It’s a racket and I hate itAugust 8th, 2006 @ 11:59 am
I’ve been thinking of starting up my own daycare center. And I’m going to run it just like the daycares I’ve been dealing with. First I’ll be so great when you come to visit. I’ll have the kids tell you how they love it here. I’ll tell you all about the special vegan menus and show you the beautifully spacious playground we have. Then I’ll happily add you to our waiting list. I’ll assure you that you’re chances of getting in by the time you have your baby are great. Sure we’ll have an opening. Don’t worry! I’ll do this all while wearing a pretty prairie dress and a bun in my hair.
Then when you call during your pregnancy to see where you are on the waiting list, I’ll assure you, again, that you’ll get in. No worries. I’ll ask how your pregnancy is going and how you’re feeling. I’ll tell you that our monthly rate has gone up a little, and make sure that you’re still interested. You are still interested? Great. We look forward to taking care of your little guy.
Then when they call me after their baby is born, just to finalize their spot. I’ll laugh. Bwahhhh. The evil me will shine through. Screw my prairie dress. Who cares about my bun. I own you. I have you by your balls. You want daycare? Well sorry honey, you should have started soon. Our waiting list if over 100 people long.
I’ll still tell you that you have a chance. I’ll tell you that we can get you in a few months. I’ll suggest you drive out to the ‘burbs to your husbands Mom’s house and have her watch your precious newborn for the time being. Don’t worry. We’ll get you in. It just might take a few months.
And then I’ll drag it out even more. A few months will become a few months plus a few more weeks. And then those weeks will become months. Finally I just admit that we have bumped you down 4 more places on the list. I suggest that you find another daycare.
Jackasses. All of them.
They have all the power and they know it.
Can you tell that I’m a little upset with the daycare situation right now? I know, I’ve been upset before. But this time they finally just admitted that Babboo isn’t getting in. They told The King over the phone. He hung up and started cold calling some of the other places we had checked out. He called them randomly and just asked where we stood on their waiting list.
Guess what? One of the places said they just got an opening and it was ours if we could bring in a check the next day. This is perfect. This is the place we liked the best. The reason we didn’t go with them originally was because it’s about one million dollars more then we had planned on paying for daycare. But we’re desperate.
I don’t like making huge decisions about my child when I’m desperate.
I sort of feel like the random call The King made yesterday was a blessing. I mean, they just got the opening. And we get it.
But wait, what about their waiting list? Aren’t there other families above us? Shouldn’t they offer it to the person at the top of their list? Isn’t that how this whole thing works?
What has this taught me? This whole daycare thing is a racket. They don’t care about the waiting list. They care about how often you call and bug them (but don’t call too much) and if you happen to call the day they get an opening.
That sucks for the person at the top of their list. But perfect for us.
What does Babboo think about this?
Haa-haa babies. I got your spot at the daycare.
Babboo will start next week. He’ll be at home with me two days and with his dreamy (temporary) nanny the other two days.
My Sweet Babboo
Britt
said,
August 8, 2006 at 8:50 pm
Those daycare waiting lists make me sick! How can they do that to you? Don’t they know who you are? You’re Isabel, Mother of Babboo!!! You deserve immediate access to any daycare you want! Give me their numbers. I’ll call those bun heads and tell ‘em where to shove their prairie dresses!!
anna
said,
August 8, 2006 at 8:56 pm
Glad your daycare worries are over with and the place is your first choice.
That picture of Babboo is the cutest thing. Man, he is getting big.
marci
said,
August 8, 2006 at 9:02 pm
Yeaaaa! I’m so happy Babboo got the spot! He looks so cute in that picture- Ty has the same outfit.
Didn’t I warn you that daycare sucks? It reminds me to appreciate being home with my three wild children!
Heather B.
said,
August 8, 2006 at 9:07 pm
That sounds most unfortunate. Given that I have no expertise whatsoever on the subject that’s all I can offer you. And my! How big your Babboo has gotten. So cute.
Nap Queen
said,
August 8, 2006 at 9:35 pm
It IS such a racket. I remember being in the classroom with the kids when they would bring a potential family through for a tour. Everyone was all smiles and laughs. It bugged the crap out of me.
Anyway, I’m glad you have a great place to take your adorable son. I love that photo!!
Jezer
said,
August 8, 2006 at 9:36 pm
Dude..it is TOTALLY a racket. I’ll admit straight up that the reason we got our spot is because we KNOW people. MY GOD, the kid was barely 6 months old, and it already mattered who he KNEW.
The money thing will work itself out. The main thing is that he’s in and it’s a good place.
Breathing a big ol’ sigh of relief for you down here.
