What are your views on daycare?

Let me start off by saying, I have seven children. Four of them are in elementary. Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd...yes, all back to back. I felt like an elephant being pregnant for two year and then pregant again! LOL Anyways, I looked into before school care when we moved here last year. I was working in the last state we lived in, but that state was nice to working parents. They understood that child care is a killer. So, high school started first. Then elementary and middle school following. The middle school kids would walk the elementary to the bus stop and then go to school themselves. Then my high schooler would get out in time to fetch the elementary kids and babysit until we got home. It worked out great!!! But the school system does not work that way here. Hence, if I worked and paid for before school care, I would have only enough to pay for gas after paying the child care. NOT WORTH IT!!!! So, instead, I stay home and take care of the kids. It is not easy raising seven children on one income!!! And extra things are scarce...but we are making it! And when the kids are older, I will be able to work and help pay off bills. :) Until then, we will have to stay on one income.

I am actually a stay at home / work at home my. My daugher is two, but will be three in a couple of weeks. I do most, almost all of my work at night. I am working on a project now because her father is home from work, lol I am taking a brakek to have fun with MyLot. I work as a freelance writer. There are some weeks when I work full-time, like this week, but there are also others when I only end up working part-time. My boyfriend has to work early in the morning, so he usually goes to bed right after my daughter does. So, my working at night really hasn't caused too much problems for us. We both enjoy having the extra money to do extra things or to save it. Before becoming a stay at home mom / work at home mom, I was a retail store manager. I worked there for about 9 months after my daughter was born and I couldn't do it anymore. It took me a while to find a work at home opporutnity, like writers, but I am glad that I did. I wouldn't have it any other way.

i was working before having my baby.but now decided to resign and i resigned my high paying job.though she is now one year old yet i think it will be better to be with her fo sometime..say till she has been put in school.we have decided to give her daycare for 3 hours alternate days from her 2 year.then only she will develop some skills,communication etc.then after 5 years of her age i will try for some jobs.

I wish I could have stayed home with my kids instead of having daycare. You're right that it doesn't make sense to work just to pay for daycare. The best solution I found was having a home business, but some that I tried required you to reinvest your earnings, so that doesn't make sense either. I was fortunate to find one that doesn't require me to take extra money out of my budget, so when I get my cheque it is actually extra money and I don't have to worry about daycare or travel expenses.

no ,we do not hire a nanny in my family,and i do not would like to pay my most time to daycare.

Oh this hits so close to home! I had my first son, and I just chose not to work. I stayed home with him for over a year, we had more than enough to pay our bills. Eventually I got kinda bored at home, so I did try to take on a career once again... I found a job but basically the only thing I could find was 2nd shift hours, so the time I spent at work I had to miss out on seeing my husband because he worked during the day. Eventually I gave up the job, because it just wasn't worth it to me. Well, then I stayed home with him and started just going through a temp agency, that way I could make some extra money when I wanted it, but never anything full time or permanent. We got lucky in the sense that my husband mother is a stay at home wife, so she babysits for us free whenever we need it (my husband is an only child - so my son is an only grandchild so far) and I could work without having to worry about daycare costs. Well, I did finally decide to go back to work again recently, and I found out two weeks later that I was pregnant. My husband switched jobs a few weeks ago, and now I have a hard time getting to work because we have just had one car for so long. We thought about buying another car so I could get to work, but basically my entire paycheck would go to paying for the car and putting gas into it, and then when I have to take off for the baby, we would basically be stuck making an extra payment that we don't really need. So, I am sticking it out a few more weeks and then just staying home until I have the baby. I am looking into working from home (taking online classes for medical transcription so I can work from home.) I think that I am really lucky to have a husband that doesn't mind that I stay home and supports that decision, and that I can spend that much more time with my son. I love him and I think that all the extra time we got to spend together really paid off. I do not believe that there is anything wrong with staying home and being a full time housewife/mom.

I truly agree with you, that's why I stay home. It will not be beneficial until they are both in school. I have 2 my daughter is 5 my son is 3 and they are doing better at home anyway. I work a couple of at home jobs to get some extra money coming in and it works out best for our family. I work with Liveops and 1800 flowers, that's my consistent money. Then I got mylot, payposter and chacha for some change.

