[Freefromitall]

I'm going to need to find a job for summer. No problem, I get that, I don't get financial aid in summer, after all.

I'm probably going to have to work come fall semester as well. Okay, well, that sucks, but okay, gotta do what you gotta do.

However....that means I'm going to need daycare. I might be able to squeak by this summer without it, if my mom can help, and if I get an evening/night shift, so that their dad can watch them.

But come fall? I will need to put them in daycare at least part time.
Which, I've come to peace with, as far as the whole "Someone else watching my children and spending large amounts of time with them!" issue.
But the $$$? I have no idea how I'm going to work this.
I don't make very much(I'll be working as a CNA), better than McD's, but not really spectacular.
I'm considering applying for childcare subsidies from teh state. We'll qualify, b/c we're already on foodstamp assistance. BUT that will only cover the time when I'm at work, not when I'm at school. (which, fair enough, I guess, I'd kinda think that they'd WANT lower-income families to obtain better jobs and get off assistance, but that's another conversation!)
AND on the weeks that their dad recieves unemployment, it won't be subsidized, b/c there is an adult who could care for them. Which, again, I understand from one pov, but on the other hand, where am I going to find a daycare that will accept that? "Well, my kids will be here some weeks, and you'll get paid then, but on other weeks, they won't, and so you won't....hope that's okay!(oh, and PS, probably won't get more than 1-2days of warning!)"
Riiiiiight....I'm sure we'll just be LOVED and welcomed with that issue.
and, of course, if he's getting unemployment, suddenly the income drops, and we can't afford to suddenly pay for weeks of childcare at the drop of a hat, kwim?

AND AND AND!
I had a classmate tell me "Oh, there is this child care grant you can get from the college." (It works like the state subsidy for work hours, except that it's for hours where you are in class) Which is great and all, but I've been trying to track down solid info on it for the last two weeks, and I'm begining to wonder if the girl is smoking crack or something, b/c I can't find any info about it. And no one seems to really know what I'm talking about.

SIGH

If you made it through all that, thank you.

 

[Kiki Runs]

I hear ya, Mama. I've been where you are, with the exception that I'm not working. I resigned myself to doing so, then I did the calculations and it didn't financially make sense (the ex pays child support and we live on that, along with my financial aid). If I got a job, even for 20 hours a week, the extra money would put us over the line for any other sort of assistance such as food stamps. Plus, like you already know, the childcare assistance only covers hours I'm actually at work and I'd have to pay the difference for the hours I'm in school out of my pocket.... which is not insignificant, considering that it has to be a licensed, registered facility. Right now, I have a nice neighbor lady watching my kids two afternoons a week for $20 bucks a day.

All that to say, yeah, the system is not really set up to help us get ahead. It would make WAAAAY more sense to provide some childcare while I attended school and got a degree to eventually make more than I would at McDonald's.... but nope. However, if I stuck the kids in full-time care and worked minimum wage somewhere they'd help me. Silly.

Like I said, I did the calculations (many, many times lol) with the actual costs of daycare (didn't include the extra gas for commute, or extra money for eating on the run, or extra costs for nicer work clothes - daycare costs only) and discovered there was no way I could find a job that would pay me enough to even break even!! And that's assuming I could even find a job who would hire me to work three days a week.... yeah right.

About the childcare grant from your college - my school has a childcare grant, I believe it may even be federally funded, which means your school may have it as well. Call your financial aid office. You may have to go in there in person, and ask to speak to more than one person (if the first person doesn't know what you're talking about, ask if they can find someone who might, etc.). I really do think this grant is at least partially federally funded, so it should be available to you as well. Look online, too, I think I saw something about it online, but that was at the beginning of fall semester and I can't remember the details. I think it gave info you would need so that if you can't find anyone at your financial aid office who knows what you're talking about, you can at least print out the form and take it in there. It did have to go through the finaid office though (like, someone there had to sign it or something) so it's not something you can just do on your own.

Also, the catch on it was that, again, it has to be a licensed facility (or individual), which does make sense, I suppose, even if it's inconvenient. AND, the kids had to be going there. So, for instance, when I was looking into it last fall, I couldn't do it b/c the form had to be filled out by the licensed care provider....well, I didn't HAVE one b/c I couldn't afford it w/out the assistance! LOL Catch-22 there.... but if you're already getting care for your kidlets, it may work out for you.

Also, look into Head Start for your DD. She's my DD's age, and DD went last year. She LOVED it (she's a social butterfly!) and it was free. The actual day runs from 7:30 or 8 to 12 or 12:30, but after a week or so of me frantically trying to get DS to kindy, DD to Head Start, and myself to class by 8, I told them I was going to have to pull her b/c I couldn't manage it anymore. At which time they said, "oh, why don't you have her ride the bus?" Oh, well, good idea - didn't know it was an option! LOL So DD ended up getting on the bus a little before 7 every morning and she gets home (or to the babysitters, depending on the day) between 12 and 12:30. They eat breakfast, snack, and lunch there! They do have an afterschool program that was reasonably priced, but I didn't need it last semester and only needed it 2x/wk this semester so I didn't do it.

Next year, the 4yos go "all day" - not exactly sure what that means, I'm assuming 3 or so, whatever a regular school day is. I know it's not til 5, b/c they do offer that afterschool care for 4yos as well. I'm not sure if I'll need to utilize that or not....

