I AM SO EXCITED.... And Nervous :(

I'm always talking about how expensive it is for single parents, I just don't know how they do it. Childcare is so costly, single parents have to make a lot of money to make it worth it. I feel for you. I hope you find something that works!

For starters, contact the after school program and find out if they have anything for low-income families.

Do the same for daycares. There are LOTS of daycares and afterschool programs out there that work with the state government to provide care for low income folks. Use it.

Start here: http://www.dss.virginia.gov/family/cc/assistance.cgi

You could look for an in-home provider or a daycare center that is in your school district. You should be able to find one that you can take all of the kids to before work, and the girls can catch the school bus there and take it there after school.

I would start with neighbors, maybe call the school and ask for a list of providers, talk to people at church.

We live in a small community, so it was fairly easy, but we chose the daycare center that our neighbor used and that several people from our church use. Doesn't hurt that they director of the center also goes to our church and is very well liked and very well respected.

Right now, you'll need to just ask questions, take good notes, visit centers, etc. You'll want to have a very good idea of which ones you like and what the cost would be so that if you are offered a job you can make a decision and put everything into place quickly.

You can make this happen, but you need to get to work and begin making phone calls. Don't wait until you know you have the job. Get the information now.

It is an interview. Concentrate on it and worry about the job after/if it is offered.

********** GOOD FOR YOU*********

R.:
You know everything will work out. Stop worrying and get the job---breathe --breathe -- breathe--- stay calm.

Call Social/Human Services and find out about daycare assistance. Talk to your divorce/custody attorney about child support and having him pay for half of the daycare cost.

But that is Friday's problem. Today and tomorrow concentrate on making the best first impression you can. Try on clothes, look for spots or stains, loose buttons ect. look over your shoes maybe clean them up a bit. Practice hairstyles and look over your make-up, make sure you have everything you need. Wear clean undies ;-))

Good luck and knock 'em off their feet with your awesomeness.

Try looking on care.com or sittercity.com for a nanny. Put in the 'ad' what you would be willing to pay (What you can afford to pay). Someone will be willing to work for what you are willing to pay.

Just say in the ad that you need some one to come into your home (Or you could advertise for someone who wants to watch your children in their home) M-F from 7:30am-5:30 (I don't know what the actual drive time would be, but I'm just going to assume that it's around half an hour). They would need to get the older kids on and off the bus, and care for the two year old all day. They would need to prepare meals (At the very least, lunch for the youngest kiddo), possibly help with homework, etc. You could pay by the hour, by the day, or even by the week (Sometimes it's cheaper to pay by the day or week than it is by the hour... Instead of paying $7.50 an hour (Which would be about $75 a day or $375 a week, if my assumed drive time is correct), you could pay $60 a day or $300 a week. Just put up there what you can afford to pay.

Network in your community. Perhaps some of your friends do small time childcare in their homes, or knows of somone else that does that you can check out.

It's going to be alright.
It'll be different but alright.
Make sure Rob is paying child support/alimony.
They are his kids too and since you both have to work now, child care is an expense he gets to pay half of.
My Mom did it by hiring her college girlfriends mother (she was in her 50's at the time) as our baby sitter.
She was retired and looking for some income.
Nana didn't drive so Mom would get up before work and fetch Nana to our house and Nana was there for before/after school, summers, and if we were home sick.
Sometimes Mom paid a neighbor to drive Nana back and forth.
We lived in a duplex so we were not alone while Mom got Nana or took her home.
She did a little cooking, a little cleaning, but her main function was to keep us alive till Mom got home (and we didn't always like it but our liking it wasn't a consideration).
We had Nana till we went to middle school and then we were old enough not to need a sitter anymore.

Talk to other moms at school. I am sure someone would love to earn a little extra money to help you out.

Take ALL income into account before determining what you could afford.
Do you have friends/relatives that might be able to bump childcare into only afterschool care & PT day care for your son?
Think creatively!
You need to get a job. It's in your husband's best interest as well to have you working. So HE needs to help with childcare for your son. At least 50% of the cost!

You know what they say---talk the talk then worry about walking the walk.
Do not go into the interview jinxing it by being uncertain, etc.
You will work out the details AFTER you know you have the job!

Good luck at the interview.

See if a neighborhood mom will keep the girls before and after school for you. That way, they are with someone and not at the bus without the required adult. Offer to watch her kid(s) in return or pay her. As far as your son goes, you really have no choice, if you are going to work full time, he has to be in some kind of full time daycare. Have your ex pay for it. It would be calculated into his child support anyway. And like I said, you have to start thinking about what you are going to do in summer, that is the big picture. Check your boys/girls clubs too for summer. Ours is only $85 week from like 7am to 6pm and includes breakfast and lunch. Good luck with the job search, I hope you find something soon.

