« Back to News

March 28, 2013

Child Care Waitlist? Have No Fear…

With the fall season around the corner, parents everywhere are now researching options for child care and are faced with the potential of being placed on a waitlist. Doodle Bugs! understands that the slightest hint of the term “waitlist” can sometimes evoke the feeling of fear and panic, causing mom to bargain and plead, checkbook in hand.

However, according to Anna Insinna, vice president of Doodle Bugs! the waitlist should not be feared and parents who are put on a waitlist often get a spot in a center sooner than they think. The enrollment process is complex; it’s a spreadsheet full of birthdays, graduation dates, classroom ratios—all of which must be analyzed by the director to determine available spots.  The benefits of enrolling your child in a high-quality childcare center are always worth the wait, and the waitlist ensures parents get into their first choice program eventually.

Insinna offers the following tips on enrolling:

• Enroll all your children at the same center; siblings of current students get priority.
• Wait-listed families typically only have one to three days to respond to an offer of admission before a director assumes they are no longer interested, so make sure your contact information is up-to-date.
• Plan to enroll in the summer when more spots usually open up.
• Be flexible by accepting a spot earlier than you had planned or taking a part-time rather than full-time spot.
• Stay on the wait list at your first-choice center even if you enroll your child elsewhere.

Check out our website www.doodlebugs.com or contact the local director for more information on Doodle Bugs!, or enrollment.