Hi,

I put the following post up in the 'What Do You Think' board but think maybe people here, being locals, might have some insight ...

Here's the link:
http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/CFForum/vi...17&Topic=217878

Cheers,

Helen.
<a href="http://lilypie.com"><img src="http://www.lilypie.com/pic/050724/db7c5bf.jpg" alt="Lilypie Baby Pic" border="0" /><img src="http://lilypie.com/baby2/040422/0/5/4/+10" alt="Lilypie Baby Ticker" border="0" /></a>
Three Angels in Heaven.

Wow! That is awful. I think they forgot about you because your date was so far in advance.
I was lucky and got my son 2 days a week at a centre close to work because someone else dropped out, but I know some friends got their son in fulltime at 3 months at Gold Creek (they were willing to take anything, anywhere).
Several people in my mother's group haven't had too much trouble getting spots for their children for 2 or 3 days a week.

If you're still looking, Gold Creek seems to always have lots of spaces (whether there's a bad reason behind that I don't know).

So it's not unreasonable for me to be pretty annoyed about this then? That's a relief. I thought maybe I was just being impatient.

Just out of curiosity, what childcare centre did you manage to get a spot at?

Cheers,

Helen.
<a href="http://lilypie.com"><img src="http://www.lilypie.com/pic/050724/db7c5bf.jpg" alt="Lilypie Baby Pic" border="0" /><img src="http://lilypie.com/baby2/040422/0/5/4/+10" alt="Lilypie Baby Ticker" border="0" /></a>
Three Angels in Heaven.

that's atrocious :mad:

family day care is definitely the way to go - they won't even take your name til 6 weeks before you want to start care and it took about 8-10 weeks for them to find me two choices for me.

if i were you i'd write to some local members etc (and name the centres) - it works for dh!

We actually thought about FDC but we were so sure that we would get a spot in our preferred CCC given the "positive" responses we would get whenever I would contact them (every second month without fail).

In the end, when time was running out we contacted FDC and were told it could take up to two months to get a spot. I then contacted my employer to ask for a couple more months of unpaid leave only to be refused. I had no other choice but to resign.

I think I might write a letter to each of these CCC's that we had him waitlisted on to request an explanation. It will be interesting to hear what they have to say IF they even bother to reply.

BTW it looks like one of the centres may actually have a spot for us (after DH hassled them every day for the last few days) but we still have to wait a couple of weeks and it's only for one day a week.

Too little too late .......

Helen.
<a href="http://lilypie.com"><img src="http://www.lilypie.com/pic/050724/db7c5bf.jpg" alt="Lilypie Baby Pic" border="0" /><img src="http://lilypie.com/baby2/040422/0/5/4/+10" alt="Lilypie Baby Ticker" border="0" /></a>
Three Angels in Heaven.

This message was edited by ckrmum on Friday, 21 October 2005 @ 7:10 PM

The reason you got the run around could be due to several reasons.

1) Directors of childcare centers can be like mini gods, they hold alot of power and can, and do dictate, who exactly goes into that center. You may have not made enough noise in regards to getting him a spot or, to them you might of made too much noise.

2) You where only asking for so many days a week rather than a full week? I can't speak for all childcare centers but at the one I use to work at people looking for a few days where bumped right down the list compared with those wanting a full week or even most of the week. The center actually stopped taking 1 and 2 dayers on (oh sure they never told the parents that they just added them to the list and kept saying we had no places) because it made it easier to have full timers.

3) The people you where dealing with are idiots.

If it makes you feel better then by all means write a letter but I really don't like your chances of getting a reply, let alone a helpful one.

As horrible as I am sure it sounds to every one the fact is that childcare is so popular that we don't have enough centers to meet the demand. Therefore the ones that we do have can basically pick and choose exactly who they do and do not want to offer a place to. Sad but true.

I have had a similar problem, after 18m on waiting list I have
only been able to get 3 days for my 2 boys, even though I
need f/t, 3 days is a struggle financially but I have no choice
but to do it.

I have been told that some of the problems with shortage of
spaces is due to mums on maternity leave who are
continuing to keep children going f/t. I don't blame them but it
makes it hard for others who cannot afford to do so.

For # 1 I put my name down at 11 centres & never heard from
any of them except for the one where I was eventually able to
get a spot, for # 2 , I only went on waiting list for 1 centre as I
like it & would prefer not to go elsewhere.

I had a similar problem first time around with Cuddly Bears in
Qbn, they kept telling me I would get a spot when I needed it
or within a couple of weeks as I had been on the list for so
long & I was ringing every month, but in the end when I
needed the spot I rang & was told all spots were full, they
didn't even have the courtesy to let me know.

Keep hassling them every couple of days, dont wait for them
to ring you as they most likely wont.


[img]http://lilypie.com/baby1/051104/1/
3/1/+10/.png[/img]

[img]http://lilypie.com/baby3/030325/1/
2/1/+10/.png[/img]

This message was edited by jambra69 on Friday, 21 October 2005 @ 7:58 PM

That's really bad, Helen. We had a similar experience in Canberra. I put the kids names down at about 4 centres in August 2000 (4 months before we'd even moved to Canberra). The kids were 2 1/2 and 16 months old at the time.

