Why the Y

Josie is back in daycare. As summer draws to a close and I need to begin working on my classroom in earnest and Peter has a project deadline at the end of September, we have realized that the time has come. Once again we find ourselves wondering, "What to do with Josie?" The Tech doesn't have any openings (and the director scoffed when we asked if she could return; there's a waiting list, after all). Woodside, the daycare/ preschool where most of our friends send their children, does have part-time openings, but carries the same price tag as the Tech. Until Peter has steady work, we can't afford $56 a day, no matter how many floor to ceiling windows and heated floors there are. Sarita hinted that she might be willing to watch her, but after seeing what a big girl Josie is, she declined (she can't afford back trouble... Who can?).

So that leaves us with the YMCA. Two blocks from my new school, less than $200 a week for full time care (and Josie will only go three days), and available. It seemed like a sure bet. Peter visited a few weeks ago and reported that it was "fine," so we signed her up. Earlier this week I took her for the first time. She seems to completely understand that I need to go to work so she needs to play at school until I am done. She went willingly, and I stayed with her for a couple of hours on Monday and Tuesday. After an hour what had initially seemed "fine," started to feel "sketchy." The room was dingy, the books were all falling apart, the walls were covered with crayon, and most of the toys were broken. It smelled of sour milk and soiled diapers. They were serving honey nut cheerios and mixed-fruit in syrup for breakfast. The kids were pushy and one of them growled at me and introduced himself menacingly as Batman. The teachers seemed exhausted. Half way through the visit I started wondering if Woodside still had openings. Hoping they still had openings. How much more expensive could it be, really? When we left I called Peter to let him know I was concerned, and then I called Woodside. They did indeed still have openings and they did indeed still cost $56 a day. The Y would be over $60 less per week. That's a cell phone bill. That's cable. That's a donation to NHPR. That's half our grocery bill. That's the car payment.

We spent a couple of hours agonizing over whether or not to pursue the high-end daycare option. Does my daughter's emotional and cognitive development even have a price tag? We shelled out money for the Tech... Shouldn't we continue to do so? Why would anyone choose the inferior, more affordable and convenient option?

Then I had a revelation. The Y is public preschool.

Well, it's not public... There is no public preschool for two year olds. But it's subsidized and a non-profit, which makes it practically public. Once I thought of it as public, then suddenly I was fine with its lower standards, affordability and convenience. Public school is what is there. You may not love your kid's teacher, you may not like all of the kids in the class, you may not agree with the food or treats they serve, but it is what exists, so your kid goes. If you want it to improve, you join the PTO, you volunteer in the classroom, you donate supplies to the room, you set up a communication system with the teacher, you develop a rapport with the principal. You don't choose a new school, you work to improve the one your kid is in. Public schools, and non-profit daycares, depend on parent involvement. What we don't may out of pocket, we pay with participation. This makes sense to me.

As for the pushy kids. That's reality. Josie can handle them.

The fleeting assumption that public institutions have lower standards than private ones has left me feeling shell shocked. Is this really my belief? Shouldn't I believe in excellence and rigor, high standards and accountability? I should. I should. I may.

For now I am joining the Parent Advisory Committee.