So I had my appointment with provider #2. The director was nice. All of my questions were answered to my satisfaction. The facility was OK. The infant room was kind of blah but then again, it's not as though infants do a whole lot. The setup for the older kids looks a lot better. Plenty of staff available there though. And the scheduling is uber-flexible.
No bad gut feelings about the place. Little one #2 would be taken care of.
But yet, I didn't get the warm and fuzzy feelings that I get with provider #1. I felt more like little one #2 would be just one in a sea of babies. I wasn't expecting 1:1 care all the time--if that's what I wanted I'd hire a nanny--but I felt like he'd be a little lost in the shuffle.
I talked to my sister to get her opinion, and then I thought about everything as I was stuck in freeway traffic. I'm only planning to work two days a week, and I really don't need that much short-notice flexibility. The main job will have to accept that I can't do same-day requests as much (if at all) anymore. The agency will get a set two days a week and if they can't use me on those days they can't use me. And if the main job has booked me that week, the agency will have to do without as I really don't want to go over two days a week.
I felt more comfortable with provider #1's environment. Little one #2 wouldn't be lost in the shuffle here. No, he wouldn't be 1:1 but as I said, I don't expect that. But I feel like he'd get more attention here. He's only one of three infants there. He'll have a playmate who is a month older than him. There aren't that many other kids either, and the staffing is 1:3 regardless of the kids' ages.
More importantly, I felt more comfortable with provider #1. They remind me of the provider I had for my first little one when I was in nursing school. I feel better with them. Warmer, fuzzier. Worried, but I'd be worried if I was leaving little one #2 with his grandparents. But less worried than I would with provider #2.
So I went ahead and enrolled him with provider #1. I'll decline provider #2 on Monday. See, I follow my own advice: I didn't turn down one until I signed on with the other. In this case, it wasn't jobs but childcare providers.
In other news, the textbooks for my class arrived. I went with Research first. I was tempted--and still am--to double up and get Vulnerable Populations over with as well. But overall, I think it'll be better for me to take them separately. I don't need the stress of two classes, especially as I'll be resuming work during that time.
