Occasional care or long day care

[TripleTime]

I need to get my three rat bags *cough*, i mean darlings into day care in some way shape or form.

Ive put going to TAFE on hold until next year purely because we have to much on this year with a wedding, first birthday & reno's.

We have the option of about 6 long day care centres that are either in walking distance or a 10 minute drive, as well as a occasional centre about 20-30 minute drive.

I want them to go one friday per fortnight to give us both a break.

Only issue we're going to face is DD2 has Dr.'s appoinments on friday mornings & i dont find out what time until the monday before.

Just need to know the pro's & con's from other people other than the centres them selves.

[mim1]

The advantage of long day care is that the same children are likely to be there each week for the whole day. That will probably make it easier for the triplets when they are a bit older. Probably not such an issue right now. And, as they have each other, it may never really be an issue.

The potential coming and going of the other children during the day in occasional care may be unsettling. If it's the type of centre where care for an hour or two is offered as well as the whole day.

I don't know, but depending on the centres the carers may be more likely to change and more likely to be less trained in the occasional care. I know in the occasional care centre my ds went to when my mum went to the gym (it was next to it, not part of the gym as such) had barely trained staff. Whereas his childcare he has two trained teachers in his room (although they were both rostered off last Friday ... weird - poor child was feeling stressed and turned up to find 2 unfamiliar teachers .... grrr!).

As for the doctors appointments just accept you'll be paying for care that day and may not use it. But, it does give you the option of dd2 going before or after her appointment so you can still get a break.

Hope you work out something :hugs:

[TripleTime]

Thanks Mim, think we might go with the long care centre. Its closer to home which is better & on the way to just about everything where has occasional centre is oout of the way by a long shot.

[staceylee]

I work at long day care center and take dd with me. Its good beacuse she has a Base Carer that is responsible for helping her settle in and she can go to for comfort and the person DH talks to if he picks her up ( I get to visit whenever so know how her day is going :D)

We have kids that have appointments and other things at times when they are with us and the parents either bring them in then come back to take them to their appoinment then bring them back or just bring them in later and we save lunch or whatever meal we are doing for them.

Also dont know if your center's do this but ours o portflio's for each child with photos, short stories learning stories) and art work for you to keep when your children finish care and every child gets a first day page of what their childern did on there first day.

And like PP said OC can be unsettling with people coming and going all the time.