I mentioned this before but it bears repeating. Find a sahm that has kids at your kids school.

Did you say your a single parent? Have you applied for childcare vouchers if you are single??

You need to tap in to all of your friends. Is there someone who's child goes to the same school? Maybe you could drop the girls there on your way to work and the girls can get to school with the friend. Also, check to see if there is something akin to our Child Care Council that can assist with daycare costs for low income working families.

Get on the phone with the school (they usually have resources for daycare providers that drop off/pick up at their school).

Call your local social services department - they can provide you with resources of low cost or subsidized daycare.

Check with your friends to see if they can help out just for a couple of weeks until you can get something more permanent set up.

It is hard trying to figure out how to do it all, especially if you don't have a bunch of savings to use to pay these costs before you get paid. But there are resources out there - it will take some time and probably a lot of phone calls but you will figure it out.

One step at a time!

Are you elgiable for child care vouchers? Do you have a YMCA nearby? They open at 6am and alot of communities have buses that run from the schools to the YMCA daycare.

Hi R..
Congrats on the interview.
Another perspective.
Take the interview.
Get the offer.
It will all work out using the good advice below and your own wisdom.
It will be fine.
Jilly

CONGRATS!! That was REALLY fast!!

First breathe!! I found my morning sitter on sittercity.com. For $100 a week she comes over at 615 and gets the kids on the bus by 820. She then drives the youngest to his babysitter where he stays until 1145. I pay her $75 a week. If he went to her full-day, it would be $150. I get off in time to get them off of the bus at 345. Can you ask about going in early and getting off early with this job? Most places will let you do that. Especially if they know you are a single mom.

OR...find a sitter who can come to the house full-time. We had the one that turned out badly, but she was willing to do it for $250 a week...and that covered half-days, no school days, breaks, summer, etc. It covered everything. I can send you the contract we had with her if you ever want to go that route. It literally covered every topic.

Don't worry - it will work out!! I'm so happy for you!

Ex must have to help pay for child expenses, including daycare?? If it was never an expense before, well, life is different now!

Wonder what other SA parents do with the older kids if there are no prgrams at the school? And with summer looming it is another consideration.

Look at the places others mentioned for SA kids...YMCA, Boys/Girls clubs..whatever is normal for your area. Local Moms who would love to earn some extra, etc. Summer is easier perhaps as a stop gap with a potential college person, but many of them are not done with classes till May (or a tech college if nearby, might have a Child Dev program and get out in April perhaps...mine did here in MN when I graduated...and many were looking for gigs till late Aug when classes started again).

FT for the little man is probably going to be needed.

Make ex pay up on this. You should not have to shoulder it all??? In my experience as a provider with divorced parents, they always paid half.

Best of luck!!

I like what Rhonda H said "Concentrate on it and worry about the job after/if it is offered" :)
God has a plan-trust it

Congrats!!

How about the other kids at the bus stop? Do you think one of the parents would help you out in the mornings?

Also ask them during the interview if the hours are flexible. Your son’s father should be helping with daycare payments, he should at least pay half.

Congrats on the interview ~ I am sure you will rock it!

What about local churches?
Is there a college close by ~ maybe a college student needs a job?
YMCA
Call the secretary at your daughters school ~ ours recommended the Chapel we go to. They talk to a lot of parents and may know of some options for you.

how wonderful are you??? in this economy, to have landed an interview that fast!
focus on that. get the job. seriously. the rest of it WILL work out. there are tons and tons of ways it can. your only job this week is to get the job.
and the details will fall into place.
this doesn't mean there may not be some jaw-clenched moments<G>.
but i assure you, they will.
you can network like crazy, which you are already so good at. there are parents at your school who will help out of the goodness of their hearts, even if it's temporary. there are parents at your school in your exact situation for whom doing your daycare would be a gods-send. there are college students in your area desperate to make a few bucks, and being your mother's helper/nanny is perfect. they're not only reasonable, they're energetic and fun and your kids will love them. there are neighborhood family daycares who are even this moment wondering how to fill a vacancy.
and you will find just the right one.
tons of good energy headed your way, both for the job and the post-hiring details!
:) khairete
S.

Find another mom. Put feelers out, even if you don't know any of them. Talk to the teachers at the school and see if they know any moms in their classroom or grade that watches kids.

Check with your local college and see if there are any child development majors looking for work.

Check any local churches and see if they have childcare benevolence programs.

Good luck and congratulations!

Congrats