Mamas! I need your help

[chooky 1]

What is daycare like in America in comparison to your country of origin? I am hoping for an improvement in childcare, but I have no idea what to expect.

[Alaska2012 462]

It depends on what you have noW!

Back in sweden where I'm from day cares and schools are very high standard. Over here...meh. Do your research to find a spot that suits yours and your kiddos needs.

[chooky 1]

I would imagine Sweden is amazing... dont you have like 2 years maternity leave?

The ratio of babies to providers is

Ok here but its pretty crowded and i am hoping the US is more sterile

[Boiler 45,486]

All down to how much you can afford.

[chooky 1]

Well not thw case here.. expensive doesnt equal good

[Ontarkie 14,221]

I don't have personal experience with daycare here, but I am part of a mommy group. They talk about daycares all the time all over the US.

Depending where you will live daycare can be crazy expensive and still be very poor quality. I know three moms who no longer use daycare. They use an Au-pair and get much better care and costs less.

You really need to check each place out and then hope they are a good fit for your kid(s)

Edited October 7, 2015 by Ontarkie

[Alaska2012 462]

Also, depending on how many kids you have it might not even be profitable to work! I live in AK, we have 3 little ones and one school aged kid and if we were to put them all in daycare and the oldest in after school care we would lose money! It's crazy expensive here!

But with that said, I'm a believer that kids learn by kids so we put our 3 year old in a pre school just 3 hrs per day so she gets the experience. Still costs $600 per month.

[chooky 1]

600 a month for 3 hours a day is crazy and in Alaska, too... the ones we looked at are around 1200 a month which is the same as it costs here (we only have one kid at this point so it is still 'reasonable') but we plan on making more money in the US.

It was upsetting to hear they are expensive and poor quality... I guess it depends on what Americans define as poor quality vs what I have experienced in Israel..

Thanks for everyones comments

[heo luoi 206]

Are Dads excluded from daycare concerns?

[chooky 1]

Hahahah - no sorry they aren't excluded. I just thought most dad's are usually (a little bit more) oblivious to those things and are more relaxed... Maybe that's just a bad generalization that I'm making as a neurotic mother, though.

[heo luoi 206]

I know lots of dads that think $1000s / mo is pretty hard, to deal w/ and divorced dads ..etc As a hopeful prospective dad its a huge concern here.

[chooky 1]

I am more worried about the conditions and expectations... but yes, day care is very expensive but unfortunately for us it's just (if not more) as expensive in Israel

[Udella&Wiz 325]

You'll want a daycare provider licensed by the state or county (this goes for private home daycares as well). References are also important, they should be able to provide you with some to call. You don't want to leave your child with just anyone. Too often in the news in our area they are raiding a private home daycare where it turns out they have 20 kids who aren't being cared for properly or some family member is a sex offender.

[heo luoi 206]

Well not a mom nor a dad yet ...but I would be aware of their sick policies too. Some wont let kids in w/ any fever at all and all the anti-vaxx people out there I think I'd be concerned w/ that as well.

[Sekhvaruli 74]

In comparison with daycare in the Soviet Russia, where I was growing, and even with post-reconstruction Russia, where my son was growing, the U.S. daycare is a nightmare. No beds for children for the midday nap - they sleep like pets on their rugs on the floor! - no proper meals, just junk food. No classes or other educational activities. The fees are outrageous, and still, it's very hard to find a place in daycare for your child. In most of the areas you have to be on the long waiting lists to get one. That's one of the reasons why American moms prefer to have 2-3-4 kids in a row and stay at home with them until the youngest goes to school, and only resume their career after that.