The problem with really good childcare

Is that when it isn't "really good" it is glaringly obvious.

I am presently counting the weeks until Skadi moves over to Little AB's Montessori school. I hate the thought of being eager for her to grow up. I want her to stay little (ok, young... nothing little about my girl)... I want her to stay young for as long as possible. But I can't help being frustrated with "standard" childcare.

When the day came to put her in daycare I had no problem walking in and dropping her off with Leif's old teacher and her new accomplice. Over the summer enrollment has dropped. The new accomplice tendered her resignation in favor of working road construction as a flagger (?!?!). And here we are.

I would be fine if she was in the room all day with Leif's old teacher as I requested and was assured would happen. I was OK, when she started spending 2.5 hours in the afternoon until I could pick her up in the other infant room. I am not fine with her being over in the other room for full days now.

I realize it is all logistics. Our favorite teacher works from 6:30am to 2:30pm. There are four babies who arrive before we, and the other infant room teachers do. Which means that those four babies are set up in the room by the time lucky #5 arrives. (That would be us.)

Arriving earlier? Yeah I have been missing my Wednesday telecons partly because I haven't quite mastered getting both kids up and the three of us ready and out of the house at a decent time. (The other part being that the project is short on funds and since my role is strictly consultant, I am expendable. No need to walk in late.) Additionally arriving earlier would mean I would need to pay more for extra hours for Leif. Just not happening.

I can hope enrollment picks up when school starts, thereby forcing them to hire another teacher to work with Miss R. I can wait to see what shakes down next week when Skadi's cohort returns from visiting family in Germany (thereby increasing enrollment by one.) I can (and will) go and talk to the director about wanting Skadi in IR1 and the apparent lack of care in IR2. (And do I mention the fact that one of the IR2 teachers doesn't put her own children in proper carseats thereby forcing me to call into question her ability to safely and properly care for my kid?) All of these things I can say. Though I doubt it will force anyone into action. Logistics of a daycare business.

I have spent a little time today searching au pair and nanny sites. Maybe if I had someone to care for Skadi all day in our home and help me get Leif ready in the mornings things would run a little smoother for us all. But the going rate for personal care is not easy to swallow. (Not that I am getting by on the cheap with our current daycare where I am paying $35 more a week with Skadi than I did with Leif at this age - that's 18% more in three years. Not complaining... I am just saying.)

But then I come back to how much I like being able to go see and feed Skadi at lunchtime and her being only 5 minutes from me. How much is that worth?