One of the big dilemmas we had in picking our initial childcare arrangement was whether we should focus on finding one near our work or find one near our home. Our commute into work is about an hour one-way so for us, there is a big difference between the two. We thought we wanted one in downtown DC and when pregnant with Lion, we put our names on the waitlist of the daycare directly across the street from my office. The kids’ current daycare is just a couple blocks from our home and I personally think that’s worked out better for us than having one close to work. However, there are definite pros and cons to both.

Childcare Close to Work

Pros:

  • Visitation during the day and option to have lunch with the kids.
  • Ability to work longer hours because fewer hours are wasted commuting to and from daycare.
  • Ability to pick up the kids immediately if there was an emergency or they got sick.

Cons:

  • Requires us to bring strollers and kids onto a crowded metro train during rush hour.
  • In addition to being exposed to germs and colds at daycare, they would be exposed to the germs on the crowded trains.
  • Increases the commute time and extends the day for the kids.

Childcare Close to Home

Pros:

  • Shorter commute for the kids.
  • Don’t need to commute into the city to drop them off at daycare on days where I work from home.
  • Don’t need to schlep diapers on the metro or worry about getting a refrigerated bag for the milk on a long train ride.

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Cons:

  • Stress about the commute back, worrying about getting back in time before the daycare closes (the metro in DC can be unreliable).
  • Can’t visit the kids during the day.
  • Delayed pickup/response time when they’re sick or during emergencies.

Initially, we strongly felt that the better option would be to have a daycare close to work. I really wanted to be able to drop by during the day and spend time with the kids because otherwise we get very little time with them. The daycare across the street from my office was very open to daytime drop-ins and a number of parents take advantage of this option. Additionally, before having kids it seemed crazy to me that I’d want to leave work early and didn’t fully consider flexible schedule options, so the thought that I could work an hour longer than if the kids were by our home (since I wouldn’t need to commute back in time to pick them up) was appealing. I didn’t realize how early babies and toddlers go to bed for the evening because I also had the idea that if I still had work to do, I could pick them up and bring them back to my office to do some more work. Ah, the naiveté of a new mom!

We ended up finding a daycare a few blocks from our home by luck after Lion was kicked out of his first daycare. It has ended up working out for the best for so many reasons, but also changed our views on whether it’s better to have a childcare near work or near the home. If we were to find another daycare, we would definitely want one close to home again.

Because I telecommute every Friday, it’s much easier to drop them off at a daycare close to our home. Also, there are a few days that our daycare is open where Mr. Dolphin and I have the day off—like Veteran’s Day—and we are able to take the kids to daycare so we can have a “date day” since we’ve never used a babysitter to go out in the evenings.

Having a daycare close to home allows the kids to play more, too. Instead of spending two hours each day in transit, they spend most of that time either playing at daycare or playing at home.

While Lion loves riding the metro on occasion on the weekend, I’m not sure how he would handle a daily long commute. While I believe that kids are adaptable, let’s face it, sometimes toddler tantrums just happen. The thought of having one on a jam-packed train frightens me and I’m glad that if he wants to throw a tantrum on the way home from daycare, they are confined to a two-minute car ride or short walk home.

It has forced me to rethink my work schedule and take advantage of the great flexibility my employer offers. I come home early to ensure that we can have a family dinner and some playtime before putting the kids to bed. As a result, we get more quality time than if I worked until the last minute, picked the kids up, then would have to rush through dinner and straight to bedtime.

Also, while daytime visits might work for some parents, I don’t think they would work for our kids. Any time Lion has ever seen me at daycare, whether it’s because I ran home immediately after dropping him off to bring the diapers we forgot, or because I need to pick Panda up for a doctor’s appointment, he has had a meltdown and wanted to go home immediately. Perhaps if it was part of our daily routine he would treat it differently, but from what I’ve seen, we would have tears if I came to visit during lunch then had to leave again. While Lion is generally happy to be at daycare, every once in awhile there are tears (especially after a long weekend), and I wouldn’t want to double the chances for him to cry goodbye tears.

Looking back, despite our initial preferences, a daycare by our work wouldn’t have worked out nearly as well as one by our home. Is your children’s daycare closer to your home or closer to your work?