A.
said,
August 8, 2006 at 10:58 pm
I’m glad that your daycare problems are solved! It’s unfortunate that it probably means bad news for another family, but I also think you’ve earned it at this point.
I personally share Baboo’s opinion of the whole ordeal.
ReDinkyDink
said,
August 9, 2006 at 12:28 am
Wow, that is just awful! I can’t believe they have that scam going. Don’t they realize that you are depending on them? Wow, I’m really sorry about this daycare situation.
Stephanie A.
said,
August 9, 2006 at 2:31 am
Ick, that does sound like a racket. I’m happy that you finally have a solution and that it was one that was ideal for you from the beginning, though!
Frema
said,
August 9, 2006 at 2:32 am
Have you by the balls is right! I had no idea daycare could be so sinister. Expensive and heartwrenching, yes. But to totally ignore a waiting list? I would SOOO send a letter to the management team who yanked Babboo off the list and tell them that you’ll have no kind words to say about them in the future. Or I would egg the facility. Or both! I am so crafty.
Ella
said,
August 9, 2006 at 2:56 am
Babboo is adorable! I love his mohawk!
Jennifer
said,
August 9, 2006 at 3:43 am
Wait…. you were on the waiting list BEFORE HE WAS EVEN BORN and you still can’t get in??
Have you started looking at colleges yet? Better hurry up! Harvard won’t wait forever!
(Glad you got Babboo in… finally!)
Heather
said,
August 9, 2006 at 6:52 am
What a racket is right. Geez 1100 by tommorrow, that is insane. Lucky you guys can come up with that sort of thing!
Nuts. Yeah you should start a day care.
that makes me kind of angry though.
Chas
said,
August 9, 2006 at 10:00 am
Daycares are kind of evil. I worked in several during college, and the whole waiting list idea is kind of a joke. It’s kind of like when you kind of know a hostess at a restaurant and she lets you have the next available table even though there are ten thousand people who have been waiting an hour and a half…yeah..it’s like that. The people that work these daycares have everyone they know, plus everyone their friends, cousins, neighbors, husbands’ coworkers, fellow church members, and grocery checkout lady know sqeezing in in front of all those people on the “waiting list”…that’s basically what it is…a list of poor parents that just keep waiting and waiting and waiting some more.
Erika
said,
August 9, 2006 at 10:55 am
That is horrible. There has got to be some regulation or something. I am so glad he got in, and I am feeling you on the cost (EEK!). Babboo is really starting to look like you!!!
Hilary
said,
August 9, 2006 at 12:44 pm
I agree with Babboo.
That sucks monkey butt, big time. I would seriously write a nasty letter to them. Even if it does no good, I think it would make me feel better. Ah, who am I kidding, I would totally join Frema and egg them. Now that might make me feel better.
I’m so sorry you had to go through this but am glad that things finally ended up working out.
Jessie
said,
August 9, 2006 at 12:45 pm
Love that picture! What a sweetie! I’m so glad you finally found a daycare. That does sound like quite a racket. Even though I’m not even pregnant yet, I’m really excited because a daycare center just opened at the church that’s about 6 steps away from my apartment. So if we have a baby while we still live there I’m so going to go on the waiting list (if there is one) as soon as I see the “telltale line”.
Elisette
said,
August 9, 2006 at 2:02 pm
I’m glad you found a place for him, at a place you liked! I’m also glad the daycare situation in Chicago wasn’t like that, I’d go nuts.
Christar
said,
August 9, 2006 at 3:25 pm
Day cares suck! I think it’s not right how they can do that to people. If it was me, I would have raised all sorts of hell. That’s just how I am though, haha. I can get very mean when people try to jerk me around.
Babboo looks soooo cute! What’s wrong with that day care anyway?! Who wouldn’t want to watch cute Babboo during the day?!
HollowSquirrel
said,
August 9, 2006 at 6:17 pm
I’m so confused. I commented last night. Or so I thought. The pic of Babboo is priceless. I heart Babboo. I don’t heart so much daycare politics and their chokehold on lovely parents. Poop on daycare.
Julie
said,
August 9, 2006 at 6:37 pm
It IS awful — I feel for you. We had Raisin in a perfectly lovely daycare, in someone’s home. She was like everybody’s grandma, and she loved Raisin, and we were SO happy. And then, barely a month after we started leaving Raisin with her, she decided she needed to cut down on the number of kids, and Raisin was bumped.
But, the day care center we found as a “temporary” replacement has ended up being the best thing that could ever have happened to us. Raisin is thriving, we are happy, and I realize now how much better it really is than the first place.
So, all of this is to say that sometimes the decisions made in desperation turn out to be really good decisions. I hope that turns out to be the case for you!