Am I Crazy?

I, too, am single and just entered into the foster care process....my biggest concern is childcare....Texas does NOT cover daycare expenses. So - my question for those of you who work fulltime AND parent....how do you find affordable childcare? How do you take in a child when you know you need to go to work the next day? How do you handle sick time? Whew! Any answers out there??:o

I work full time and I am thankful that I have a flexible job where as long as I get my work done I can use my personal time as I want to with little to no prior notice....but it does get TIRED really quick running to a million appts every week....I have 3 little ones so....I have at least one appt weekly for one of them or myself for that matter... I did not take off the next day when I got placed with my first fs....He went to daycare the very next day....I already have 2 daycares set up....one of them always has spaces...with my new placements I took the next day off which happened to be a Friday....I was only supposed to get one and he was supposed to go to daycare the next day..but I ended up getting placed with 3 boys , and the oldest was very upset..so I just took a floating Holiday because it happened to be Good Friday..If I had only got one ..I would have went to work..But they did go to daycare the following Monday...They met their daycare teacher at church on Sunday (She is also their nursery school teacher at church) I am also blessed by the fact that Florida pays for daycare costs for all foster kids, but I soon plan to adopt 2 of them and then the daycare subsidies stop....However I will still be getting an adoption subsidy and plan to use that to pay for daycare and much of my tax return at the beginning of next year will go towards daycare...The adoption is still months off....I am secretly hoping it will stretch out until december..so I won't have to pay for daycare until next year after I get my refund check... The cheapest daycares I have found to be are in home daycares....plus the schedules are more flexible than regular daycares....and the kids get more one on one attention....Here we have a Children's Commission that lists all the daycares that are registered with them and their hours....you may want to see if you have something similar in texas...

sdiedreccms will cover child care unless it is before and after school, I think that only the 2 first weeks are out of pocketGood luck

To be honest, if Alabama didn't pay day care expenses, I wouldn't be able to foster. I wouldn't be able to afford it. Thankfully, they do cover it, or at least most of it. We have a cap amount in our county. You can choose any approved day care, but if their weekly rate is more than the cap, you have to cover the difference out of your pocket. I could have chosen a cheap day care but preferred the preschool on the campus of my job because of it's convienence and flexibility and the impression I got from it when I toured it. They truly are a preschool and not just a daycare. They teach my daughter something every day and they give her structure and routine that cheaper day care's don't provide. So to me, it's worth it for me to spend part of my monthly board check to put her in an environment like that. I know that many of the larger churches in our area run day cares/ preschools. You may want to look into church day cares in your area. Often times they are cheaper than corporate or private centers. I too am blessed to work a very flexible job. My first day my boss told me as long as I get my hours in during the pay period and got my work done, he didn't care when I did it. My supervisors are also very supportive and patient and understanding. I had a very unique situation. My fd wasn't able to go to day care the next day because she didn't have updated shot records and we couldn't get them for a couple of days. The daycares wouldn't take her without the updated records. I got her on a Tuesday evening and actually brought her to work with me Wed-Fri of that week. Now I know most people couldn't do that. I didn't know I could, I just brought her in to introduce her to everyone and explain to my boss why I would be out. The next thing I knew, I looked up and had been there all day. I just brought her in the rest of the week since everyone was loving her. I took her to her preschool on that Friday to get her registered and let her meet her teachers and classmates. She started that Monday. The trick was knowing where I wanted my foster kids to go before I ever got any. Had I not felt comfortable with her being at work with me, I would have taken off until I could get her shot records and then put her in preschool as soon as that happened to minimize my time off. But I'm glad it worked out the way it did because it gave her more bonding time with me before I threw her into another brand new situation. By the time she started preschool that Monday, she and I were good and she was ready to tackle something else new. I know I've done a lot of rambling, but I guess the point is, this is going to be like every other situation you encounter as a single parent...YOU DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO! You need to know that kids get sick and have emergencies and appointments and needs and your life will have to adjust to meet those needs. If you work an inflexible job, having children is going to be very difficult, not necessarily impossible, but VERY DIFFICULT. But like with anything else in life, if you want this bad enough, you'll do what you have to do to make it happen. You may want to ask other single mom's on your job how they handle it. It won't be exactly the same, but it'll give you an idea. Hope this helps! Stay blessed,Katie

Katie, I am so sorry for hijacking your thread, but the responses have been wonderfully helpful! Special thanks to Skylark! I did as you said and now have a list of daycares.... For those I confused with my post, apparently Texas DOES help with daycare. I misunderstood when they made a big point of the fact that the stipends for the children could not be used for daycare....I thought that meant no monies for daycare. Again, thanks for all the help - I can see why CPS doesn't volunteer the info, but it almost cost them a potential foster home as I was really worried over how to handle the costs for emergency placement. I have budgeted everything out, recognizing that foster kids cost a lot more than the stipend covers, but daycare for more than one child would have broken the bank! :thanks:

I'm glad I could help, sdiere. Keep us updated when you get your first placement!!!!! Becca

Sdiedre, You don't owe me any appologies. Glad you were able to find the help you needed! I look forward to hearing about your first placement! Stay blessed,Katie

