Should I pull toddler out of daycare?

[frank12]

This is a cross post from r/toddlers. But I’d like some advice from this subreddit from a science perspective.

My 2.5 toddler just started part time preschool for the first time. She is there mostly for socialization as I am still on maternity leave with my second who is 6 months (will be extended until Jan 2025). My aunt is also here to help me with the kids until December of this year. My toddler just got sick for the first time which I expected, but I’m starting to wonder if I should pull her out until when I actually need her to be in daycare to prevent my infant from getting sick at such a young age (and save money bc she’d be out of daycare from illness) and reenrol her in Feb/March 2024.

Option 2: Or should I leave her there part time when I don’t really need childcare and risk get my infant sick?

Pros of option 1:
- infant will be older when toddler is in preschool so stronger immune system
- save money (from now until when I reenrol her)

Cons of option 1:
- toddler loves preschool
- I won’t have my aunt here to help care for both kids when they sick once toddler is reenroled in Feb/March.
-might be harder to find a spot come Feb/March

I’m paying about $400/month for 2 days a week. Full time is about $600. Come January, it is expected to be even less than that (thank you Canadian government).
My 6 month hasn’t gotten her 6 month vaccines yet (she will in a couple weeks).

 

[jwd]

@frank12 If you’re in Canada and you pull your child you have a zero chance of getting a CWELCC spot for your toddler in Feb/March 2024. Expect to be waiting at least 2 years. If you have to have daycare, and you’re not willing to go with an unlicensed home daycare until you get a CWELCC spot then you should definitely keep your toddler in daycare. Most centres put priority on siblings so if you keep your child in daycare then you have a better chance of getting a spot for the baby.

 

[frank12]

@jwd That’s a good point. It’s funny bc where I live I have been able to get spots for my toddler no problem. I enrolled her end of June and she started the next week.

 

[jwd]

@frank12 Was that before CWELCC or after? Where we are the demand for licensed spots has gone way up since CWELCC.

 

[frank12]

@jwd After. It was just this June. My toddler was only in daycare for a couple days last week and then got sick just ytd. I have inquired about others recently and they still have spots available.

 

[jwd]

@frank12 What province is this?

 

[frank12]

@jwd Ontario (in york region). You can actually check on their website and it gives you a a breakdown of how many spots they have available, cost etc. I contacted them based on that info.

 

[tincup]

@jwd I didn't realize there were "spots"! I'm in a similar boat to OP but there was never a question to keep my first in because omg so much work!!

 

[jwd]

@tincup I think it varies from province to province. I’m in Ontario so centres and home daycare licensing agencies were given the choice to sign up for CWELCC. I know that the centres that did not sign up are having a much harder time filling their spaces, and then keeping them filled. A centre that signed up for CWELCC has a long waiting list and parents who got on a wait list when they were pregnant still aren’t getting a spot.

 

[tincup]

@jwd Oh! I'm in Alberta and the daycare or dayhome has to be registered with the province. So I'm not sure if it was actually an opt in system since those not registered had to then figure out how to get registered with the province. And yes, they lost clients for sure!

Spaces are hard to come by here but it's getting better depending where you want to go.

 

[jwd]

@tincup Here we have licensing agencies for dayhomes. So you’re either with an agency or you’re unlicensed. And in most cases the agency takes 30% of the dayhome’s income. Doug Ford specifically set up CWELCC so that the for-profit centres and agencies had equal billing.

Here I feel like it’s getting harder to find childcare. So many of the unlicensed dayhomes are closing because they lose people to licensed spots. Centres can’t keep staff so they’re closing rooms or taking less kids. And the Ontario government has put a limit on what communities can open more spaces eligible for CWELCC. So people like OP in York region have no trouble finding subsidized care while people where I am are on waiting lists for years and never get a spot.

 

[frank12]

@jwd I had no idea he put a restriction communities opening new spaces. No wonder I had no problem finding a spot, so quickly.
You seem very knowledgeable about the CWELCC so I'm going to ask you if you know what's happening with Montessori schools in January? They've opted in for this year, but I "heard" that many will not come January. I'm considering putting my kid in Montessori but only if they will still participate in CWELLCC.

 

[jwd]

@frank12 It will go centre by centre. So the school can apply for CWELCC but the province can deny the application base on the need in that community.

 

[frank12]

@jwd My concern is the Montessori school opting out mid year (come Jan as that's when the fiscal year begins) and I'd have to pay the full fee instead of reduced fees that the current daycare offers. The Montessori school reassured me they will continue with the program but can I really trust them as all docs state "prices subject to change". I guess it could go either way (increase or decrease).

 

[tincup]

@jwd Oh ouch!! Sounds very similar but there's no "spots" here like I said. It's licenced and you get the subsidy or you're not licensed and you don't get it. That sounds so frustrating!

 

[katrina2017]

@frank12 Assuming your six month old is on the standard vaccine schedule, she's got some protections already. Plus she won't get a stronger immune system simply by being older (vaccines aside) - it strengthens with use. Also if you need your older kid to be mostly in care and not home sick in the future ... better to get some of this out of the way now.

Unless someone has specific health risks I think you'll be better served by keeping the spot and knowing it'll likely make things easier down the line.

 

[his_word_is_truth]

@katrina2017 I agree with your comment in general, but just to highlight that repeated use doesn’t strengthen the immune system.

The immune system isn’t a muscle that can be strengthened. It is what it is, and your immune system functions the way it functions without much input from you. What virus and bacteria exposure does is help the system learn.

A 6mo has a generally ok functioning immune system, but it needs to meet viruses and bacteria to learn how to handle them. Once it has this knowledge, it can combat similar types more specifically as less generally causing overall sickness as the child moves through the world. The immune system doesn’t strengthen, it was already as strong as it would be really. It just leaned.

But if someone has a poorly functioning immune system, no amount of repeated infections will strengthen it. It’ll kill them.

The best way to have a healthy immune system is to keep yourself healthy through nutrition, sleep and exercise, but sometimes and it certain points in your life, especially as you age, your immune system may just not work properly.

 

[cmuskwa]

@his_word_is_truth thank you for clarifying this! i used the “strong immune system” language in my comment. today i learned.

 

[frank12]

@his_word_is_truth This is very useful information. Does this mean that it gets better at combating the same virus it was exposed to?

What you mentioned regarding having a weak immune system won't necessarily improve with repeated infections makes sense to meet. I'm thinking for something like the hepatitis virus, some people who weren't vaccinated in my home country were able to fight it off and build immunity while others couldn't and lived with chronic hepatitis all their lives. My dad died from HCC which developed from hep virus, but others in his family never got the virus although none were vaccinated until they immigrated to Canada. I guess this depends on the strength of their immune system? Am I right?

This is making me reconsider waiting until my infant gets all her shots before putting my toddler back into daycare, esp MMR vaccine which is given at 1 year.

 

[whiteisfamily]

@frank12 Think about it like this. A car mechanic might have general knowledge, but they don’t gain brand specific knowledge until they have to work on that car brand.

As they work with the brand more, they are able to find the issue quicker, and car repairs get quicker and faster.

When hey encounter a new brand, there is quite a bit of overlap, so it has a place to start, but the specifics of that brand still need to be figured out.