After we moved to Canberra I rang every month to see if we were going up the waiting list, only to be told to be patient yada, yada, blah blah. Eventually found an excellent centre that would accept the kids and arranged my work days around that.

Got a phone call from 2 of the previous centres to say we'd made it to the top of the waiting list in....wait for it....December 2003. :mad: Great lot of use to us it was by then, ds was ready for school and dd for preschool (and we were moving interstate that week) Pffft!!!!

Argh that is so frustrating Helen. The situation with care at the moment in Canberra is terrible.
I have had a similar problem. I put my name down last August when I was only a couple of months pregnant for care in Feb next year. I put my name down at a number of centres southside and woden area and I have recently been ringing them to find out if there is a chance of getting care. A couple of them have said that there is no chance despite being told last year that Jan/Feb is the best time to get care hence me putting my name down for then. Thankfully, last month I ended up getting a part-time place at a great centre but it meant that I had to return to work earlier than I wanted but I didn't want to risk not getting any care.
What side of town do you live on? There is a new centre opening at Symonston next month.

Hi, DH and I are starting to TTC next April. We want to get into the Brindabella Business Park Childcare centre, as DH works there.
Do you think we should put our names on the waiting list now?
And also, has anyone had experiance with this centre? Good, bad or otherwise?
Thank you!

Thats Terrible
I had my name down at heaps of centres. I find if you want full-time care outside of starting in January it is very hard. I know at Maddys daycare centre she and quite a few others are moving to the toddler room in Jan but their spots in the babies room are already being filled with siblings from other children in the centre. I was lucky and heard back from 3 centres - which aparently is amazing and I am very happy with her centre.
Just a quick note in my experience the centres that are operated through a work place eg. Russell have their "peak" enlistment time in Jan as there is movement between rooms, and public servants/defence moving/posting out.
Good luck. I hope you get the centre you want.
Shelly

Hi Helen, sorry I didn't get back sooner - I'd forgotten about this thread...

We got a place at the University Preschool and Childcare Centre. We really like it, they seem to have a very caring outlook as well as being hygienic and safe and it's close to my work.

Hi Helen

That's disgusting, isn't it. How many other businesses could afford to run that way? Childcare centres really have us by the proverbial don't they!

I put my name down at 4 (inner south) centres when I was about 3months pregnant. Not one of them has made contact with me, but I have dropped back in to 2 of the centres a couple of times more recently. Last week one of them has confirmed a fulltime place for my new baby. I'm not sure of the quality of their care, but at least now I know I can return to fulltime work and perhaps continue shopping around next year.

I think maybe other posters are right about the centres prefering full time care - I'd have been happy with 3 or 4 days a week (and work from home the other days), but the centre practically bullied me into fulltime care.

How did you make contact with the centres? I think that actually visiting the centres with my baby (instead of phone call only) helped convince them that I was serious about wanting/needing a place.

Also - maybe it's a bit 'too hard' for them as you've (very reasonably) volunteered to be flexible to fit in with whatever they can supply - or maybe they've interpreted that as lack of commitment?

Good luck with it all anyway.



Me/Renee 31
Andy 33
2 Dogs - Why do you ask?

<a href="http://www.tickercentral.com"><img border="0" src="http://www.tickercentral.com/view/4718/2"></a>

Hi everyone,

I'm just curious about how you as mums would feel about home care instead of FDC or CCC? We are moving to gungalin next month and are on holidays until Jan, but i was thinking about looking after kids during the day (sort of babysitting) as i'm a SAHM. Was just wondering how you all would feel about that and if anyone would be interested?

So a little bit about myself...I;m 24 and have an 11month old Daughter Charli. My hubby is in the army and we are moving from the south to north side. Love Canberra and have mummy friends on north side

Well PM me or reply to thread with your thoughts

Jackie & Charli (08/11/04)

Hi Helen,

I think this is awful, I would also like some sort of explanation if this happened to me.

I think I was pretty lucky regarding childcare. We didn't put our name down anywhere until DD was 3 months old, even though I knew that I had to go back to work in 6 months. We didn't hear much, and a 5 months later I visited a couple more centres and got offered a place then and there at one centre. It wasn't my first choice, but it was close, and they had room. I asked if they had a waiting list and the director told me they did, but I was there and she didn't really want to go through the hassle of ringing people on the list, especially if they'd got places elsewhere and hadn't rung her to let her know. I thought this was pretty bad, but took the position anyway - we needed it. At this time I also rang my centre of choice to be told I was 158th on the list.

Five months later, that centre - my favourite - rang me to let me know I had a position - which we took as we were having issues with the first centre. I think we were given higher priority as I am a student at the uni, and have my thesis to finish (which will happen any year now....).

I really don't understand how they could not have given you a spot. A mother in my parent group got offered 4 different spots, and she had 2 going at once at one stage so she could choose which one she like better.

The first centre I got a spot at was Bunbury Early childhood (now Stirling) in Weston. We are now at Acton Early Childhood Centre at the ANU - which is really good.

I think its a good idea to not only ring them - but harass them when calling, and make the calls very frequently. Also, go in and visit them all the time. Tell them how desparate you are and really need this position. I'm sure you did all this though.

Take care,

Laura

DH Rob
DD Zoe 04/03/04

Hi Jackie

Have you seen this article? I thought it might interest you if you were thinking of doing care in your own home.

Nell

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,17022267-421,00.html