Well Guys, I guess I am crazy :hypno:. I wanted to update everyone and let you know that about a month ago, I took in two more children, a 2.5 year old boy and his 4.5 year old brother. I still have my fd, she just turned 2 the first week of July. So now I've got 3 under 5 and I'm still very very single. The adjustment was initially pretty challenging on both the boys (lots and lots of :hissy:)and me but things have since calmed down quite a bit. We're beginning to attach to one another. I've developed a working routine that keeps us on track and our days running fairly smoothly. Without it, life would be chaos! But I know that I am officially crazy :hypno: because I can't stand knowing that I've got one more empty bed at my house. I want it filled. I know my licensing worker wouldn't go for it though. She was very concerned about giving me 3 at the same time and it took some convincing on my part for her to go along with it. But since things have gone so smoothly for this first month, I think she's finally convinced that I can handle it. A foster parent friend of mine mentioned something yesterday about asking her worker about children who were legally free for adoption and it struck a chord with me that I haven't been able to shake. I've wanted to adopt since I started the process to become licensed and none of my kids are eligible for adoption. As a matter of fact, all of mine are expected to return to family in the next few months. I plan to ask my worker about legally free children for my next placement. I would really love to have some that I won't have to see leave. Anyway, thanks for all your help and advice! Stay blessed :loveyou: !

You sound so much like me....they called me last week for a sibling group of 2..I wanted to say yes, but I knew that I was moving this week and need at least 2-3 weeks to get resettled. Yeah everyone thought I wouldn't be able to handle it, but they see I am doing just fine..although I probably would agree tht I am also a little crazy as well :arrow: Congratulations and you be Blessed

I've had as many as 7 with the oldest being 4 1/2 and 2 infants, 2 2yo's, & 2 3 yo's. The 3 yo's were twins and the rest were single placements. I loved it. I have been on "vacation" now since May and really, really miss my "babies". Of course, I've been visiting my grandbabies (9) so I'm not missing out on being with babies either. The whole key is structure and keeping things simple. New placements always took a week or so to get the "idea" but no one was ever lonely - there was always someone up to play with - that took a lot of pressure off of me. I don't know that I would take a single placement - it's too wearing. LOL Lots of luck and God will lead your heart in the way He intends. Bless you for opening your heart and home for one of our nations unfortunates.

How are things going now? Are you still crazy :arrow: and have you filled that empty bed yet? I'm single and I've had up to 5 at a time. Right now I have 4....2 of them are my first 2 foster placements (placed 4-1/2 yrs ago at ages 2-1/2yrs and 12 mo) who I adopted in May of '05. The other 2 are a sister and brother--ages 6 and 4 yrs old. I enjoy what I do and if your heart is in it then just go for it. Have you read the book "Another Place at the Table" by Kathy Harrison? Her 2nd book is good too--"One Small Boat". Both are excellent books.

you guys inspire me!!!! I am taking my classes in January... I have dreamed of doing foster care ever since I was a teenager, my husband and I had planned to foster/ adopt, but he got sick with cancer and passed away this past spring. I have prayed long and hard and have decided that I can do this on my own... I love kids... I have been invloved in childcare (nanny etc.) for over 8 years, I realize what a challenge it can be to raise someone elses kids... I also live in a very conservative commmunity, single parent are not very popular! I unfortuantely do not have a lot of family support either, my family is all 6 hrs away and altho I have wonderful inlaws,(we live in the same driveway) they don't get why I would want to do something like this!!I have 2 friends that are foster parents so I would have some support. I think my biggest concern is my job.... I have a very flexible job, but not sure what is available as far as daycare close to my house. I already struggle to keep up with my yard work, my house and my job, so I want to figure out how to balance all of this plus a child or 3 before I go to much farther!!! I am working with a youth center thru my curch and have a teenager that lives with friends of mine that is coming to stay with me over the weekend,(they needed a break) with the possiblilty that this could become long term! Ok so I just rambled here..... I am still trying to sort things out..... writing helps!!! Once again your stories really encouraged me!!!!!!!

meshsgrl - You are inspiring me! It sounds like you have been through a lot in the last few years. Planning is fabulous but don't worry too much about every little step. You have done the research, you will take the classes and get to talk to the sw and other new foster parents, and you already have friends that are fostering. My advice to you right now is to enjoy the ride and get ready for some adventures, lots of surprises, some crying, and a lot of love!

I agree with Amahmama - ONE is much more draining than two. I currently have three under three, and will probably hold off on more when my 2 1/2yo is ru'd since the other two need a lot of attention and loving right now. That said, I don't know that I would want to go back to just one anytime soon!

I take my first class on Tuesday!! I am soooo excited, yet kinda scared!! I have been dreaming about doing this forever... I tend to be a rather impulsive person, who dreams big, but have been taking lots of time to pray and work thru the details of becoming a single foster parent. I had a long talk with my sister in law about the problems of single parenting, she wasnt very encouraging, I live in a community where single parenting is very unusual, so I have to have good answers for the many questions that I am asked! I feel like I am prepared for huge challenges, yet am very aware that if I mess this up there are alot of people that are going to say "I told you so". I still want to do some painting in my house (I have a bedroom ready) and I need to do all the child proofing, plus I am trying to decided whether I want to take some classes for a at home job. I work 6 days a week right now, plus work with a youth center 1-2 nights a week.... so I dont have a lot of extra time for these things!! Is it really true that its easier with 2 kids then 1? How does it work with kids switching schools? I know from working with the school in a previous situation that they are pretty flexible and willing to work with me. Do I contact them or does the agency I work with? My mind is spinning with all the possiblities... my life has changed dramatically in the last year and I am looking forward to some good things this year!