Moving Up, or Maybe Moving Out

Today when I dropped Graham off at day care, he went into the "First Steps" classroom. He's transitioning into that new room little by little, leaving the Infants room behind. He thinks it's great -- new toys, new teachers to check out... but I was all teary eyed when I left him there, because my baby is growing up.

The day care dilemma is a hard one. They are both still in the phenomenal Goddard School right by our old house, the one they've been in ever since they were each 6 weeks old. Not all Goddards are the same, but this one is award-winning and we've loved everything about it. In February when we put the contract on our new house, I began my tour of high-end day cares near in our new part of town. There are two other Goddard Schools near us, but neither of them are as good as the one they currently attend, which is now a 30 minute drive one-way. On my tour of the Goddard house right up the road I saw a number of warning signs: a teacher yelling at her class, an infant room teacher (who would have been Graham's) who was condescending to me beyond belief, one classroom where only one teacher was in the room when there were supposed to be two, art gone wild in another room - with no art smocks and purple paint consequently all over the back of this kid's light pink shirt, no windows low enough for little eyes to see out of, and no bathrooms in any of the rooms (kids have to leave the rooms to go poddy). The other Goddard was farther away and didn't really get me excited. I also toured a nearby PrimRose, but that was too, too rigid, i.e., "We pride ourselves on being an ACADEMIC center." Give me a break! They are babies! My FIRST choice is The Cedarhouse School, an independent place started by a mom who didn't feel like any day care was good enough for her kid. When you walk in the classrooms, you feel like you're in a pottery barn kids catalogue. And both kids and teachers are happy. It was like a little day care utopia. They have a big beautiful gym and bring in private companies to do their classes there, so you don't have to haul your kid around trying to get him the same experience. They do foreign language. They do it ALL! Problem is, there is a KILLER wait list and I don't know if and when I'll ever be able to find two baby spots.

So, I'm stuck with two kids in a great school that's 30 minutes from our new house and am spending too much of my life in the car. Yesterday I kept Graham home with me to have Mommy-and-me day, and by the time we dropped Cole off and then picked him up later on, Graham had been strapped in the car seat for two hours on a day that was supposed to be his fun day.

So I looked a little further and found this day care called Chesterbrook that is literally 4 minutes from us. And, even better, they have spots for BOTH boys right now. It was recommended by another doctor at work who had his kids there and LOVED it. I have incredibly high standards, because nothing is more important than my kids. I went and toured it and the physical facility fell short of my expectations (everything needs a new coat of paint), but I liked the attitude there and I liked what I saw happening in the classrooms. And I like that we'd have TWO LESS HOURS of travel time, and the boys would be right up the road from us if they got sick (which they often do). And... they are open earlier in the morning and later at night. AND... they provide all meals (breakfast, snacks, beverage and lunch), which would save me 3o-40 minutes of chopping, bagging, labelling food and packing up their breakfasts/lunches at night. Basically, I like it because it's convenient for me... which would translate into a better home life and more of it for them.

Dan is going to look at Chesterbrook tomorrow to give his opinion. It is such a dilemma. Do we want them close for better quality of life at home for all of us, or do we drive all over God's creation for maybe a few more amenities that they may not even notice? The other thing is that when they turn school age, all the other schools in question do not even provide buses to their elementary schools. But Chesterbrook will bus them to and from their elementary school when the time comes. I'm thinking maybe enroll the there while we wait for something to open up at The Cedarhouse. Then, if and when they get spots at The Cedarhouse we can re-evaluate (the drawback for Cedarhouse is that it is a good 15-20 minute drive, better than what we are doing now, but still not quite ideal.. and they won't be able to bus when they become school age).

I feel like a high-end day care connoisseur. I know what all the pros and cons are at each place but I still can't make up my mind because no place has it all and it comes down to what's more important. Anyone have any advice? It is such a difficult decision and has been more agonizing for me than deciding what house to buy and what job to choose. I'd love to hear any helpful insights!