Childcare options in Calgary are pretty grim, these days. Is it the same all across Canada?
http://www.cbc.ca/newsatsixcalgary/childcare.html
While looking to buy my new home, I have to keep in mind daycare availability in the areas I'm looking. My SW warned of a 2-year waiting list for daycare. Mom is planning to help out a couple of days a week, which will be a blessing but the rest of the week I'll need to engage a third party. I am only now starting some real research on my options as I've only just really settled on a specific new neighbourhood.
I don't know how it's going to go when I start calling up the daycares. What do I say? "Er, I'm gonna have a kid some day, I don't know how old she'll be exactly, but hey, she'll be a girl! Can you put her on your waiting list? Female child, no name yet but you can call her Myfanwy for now, ~12-24 mos give or take 6, for admission sometime in late 2008 most likely. Do you have a waiting list category like that? Do ya? Greaaaaat."
And of course, there are the school options. The neighbourhood I want to move to has 2 new & progressive schools in it, from K-3 and 4-9, so the only busing necessary will be for high school. Nice and convenient for M's first years at school, at least. I am a little worried the K-3 doesn't have a very multi-racial mix, I guess that's the neighbourhood. Mind you, when I lived in that area of town last time, a black family moved in RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET from me. That was nice. I loved watching the kids playing outside. It brought back memories of my siblings & me growing up back in jolly old England. Too bad my sister and her fandamily moved out of THAT VERY NEIGHBOURHOOD TO WHICH I WISH TO MOVE a few years ago to live in the hinterlands of Northern Alberta.
I so DO NOT want to have to move again for another 5 years AT LEAST. Mind you, it has been nice moving up the property ladder so quickly, but enough already.
I want to make this the right move for M and me. I can't believe I'm worrying about things like finished basements, having room for a Wendy House in the backyard, playgrounds close by, schools & busing, etc. I mean really. WHO? ME??
