Tips for searching for childcare

1. The younger your child, the more limited the number of spots are available for care. Getting on waitlists very early for a daycare center is your best bet in securing child care. If you are open to nannies or home day cares, those options are not well advertised and typically do not have a waitlists many months before availability. We have compiled a list of places to post listings for nannies and babysitters on our local research page or on our Facebook page.

2. Although the cost of childcare reduces as your child gets older and ages into classrooms with a higher student to teacher ratio, many of the parents in Arlington find that their centers increase rates similar to the decrease between rooms. It may not be safe to budget significantly less year over year. Some centers have one time registration fees, and some have annual fees, so be sure to understand the policies when you sign up for care.

3. Some waitlists have fees, and some do not. In either case, plan to touch base with the childcare provider if you are very serious about attending their center as many are overwhelmed with parents getting on as many lists as possible. It's also a good idea to call to update your child's desired classroom age range as time goes on.

4. If you find yourself patching together care at several locations, be mindful that each center has different termination policies and deposit policies, so keep those in mind as you consolidate your childcare locations.