Friday, March 07, 2008
The following excerpt is from an article in the Wall Street Journal...
The Brat Race: In Diapers And on a Day-Care Wait List
For many young people and their families, enduring the wait list has become a rite of passage to gain admission to college, private school and even preschool.Now, children are being wait-listed even younger -- in utero. After Kate Ferry learned last summer she was pregnant, she and her husband put their unborn baby on a wait list for admission to a child-care center next fall. "It was a running joke, that we told the day-care center before we told anyone in the family" that she was pregnant, says the Downingtown, Pa., mother-to-be.
As competition for good child care intensifies, parents in many regions are finding themselves on long wait lists, particularly for infant and toddler care; some are trying to nail down slots even before their babies are conceived. The trend poses a challenge for parents, who may not know how far to plan ahead and how to navigate the wait lists.
Data from the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies, a nonprofit organization of community family-support agencies, show the number of preschoolers with working parents exceeding the number of child-care slots by 25% to 75% in half the states, including California, Pennsylvania and New York.
You can read the entire article here.
As crazy as this may seem to some people, I can personally attest to having expectant parents talk to me before they talk to their own families about be pregnant. In fact, I have had parents talk to me about the desire to have another child and ask when they can start trying so that they will fit in my child care. This is because I always have a waiting list for new children.
When this happens, it brings several thoughts to mind:
- Though child care is not extremely difficult to find in our area, it can be very hard to find spots for infant care.
- Most of the families that I care for are very loyal and have already gone through a waiting list to get in my child care. They are happy with the care that is given and do not wish to change.
- I am honored that my clients are that loyal and wish to stay. It is a boost to my self confidence that I am providing a good service and a quality child care program.
Have you had to establish waiting lists for your business?
