Pulaski

You mean a custom facility? .... For a purpose built/ converted facility I doubt there is much difference between franchise/ branded and "independent", and honestly you should check out the local locations before deciding. We looked at a variety of places for little Miss P, and found good and not-so-good franchises and independent. The price varies according to the local market.

Where I am we found the minimum acceptable places to be around $800/mth, and the top one we found, with truly incredible facilities, such as dedicated art room and a music room with a music teacher on the payroll, to be about $1,000/mth. So the top-"bottom" (minimum we would accept) difference was not that great. This was 3-5 years ago. Other parts of the country are more expensive, I know.

AmerLisa

I've looked at this site, although never used it, however I've noticed that everyone I was looking at were local.

Care.com: Child Care, Senior Care, Pet Care and More

BunnyGirl

This.

If he's on a H1B then she can't work so childcare won't necessarily be urgent. To be fair though OP, even if you're on an L2 it will take a couple of months for you to get your EAD and find a job so childcare still won't be urgent, you'll have time to scout around/find recommendations etc

rebs

My impression from the OP is that she is a stay at home mum looking for a bit of extra help. She has not mentioned working at all.

BunnyGirl

Exactly. So whilst I'm sure "immediate" childcare would be nice it sounds like she might have a chance to do some research once she's there

rebs

But the visa status is irrelevant

BunnyGirl

Lol, not if she thought she was going to be working on a H4! Just tryin' to be helpful...

cmerrywe

Short term, I don't plan to work and will certainly require some help whilst settling in (or at least until the boxes are unpacked!) We've been very fortunate in the UK with a good support network. Longer term, I may return to work (I work here in the UK and run my own business..something I may consider carrying on). I'll re-evaluate, VISA's permitting and once we're settled. My aim is to make our move as stress free as possible.

Good to know what fees to expect - thank you.

I'll look into what VISA we have.

Sally Redux

I agree. I also don't understand why cmerrywe is concentrating on this one issue, which seems to me the least pressing of her concerns. Welcome though

Bob

care.com

Though if you're looking for a nanny type thing, go to local library, they'll have stuff on their boards and head to local mall, chances are that it'll be a Simon's mall and they do weekly kids events which will have a glut of nannies knocking around with kids and you can ask them the skinny.

What you pay, $25hr with a 4 hour min is the norm down my way if they're doing anything other than sitting in front of the tele making sure the kids don't burn the house down. Taking them somewhere and part day, few days a week can be $1-1.5K a month....more for little people who still shit themselves, less for older kids.

Bigger franchise places might have a waiting list, down my way, there usually isn't a problem, but in Boston, one of the popular ones usually has a 2 year waiting list.

It's all going to depend on which town you live in really.

Anyway, the wiki up top is worth checking out. Loads of info on relocation packages, visa's, credit and the rest to get you started.

Bnet36

To the OP, your twins are almost 2yrs old and at this stage you almost want to start looking at the long term... pre-k etc. The socializing skills are coming in to play now and learning and sharing with others besides a sibling.

I found it very difficult to trust nannies when I got here especially when you hear the horror stories. I found a daycare that does everything from babies, pre- K and after school care. They have cameras where you can log in and check in on your child online. In the early years they did 3 days a week and now they go after school. Although we have paid this place a fortune over the years, I am happy that my kids have special bonds with all the staff there and all their friends go there which is nice.
Good luck.

cmerrywe

Sorry, I probably didn't make this clear. The company my husband works for are taking care of everything else related to our relocation inc VISAs. They may well also help with sourcing childcare but I feel it important to at least do a bit of homework on something this important.

The relocation package has yet to be finalised so having an understanding of what childcare costs, will allow us to gauge whether the move is financially viable.

Bob

Just make sure they gross it up so you don't get stumped with a big tax bill.

Pulaski

Or only plan on spending 70% of it, so you have the funds to pay the bill.

GeoffM

Have you asked whether his company has a childcare facility on site? You never know!