Even though your child doesn't need care immediately, you may want to enroll them before you go back to work.
Why should you enroll your child in care before you need someone to watch them while you're away? The home-to-center transition may take some time–for both you and your child. If you have the opportunity to take things slow and gradually move your child from full-time at-home care (with you) to center-based care, take advantage of this option.
Not only does a gradual entry give your child time to adjust to their new schedule and environment, but it also gives you a chance to take a break and prepare for your in-person return to the workplace. This means you will have time to shop for new work clothes (because your work-from-home uniform of sweats and tee won't cut it in the corporate environment) and start a new routine of your own.
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