Today I attended a seminar on daycare advice (hosted by the New Toronto Moms group). Much doom and gloom. Yes I’d heard that we should register for daycare even before you tell your parents you’re expecting! Of course I’m now with a one month old on my hands and am still too lazy. Yet I want to re-enter the work force in about 6 months time. UH-OH!!
Guess it’s time to get off my butt. Add this to the long list of items for next week! Anyone want to nanny share in the downtown core?
Here are a few tips that were shared at the seminar :
Child care options
- Family or friend
- Live in sponsored Nanny (approx $1,600 to $2,000 per month)
- Live out Nanny (approx $2,000 to $2,500 per month)
- Licensed daycare through an agency (approx $900 to $1,400 per month)
- Independent/unlicensed daycare (less than licensed daycare)
- Licensed child care centre (Has to abide by the Day Nurseries Act) (infant : approx $50 to $90/day)
Insider tips
- Interact with parents at potential daycares
- Ask if the daycare provides daily activity reports (especially for infants, always good to know when they ate, poop e.t.c)
- Ask for the daycare’s policies on things like bed bugs, lice, flu e.t.c
- Join the parents committee or board (great insider info!)
- Talk to the staff everyday (develop a relationship) and show your appreciation on occasion (read gifts!)
Useful links
- City of Toronto daycare info: go to find childcare and select a centre to see the City ratings)
- Map of daycare centres
- Provincial ratings
If your household income is less than $90,000 you are eligible for daycare subsidies (anywhere f rom $1,500 to $83)
Daycare waiting lists can cost anywhere from $10 to $100, non refundable.
There’s a group of moms who are starting a website that will host all the basic Toronto daycare information with an option to browse daycares with openings using a map of your city and get on the wait lists in one simple step for a nominal fee.
loucheryl
March 19, 2014 at 9:30 pmThose daycare waiting lists are BRUTAL in my area. There is one daycare that my friend registered her child for to attend when he turned two before he was even born! So when she was pregnant she registered her child. Damn…that’s serious.