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.
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?
pomegranate / 3973 posts
We’ve used both and I much prefer having daycare close to home. Since DH works in the opposite direction, having daycare near home means he is also available to pick DS up if I’m busy or want to run some errands after work.
We definitely have taken advantage of day-dates also!
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts
We chose a daycare close to home. Much easier for other people like DH and my mom to pick DD drop off/pick up and for other emergencies. I’m only 20 min away also.
nectarine / 2797 posts
We picked near home. When LO1 was born, DH and I worked in opposite directions, both about 20 miles from home, so if we picked a daycare near either of our works we would have had to take 100% of the dropoff/pickup, whereas now we can split them. And jobs are not forever, I changed jobs when LO1 was 13 months and would have had to move her had we picked a daycare near my job.
persimmon / 1233 posts
Definitely close to home. An added benefit is getting to know other kids in the neighborhood. We now run into LO’s classmates (and sometimes teachers) on the weekends at the grocery store, playground, restaurants, etc. and it’s made our neighborhood feel more like a close-knit community.
kiwi / 705 posts
We choose work, because the option was actually in side my work. I was able to nurse instead of pump and spend lunch everyday. When the commute got too hard on the kids, we moved to make it easier.
pomelo / 5084 posts
Closer to work. Well, one of our jobs, anyway. Mine is in the opposite direction. This was the best day care center in our city and it just happened to be close to DW’s office. But her office is only 15 minutes from home anyway so it is ok!
blogger / nectarine / 2043 posts
In the DC area, closer to home definitely made more sense of us, almost entirely because of transportation. Even if we’re running late, I at least know there’s someone to take care of my kid in an environment she enjoys, rather than us sitting in bumper to bumper traffic, cranky.
nectarine / 2210 posts
Ours is closer to work. Dh and I work in the same general area and the daycare is practically on the way home. Plus were driving. I’d imagine with public transportation it really wouldn’t be worth it.
kiwi / 656 posts
We are relocating from NYC to the DC Suburbs within the next month (!!) and I know I want daycare near our home (wherever that ends of being… eep!) rather than either of our works for a lot of the same reasons you mentioned! That said, we chose a daycare near my DH’s office while we were in NYC, so I definitely see there are pros and cons to both options.
cherry / 187 posts
We’re in the DC area as well and chose one close to home! My husband works downtown and I work in NOVA so it had to be close to home in order for us to both be able to do pickup/dropoff. That said, I try to do pick up because it is a horrible commute for my husband (particularly now with the metro) so that we aren’t at risk of him not getting there before closing due to metro delays, traffic, etc. I wish they were not in daycare as long if we didn’t have the commuting time, but they are super happy there so I think that’s just mom guilt talking!
nectarine / 2173 posts
Close to home for sure. That way it’s still easy to take them if you’re sick and that way you can enjoy your commute – read a book, listen to music, eye.
apricot / 288 posts
@hummusgirl: We run into our classmates and teachers too! It’s a great perk that I didn’t consider when choosing a daycare location. We chose near home to make it easier to split drop off/pick up duties. When we were house hunting, the daycare’s location actually influenced our search because I love our daycare so much I didn’t want to leave!
guest
Neither! Our son’s school is equidistance from both our jobs and our home. Not really convenient for anybody, but we chose it because it was the best option at the time he was born. We were looking for a specific Montessori environment and this one fit the bill. Luckily we don’t have to deal with public transit, and the car ride gives us a chance to listen to music, look for trains and stop for bagels.
guest
My LO is in daycare close to work and it works better when they are older. I hated the days of when she was an infant and even around 1 when she would scream the whole car trip. Now she’s almost 2 and does well in the car so the trip is no problem. It gives me more time to chat with her and listen to her sing songs and such.