For Those With Small Kids...

ffweste · Dec 20, 2006

Cheryl- I have two little ones, 2 1/2 and almost 1 yr. I have been putting them both in a daycare not associated with my school. The reason was two fold:

1. Their daycare is closer to our house. If something should happen ie I have a test or competency or something and one of the children is ill, someone else is close by to pick them up. (I don't know if that would be the same for you). The school that I attend has one daycare at a campus that I don't really attend but I will in the Spring but my daycare is still closer.

2. A number of CC offer classes online and chances are there is probably one closer to you that offers classes online. You may want to check into that. The only reason that I am concerned for you, is that an hour is a long way to go during a snowy day and your hour commute won't be an hour anymore.

You may want to check into cost also, my daycare that is independant of school is cheaper than the daycare associated with school.

Just a few thoughts- good luck

Rosa2Little · Dec 20, 2006

Definitely not. I chose the preschool in my home town, and then a college close-by. Most day care centers offer early morning drop-off at 7 or 7:30 AM. I have been in morning clinical - must be at the hospital by 6:45 AM the latest. You can see the issue. The day care center needed to be convenient for my husband in the morning.

Additionally, it has been important to get to know the other parents and build a local support system. We all help each other out. For example, I met a good friend through day care - she is hoping to pursue her MSN in the fall. We are going to work together to bridge the gaps that each of us will have around kids/daycare/nursing schedules. If I had chosen the daycare further away, it is doubtful that I would have found such a support system.

Just something to think about. Good Luck & Best Wishes!

jemommyRN · Dec 20, 2006

I would try to find a daycare close by (the home) because on the days where you get out of school early (or you don't have school) you can still bring them there and study (at home or at the neighborhood library, coffee shop, etc). If the childcare was an hour away....you wouldn't want to bring them all the way out there. Just my opinion.

If you had to chose that cc, then you could just study in the campus library. I don't know, I know that probably wasn't much help.

flygirls2, BSN · Dec 21, 2006

I have a 15 month old and she will start a in a daycare on the military base I live on in a couple weeks when I start clinicals(whew, long sentence).. My CC doesn't offer childcare, which is fine.

The only problem I am having is finding childcare should Elizabeth get sick. I am only allowed to miss one day of clinicals or I get dropped from the program. My daycare is open 6am to 5pm which should cover almost all of my clinicals fine. In the case that I do have a night clinical, there are 'supposedly' two daycares in town that operate 24 hours. My husband is going to be deployed so I have no family here to watch her.

Also, I took every class that was available online--online. They cost more, but I saved out big time on daycare. Good luck!

smk1, LPN · Dec 21, 2006

Would you choose a school because it offered childcare on campus even though it was a longer drive then some other schools?
My situation: I have been wanting to start school for a year or so and something always seems to happen to prevent it. I have 4 kids, 3 boys and 1 girl. 7,5,2, and 1. Next Sept. my two oldest will be in school full time and their school offers an after school program.
I live in MI and there are several schools around here but i have been looking for one that i can take alot of the courses online.
I found a cc that offers child care on campus but it is an hour from my house. Plus it offers quite a few of the lectures online as well. A nurse at the kids pediatricians office went to this college and really liked it. How far is your school?
Any thoughts?
Cheryl

I would pick a school soley based on that criteria, however it is a BIG bonus! My daughter went to the child care program that was offered at my school and as it was her first time "away" from me (she was almost 4), I felt really comfortable having her on campus, but my school was 15 minutes away. An hour away is quite a drive...

adnstudent2007 · Dec 21, 2006

My personal opinion is that before you pick the school that has the on-campus child care, visit the child care to make sure it would be right for your kids. When I was looking for a daycare center for my daughter (who was 3 at the time, now she almost 5) I thought some centers sounded great, until I visited them. There were several after I visited, I couldn't imagine putting my daughter in. The preschool she is at now is absolutely wonderful, a real answer to prayer. If you to go to the farther away school, and that daycare doesn't work out, do you have a back-up regarding childcare?

Kiren · Dec 21, 2006

I chose to send my 4yr old to an independent preschool closer to my house. My reasons were the fact that when I need to study at home or do an online class she can to to school. Secondly, it is more convenient on clinical days. I don't have to pack her up take her to the campus then drive to my clinical site (which can be quite a few miles away from the campus). As a matter of fact the child care center on campus opens at 7:30am and that is the same time clinicals start. You can't be in two places at once. Another thing at my school's daycare is there is no drop off area for the kids near a parking lot. The last thing I would want to do is drag a 4yr old 1/4 of a mile across campus everyday, with a ton of nursing books, in the snow (not my idea of fun). Just consider some of these things before you make a decision.

cdietrich404 · Dec 21, 2006

Thanks everyone. I plan to NOT use their daycare. In fact, I plan to NOT use that school at all. It is just TOO far away.

Thanks again.

Cheryl