So, yeah, look into Head Start - if you qualify income-wise (which I'd think you would, if you've got food stamps) it's amazing. DD is LOVING it so much - I know programs and teachers can vary, but at the least it's free care for her. My DD gets a lot out of it, she has so many friends, she's been writing her name since the 2nd month (so at 3yos she could write her name, and recognize all her letters, and tell me things like "D is for Donnay").

If you can get your DD set up at Head Start, maybe you can find a college kid to watch DS cheaply? Or maybe there's another mommy around who would like to stay home with her babe and could do so if she watched yours for a little bit of money?

I was also considering starting up a childcare co-op. I posted on Craigslist and actually had quite a bit of interest, but ended up not wanting to take on the responsibility of running it.... but I am not an organized person at all, and I didn't want to let anyone down due to my lack of responsibility, kwim? But you sound like a pretty together lady so it might work out better for you?

Good luck, mama! I know it's hard, but keep your eye on the prize! It will all be worth it when you have that degree in your hand, and your kids are watching and learning to value an education.

 

[Kiki Runs]

One more: Have you considered taking classes over the summer? You can get financial aid for it, and you don't ahve to take as many hours to be considered full time. I believe 6 hrs is full-time in the summer. I'm taking classes over the summer and I'm getting something like 4K in aid.

And, yeah, I do know the loans will have to be paid back, but I'm okay with taking out loans for my education. The repayment terms are forgiving (I don't know about private loans, I'm talking about federal loans here) and it will be easier to make those payments out of a decent salary post-graduation than it is to hustle and bustle about now for a minimum wage job.

Anyway, just wanted to mention that possibility, if you think your folks will help you out w/childcare this summer. At my school, there are two sessions, sort of. Some classes run June and July, 5 days/wk (like 2 hrs a day, or something), and some classes are either in June or in July. I'm currently enrolled in 9 hours, with 2 classes in June and 1 in July. The June classes are 2 hours a day apiece, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, and the July class is 2 hours in the afternoon. My mom is helping me out by taking the kids for the summer (I'll see them weekends, etc) so I can really focus on the classes. But if you were to maybe take one class each session, that would be full-time enrollement and not too much time away from the kids, yk?

 

[RockStarMom]

You could work as a nanny. I'm a working student too, and I realized it didn't make any sense for me to work and have to pay for childcare. That way no money goes toward childcare, and you get plenty of time with your little ones.

 

[slvsquared]

Do you have a drop in or hourly daycare? Our smallish town has one, and they only require 24 hours notice. You sign your kids up, fill out all the forms and such, and then you just call when you need them. I have a strange schedule, so it works out well for me.

You might also try to find another college mama with kids who'd be willing to exchange childcare hours - you watch her kids, she watches yours kind of thing? I've done this with other WAHM's with some success.

 

[Freefromitall]

These are some excellent suggestions

:
Thank you ladies

Kiki, b/c of the economic problems in the rural area we're in, most people meet income guidelines for headstart. So there are additional qualifications you have to meet(ie, some sort of developmental delay, or something where the child would actually benefit from a head start) and dd doesn't qualify. She will be going to 4k next fall though, and that's a half day in our district, which will help. I'm still trying to track down info on that child care grant.

Rockstar, I was giving serious thought to offering to take in 1-2 children in my home during work hours, and attending class in the evening (or on the net)

Slvr, a swap would be a good idea too, I probably wouldn't have thought of that!

 

[Freefromitall]

Oh, I have sub loans and even an unsub loan. And it helped, but with H's work being so sporadic lately(partly the economy I suppose) we're still struggling.

 

[Freefromitall]

I'll have to look into a Perkins loan, that name sounds vaugely familiar, like I've read it somewhere before

 

[La Sombra]

I attend a large public university and it was my advisor who told me about aid for childcare. Perhaps you need to speak to someone in your school's financial aid department or an advisor or, if such a department exists, a woman's resource center-type staffer. I hope that that works out for you. I, too, have just realized that I'll have to put dd in daycare in the fall and it's stressing me out a bit, too. Good luck!

 

[bauchtanz]

SOme colleges offer programs for the children of thier students.

ALso - I hate to say it but, get a job first, then worry about the daycare. In this economy, I have 40 + applicants for a small, little 8 hour a week part time job for min wage (I would have had more, but we only advertise on the city's website) and I had people who were clearly laid off and very qualified applying.

 

[Gator-mom]

just my quick two cents... We did the childcare voucher for ds last semester. I had to switch him to a licensed caregiver, which I regret because it is way bigger and he does not love it, like he does at our original awesome tiny in-home caregiver's. It is based on your pell grant qualifications. I took 12 credits and got $570 for the semester (that may vary on state). That only paid for about a month and a half of my 15 week semester. Where I found it on campus was in the family center. We also have an on campus daycare, which is income, sliding scale based, but there is a huge wait list. We have been on it for months and now I don't even want to put him in to it because I'll be moving up to a university next fall and I don't want him to have to get bumped all around daycare wise.

Luckily MIL has been helping me meet daycare costs so far, but I am prepared to have to have to draw from my extra stafford loan that I took and have not used yet if she decides its too much.

Dh is in school full time and working nearly full time, so we don't really have the swap out option.