Anonymous
July 20, 2026Childcare solutions used & satisfaction
If you needed childcare in the past 10 years, what childcare solutions (e.g., childcare center/nursery, nanny, family support, adjusted work schedule, etc.) did your family end up using? Are you satisfied with the availability of childcare options in your country of employment, why or why not?
While living in the US, we paid well in excess of $15k a year for child care for the first four years of our child’s life. We didn’t have a second child in part because of the cost. The daycare was great though with hours between 6.30am and 6pm. We never left the child that long of course but to have flexibility in hours was phenomenal. We moved to France after the child turned four. In France, school is mandatory starting the calendar year they turn 3. Our child goes Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8.30am to 4.30pm. Before and After school care as well as Wednesday garderies (daycares) are available but we chose to forego this for the first year to allow the child to better acclimatize and not overwhelm them. We organized private after school and Wednesday care in English using a sitter. Next year, the child will stay after school two days a week and attend Wednesday morning care. The costs are about $60/month. We now live closer to family and have them come by during challenging times.
Joined multiple waitlists?
Did you join multiple childcare waitlists while searching for care?
Yes
Biggest challenges & their impact
Looking back, what were the biggest childcare challenges (e.g., long waiting times, affordability, quality, location, etc.) your family faced? How did these challenges impact your work and family life?
Having a child in May 21 implied that a lot of daycares had shut down with the onset of COVID. Finding a daycare in time for starting with work was a pure gamble, there was no choice. I took the first non-private daycare I could find (and lucked out). We were waitlisted on at least ten daycares. Because it was Covid, initially the day care group had to shut down every time there was a Covid case for five days. My mother stayed with us for two months during my intense teaching period to ensure that the child was taken care of. My husband was teaching on a different campus that term and couldn’t help. We continued this for the following years.
One thing to change
If you could change one thing about today's childcare system, what would it be? (For example: access, affordability, quality, employer or university support, emergency backup care, or anything else.)
In the US, affordability. In France, more integrated Wednesday care. Overall, I really liked the flexibility of our daycare in the US: no need to let them know in advance when or how long the child joined the daycare!
Additional insights
Are there any additional comments or personal insights you would like to share about childcare?
I think my child learnt a lot from daycare: more than I thought possible. I highly recommend (a good) daycare. The US (or at least Oregon where we lived) had strict ratios for the care of children. So the ratios were great between teachers and children!
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