Back to School, Back to School

I got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight, hope I don't get in a fight ...

Audrey and her beloved Fuzzy Bear

CHEEEEESSEEEE!

Audrey went back to preschool yesterday after a two week break. Although she's at the same school, with the same teachers and some of the same kids, it still feels like the start of a new school year. She was excited to be back. As we were walking over, we ran into one of her teachers. Audrey ran over and gave her a big hug, told her a little about her break and held her hand for the rest of the walk. We were one of the first ones to arrive, but one of Audrey's friends came in as I was about to leave. Another big excited hug and then they ran off to play.

Audrey First Day Ever of Preschool in 2013. No, I don't know what I was thinking with that hairstyle.

It helped validate my decision to keep her there. Preschool in New York is expensive. And sometimes crazy. For last year, I really had no choice as far as public vs. private. There is no public preschool for Age 3, but I needed full time childcare. There are government subsidized income-based programs, but I don't qualify for those. I won't send my daughter to some program in someone's basement off Craiglist, so as far as legitimate, certified programs, the one Audrey is in is actually one of the cheapest, not only in my neighborhood, but in any neighborhood I could realistically get her to in the morning, get to work on time, and leave work in time to get her but still put in an 8 hour work day.

Audrey wearing my own First Day of School Dress that my mom had saved all these years

In New York, there is public preschool for children 4 and up. Audrey would be old enough for one of those programs this school year, but chances of getting a spot are slim. You have the best chance of getting into the school you are zoned for, followed by schools in the same district. We are zoned for a great school that has a full day preschool program, but we didn't get a spot. The first priority as far as applications goes to zoned siblings of currently enrolled students. Audrey obviously doesn't have an older sibling, so she is the next priority - students zoned for that school. However, every seat went to siblings. We applied to a couple other schools, but as we fall further down the priority list (in district school that you aren't zoned for, no siblings is priority 4 or 5), the chances of getting a seat decline even farther.

There are community based programs - run independently, but with some certified teachers/credentials. I called about one in our neighborhood but I wasn't thrilled with what I heard. It wasn't totally free - the fee was small though. However, the certified teacher only actually spent a couple hours a day with the kids. Otherwise they were under the supervision of the daycare staff. I prefer the structure of her current preschool. Another huge problem? The hours were only 8:30-3 (Or maybe it was 8-3:30 - either way there was a huge gap between the end of her day and the end of mine). I'd have to hire a babysitter.

Through the course of Audrey's father and I alternating schedules for 2 years, we went through 4 babysitters. The first told us she could no longer babysit the day she was scheduled to work. The next was great, but was a college student, so constantly had schedule changes, inavailability, etc. The third was a high school student, who was pretty reliable but I just wasn't ever comfortable with her. Her even being hired in the first place was the result of my inept ex. She wasn't friendly, didn't seem to do much with Audrey, and fortunately, quit 3 months in. Our last babysitter was amazing. She had some minor inavailability, but it didn't really change from what she told us up front, so it wasn't a problem. She was warm, friendly, awesome with Audrey. She hasn't babysat for us in a while, but we keep in touch and still see her.

So 1 in 4. 1 out of 4 babysitters was everything we needed - reliable, consistent, great with Audrey, and even she eventually had to leave us due to her school schedule, although the timing worked out perfectly because I wasn't sure I'd be able to give her much in hours once Audrey started preschool.

I did the math on what a babysitter for the difference would cost, thought about the stress and possible risk as far as my job when it came to hiring part-time sitters and relying on them, and how happy Audrey was at her current school. I decided to keep her there. As far as breaking it down just into dollars, I save a couple hundred bucks. But the first time a sitter calls out at the last minute, pulls a no show, needs a week off unexpectedly - I know I'd regret it. And it would happen, because I wouldn't be employing a full-time career nanny. I'd be throwing a college student or something some extra cash for a few hours of work a day.



First Day Selfie

Kindergarten starts next year, and with it, after-school programs at school. They aren't free, they probably cost about the same as a babysitter, but they're reliable and consistent. Audrey is so excited about Kindergarten, and honestly, so am I. Like I said, we both love her school now but the combination of much cheaper + still reliable = happy mama.