The cost of day care is skyrocketing. I really don't know how people can afford to pay for a sitter on the salaries they make. Also there are so few daycare homes available. When I was looking for someone to take my grandson, I had a list and went from top to bottom without success. If they had an opening you would have to pick the children up before 5:00. I worked until 5! This is prompting me to look into the possibility of opening a daycare home of my own. Hubby isn't convinced still that it is a good idea.

I am a single mum and had to go back to work a lot earlier than I wanted. I am now very lucky as my daughter 20 months is in family day care where there is only 3 other children so she gets more 1 on 1 attention. She is in a home environment not a centre so loves it. Makes it easier for me to work. I also try to make a bit extra on the side with catalogue delivery and ebay of course.

I ran a home based daycare, after my youngest turned three. I was licensed. In my state at that time you could license or register. There are a lot of advantages to doing so. You then become a home based business, and can claim part of your mortgage, utilities, phone as business expenses. My best year ever I LOST nine thousand dollars on paper, due to the business advantages. It is something to think about. In your case, if you even cared for just one or two children in your home you probably would be ahead financially.

Daycare's just scare me for a lot of reasons! Germs, not knowing what kind of care your child is really getting, and at least with your kids at home you know where they are! I had part time help for a while and that is all I needed because my mother at least has been around to help.

I hear your frustration and I agree daycare is totally expensive I dont understand where they get there rates i understand its no easy job but neither is being a nurse assistant I was one for years and the work was more strenous at times so what is the difference. I made im not slashing daycare providers but how can a person pay a daycare center working minium wage. It is like paying two rents for the month geez.

I do agree that if you can afford to stay home you should. You make the choice to have kids and if you can stay home then you should. They didn't ask to be born and it isn't fair to them to have to grow up being raised by someone lese. I have a degree so if I worked we would have a much bigger house, but when I think about it the size of my house is not as important to me as my children. I would rather know that I am raising then the way I want to. I take pride in knowing that I am not so into material things that I feel I have to work to keep up with everyone else. For us we enjoy raising our kids and the fact that I am there first influence.

You could always try working from home! That way you can still be home for your kids and make an income! You can visit www.SAHMom.org for free home business information! :)

There have been numerous studies (such as the EPPE project in the UK) that show that children who attend some form of preschool from the age of 2 years old adjust better to school and achieve more academically during their primary years. So I think from the point of view of what is best for the child's education (although that shouldn't be mixed up with what is best for the child) daycare could be good. I think it is good for children to spend some time away from their family either with a nanny or in a preschool setting because it means that when it comes to starting school it is less of a shock. I think it helps make them more independant. I also think that it's good for girls to have strong role models in their mothers, so a mother who works is always a good thing providing that they have time to spend with their children too.

Im currently pregnant and due in about 20 days, after staying home for at least a month or two I will have to find a job, we're not financially stable for me to stay home, although I will be working p.t. We will be looking into a daycare, or church or family to help while I work for a few hours a day. It doesnt seem like it makes any sense to pay for day care, but we dont have any choice. Hopefully we'll find someone that is reasonable. My stepdaughter's daycare is very reasonable but she's an hour away when she's in daycare so we cant use that provider... Hopefully it will only be for less than a year, and I will start working from home when I get my license. Then we wont have to worry about the cost.

that is exactly why I stay home!

Alright, i think its very important to be at home with your children... i agree theres no point in busting your bottom to make money and give it all away to daycare when you could be at home with your kids spending quality time for no cost you know... i work from home i m due feb 4th with my little girl but their inducing me next week.. i actually have a few work at home jobs .. i come here for pocket change and for fun! I work one job that dont require no noise in back ground so you know that she can still be loud and all that and ill be ok not in trouble then i work a phone job after my fiance comes home and will be able to watch her... so it all works out perfectly ! so congrats on being a stay at home momma! also if you want to know what i do from home let me know!!!

ia m totally agree with, me myself a stay at home and believe me i am enjoying my this part of life and have lots of fun with my kid. In early stage of child only parents can give them protaction, love and initial attiquettes and living rules.

I, personally am all for day care. There are places that will take in children of families that need a bit of help so you won't have to worry about shelling out all of your pay check. Centers are great places for the children to socialize, to build their autonomy and realize they are different from their parents. I personally wouldn't stay home with the kids until it was time for school. I'd stay home for awhile but then I'd have to head back to work. I can't support kids on love alone. I can't be around to teach them and discipline them all the time either. Sometimes you just have to put trust in other people to help accomplish the tasks of raising children.