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Stuck between a rock and a lack of childcare

Posted 28th April 2009 by C. Conley, tagged childcare, daycare

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I need some working mom feedback on this one!

A little background... a few months ago, my former boss offered me a new position to come back to work.  I had left 6 months earlier to stay home with my daughter.  One reason I was able to take the job, which I made quite clear, is the fact that the company was set to open an on-site daycare.  My boss, and the daycare staff, kept touting May 4th as the opening day.  I took the job after I informed my boss that I would only have a temporary childcare through May 1st.

So today, conveniently around 4:30, I get an email from the daycare director that states the daycare will not be open until May 18th because the licensing woman just left on vacation.  I thought, isn't it funny how companies always deliver bad news at the end of the day?  They must've envisioned a crazed mob of angry corporate mothers storming the Executive Lobby- foaming at their mouths, brandishing staplers and pilot pens as weapons, tearing down the floral print wallpaper as they stampede toward the CEO.

But all joking aside, this is a huge let down.  My babysitter is moving to Florida and wants to be done this Friday.  I think her enthusiasm for play-dough and Dora reached it's peak last week and is now withering into a pile of dust. I have no other family or friends to watch my daughter while I work, and I am not comfortable with leaving her with a new daycare or babysitter for 2 weeks- beginning on Monday.

I see this as the company's fault.  I accepted this position on the grounds that their daycare would be open when they said it would be.  My company doesn't normally allow people to work from home, but I feel like they should make an exception.  I don't have meetings, I do a lot of spreadsheets and powerpoint, which I could totally do from home.  I just hate to ask for "exceptions" because I am the only one with kids in my area.  But I don't have any other ideas!  What would other working moms do in this situation?





1 comment so far...

  • Hi C. I am a working mom who was so frustrated with my childcare options that I left my job and started TeacherCare. TeacherCare helps moms like you find personal childcare teachers that come to your home. Some families share the care of a teacher and create their own private center to share costs. Others find having the one-on-one time of the teacher makes such a huge difference in their lives and the lives of their children, that they much prefer having their own teacher. Learn more about us at www.teachercare.com and see if your company will contribute to the salary of the teacher. You won't have to worry about shared illnesses or waking up a toddler and you'll find that she'll benefit for the rest of her life from the quality of the care she will get. I have three kids in college now and I can tell you honestly that the time your kids spend in childcare before they are school age will set the tone for all the years that follow.

    Flag as inappropriate Posted by Terri on 30th April 2009

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