How early do I need to look into daycare?!

I am a newly expecting mama (6w4d!) and due in August. Imagine my surprise when my girlfriend told me I need to get on waitlists for daycares starting now?! Is this true? Also, what are some good resources for evaluating daycares? Because I am so newly pregnant we are keeping the news close to our chest, so it’s hard to ask other mamas just yet. Any advice welcome, thank you so much!

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I’m 13 weeks and we’re looking. Most places still have availability but I had a friend wait until 20 weeks and she was out on a waitlist

This really depends on your neighborhood. I’m in the South Loop and 29 weeks, and I’ve been told by a few daycares that we’ve toured that I don’t need to secure my spot until May if I want her to start next August. However, my coworker in Old Town had a 10 month waitlist. Wouldn’t hurt to look at a few places and give them a call to see what their waitlist is!

Got it! Where is the best place to find reviews of local daycares? I am in Wicker Park and I know there are a ton by me! :) thank you so much for the quick reply

I started looking in February 2024 for January 2025 start and we were 3rd on wait list but we did get in. It’s a jungle out there

Previous Daycare owner and my advice to parents is to start looking right away. List out what you're searching for in a care provider then base your search on that list. I used to have a printout I gave to parents with provider questions. This makes me want to go find it. 🤭

@Mollie it really is. With all the competitive rates and with the shortage of worker who take the child care provider role seriously it really is like going into the wild 😳

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