mazza

We're planning to move in August this year & I had though I'd started early by looking for a place in a nursery now...but some of the information I've sounds suggests that it can take a year to get a place!!!
I think we'll be heading for the North Shore in Sydney to start with, can anyone reccomend good child care facailities & advise on the best approach for dealing with the wait list system....I don't really want to pay to reserve a place without even being able to have a look first.

Any advice is much appreciated!!

NickyC

There's not much point in doing anything until you arrive and know exactly where you'll be living (or working, if you want childcare near there). You don't want a situation where your centre is 20k or an hours drive away from where you live. The North Shore covers a very large area.

There are literally thousands of childcare facilities of various types all over Sydney. Can you be a bit more specific regarding the suburbs you're likely to be living in?

mazza

We thought we'd start in Manly & rent for at least 6 months. Although it's very expensive, we thought/hoped it'd be worth the £s as it's a fairly safe 1st base. We've sold up & are renting here at the moment & have discovered that where you are living & the quality of the accomodation can have a big impact on how you feel.
I understand what you're saying regarding not booking until we get there, but if what I have read is true, that it takes a year to get a place in a childcare facility, that mean I can't work for the 1st year that we are there which we haven't budgeted for....I guess I'm trying to find out whether the waiting lists really are a year long as I have been quoted. If it does take a year to get a place, then it's worth us gambling with a few places from here & checking them out when we get there ...cheaper than not working for a year.

Mummy

Depends how old your child is - over 2 and there's quite a lot of spaces. Under 2 and you might have to wait.

poppet

Hi Mazza,

Your situation sounds very similar to the one I found myself in before leaving the UK with the worry of not being able to get childcare for a year or more. In the end I decided to waitlist my daughter at various daycare centres around the Northern Beaches area and eventually one got back to me - I must add only one got back to me in quite a few months although I understand now that waitlists aren't always reliable. Some people say its better to call every few weeks. We did end up paying for 3 weeks worth of childcare before we left the UK and there was always the risk that it wouldn't be suitable once we saw it in person (even though the centre had been great and emailed photos and lots of details). We also couldn't get the days we wanted at first but took what was available. Once you are in you tend to get priority for extra days over those who are still waitlisted. We are glad we took that option as everything worked out really well and the centre is great. In January all the school age children move up into school so there becomes lots of places available as the younger children move up to fill places etc. I know our centre started reviewing the situation in August so thats probably good for you as you arrive then and will be able to visit the places.

We also ended up in Manly and love it here - and our childcare centre is about a 10 minute drive away. If you would like more information pm me and I can give you a weblink and answer any questions. Just note that our broadband connection is very intermittent at times (in a battle with the provider at the moment) so it may be a few days before I get connected again!

Good luck with the move - at least the headache of selling your house is over! - and don't stress too much over the whole childcare thing. It all works out in the end.

P.