If you’re a single mother with a demanding job, child care is probably the main issue that keeps you up at night. Just remember that you’re not alone. There are literally millions of single working mothers in this country, and they are the glue that keeps the family together. You’ve got to be able to head off to work with sharp focus and a clear conscience, as your income is the only one supporting your home. But you also want to insure that your kids are happy, healthy and well cared for. That isn’t always cheap, but skimping here will certainly fill you with regret. Try to mix things up so they fit your budget while still offering your children growth and fun when they’re away from your side. Here is a look at some of the best child care solutions for single working mothers.
One of the best avenues you can take is having a relative watch over your children. This will obviously only be possible if a parent, grandparent, sibling or favorite aunt both lives in the vicinity and has the time to dedicate to your kids. But if both of those factors are in place, this is a wonderful option. Your relative will most likely be willing to lend a hand for free, just to have some time with your kids and to help you out. And you can pay them back with favors at other times, and of course your honest gratitude. Just don’t take advantage of this situation, or things could get uncomfortable.
You might also want to consider creating something of a neighborhood child care coop. If there are lots of busy parents in your apartment building or in the area overall, you can come together to help solve everyone’s problems. Set a daycare schedule as if you’re creating a center in the community. Each day the child care would be set up at a different parent’s house, and each household would take turns looking over the kids. It runs with everyone donating their time, and you can also charge a small fee for ‘membership’ so that the parent on duty can provide meals, toys and books to keep the neighborhood children entertained and occupied.
If this just isn’t working out in your neighborhood, consider telecommuting on a part time basis. More and more companies are now comfortable with their staff working from home at least some of the time, and with video conferencing and cloud computing services both prevalent and inexpensive, you won’t lose a step going this route. As long as your kids are old enough to not need constant supervision, you should be able to get your work done and make sure they are cared for all at the same time. Even if you go with this strategy one or two days a week it will greatly reduce your child care costs.
Hiring an au pair can also be a fantastic option. Basically, you’ll contact an agency that will provide you with a choice of young women looking to come to the United States with work. If you can find the right fit, the au pair will be on hand to help as needed, up to forty hours a week. That means you can alter your schedule without worrying about prepaid visits to a child care center. But you will be giving up some amount of privacy, and could have conflicts while the au pair adjusts to life in a new place.
Finally, you can look for a child car center in your area. The best thing about this option is that your child will be spending his time with licensed caregivers that love working with kids. They’ll have plenty of other children to play with, which will help them transition through potty training phases and increase socialization. Just make sure you have some backup options if your child gets sick, as you won’t be able to bring him in to the center in those instances.
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