Genesis is the least expensive option in downtown (~$600/month) but I had concerns that the older children (ages 3 or so) were not segregated from infants when we visited. The staff is very friendly but young and didn't give what I felt were convincing answers to questions about policies, procedures, staffing, etc. I also felt there were some safety issues with the setup. The daycare is held in the church's auditorium and, even though the stairwell to the stage was blocked, there wasn't much to keep a bigger child from crawling up on the stage, etc.

Really liked River School, Growing Tree on 5th and Smile on Jersey Ave.

have heard a great things about http://www.viaquenti.com/

I can't believe of so many people talked about Baby Galileo and other places, no one talked about St. Elizabeth much. I've visited many day care places. St. Elizabeth is by far the best overall, both quality and price wise. Just look at some online school listing reviews by parents over the x numbers of years (by the way, they've been providing education for 50 years). They cover from 6 weeks to 6 years old, dividing them into many different age groups and classrooms. The school is a more formal school environment compared to a typical day care, which is excellent to prepare your kids to the next level. The school is so clean and so organized. They even provide meals and milk and snacks. And you'll be thrilled by the price they ask for. It's nothing compared to River School and many others. I forgot to mention it's a Catholic non-profit school that's run by some nuns. I'm not religious. But I thank god for giving us this school.
The only thing I wish it'd better at is, I wish there's more window in their classrooms and more outside play space. But it's a common problem for many day care places, even the ones cost twice as much.
I hope this helps. We looked at many day care places and finally put our daughter there. I have been a happy mom.

I would recommend Baby Einstein for sure. My son has been there off and on for over a year and he loves it. The best thing is that they are very flexible with your schedule. Also, they are fixing up the space next door and are planning on having their own playground. All of the women who work there are friendly and kind and will talk to you if are having any issues.

The cons are the same I think at any daycare...sometimes I wonder if he is getting enough individual attention. He always gets a cold or whatever is going around. He picks up the less than desirable habits of the other kids, etc.

But, as far as part time care for a toddler goes... I say go check them out... you will probably like it.

I have not heard anything about the other centers but I have heard that Baby Einstein on Webster is good. I took my son there a while back(around 9 mos. old) for a couple of days of back-up care when my nanny was unexpectedly away, on the recommendation of a neighbor whose friend's child attended there full time. It was fine, the caregivers seemed very attentive and my son happy.

I see the kids from Happy Face at Fiske Park quite often, I think they go there most days. These are slightly kids though (maybe from the Abbott 3 year old program) but the teachers seem responsible, although the ratio of kids to teachers seems a little high to me.

Park Prep Academy is a preschool on Central Ave and they take children at 21/2 years of age (you can arrange to have half-day or full-day care and differing numbers of days per week). So that would be a good option in a year if you are still less than thrilled with your day care.

Hi, I'm a graduate student. I live in downtown Jersey City at Dixon Mills. I am interested in working as a nanny/day care in the downtown Jersey City area. If you are in need of someone to help with your children whether bringing them to the park, helping with homework or tutoring them please let me know. My schedule is flexible and can work day/night and weekends.

Thank you,

Sheryl

Does anyone have any information about Decare University?They are a home day care located at 90 Terhune Ave. Their website is www.decarekids.com. The pictures on their website look pretty good. But don't know how long they have been in the business or how good they are. any info is greatly appreciated.

There's definitely a shortage of higher end daycare in downtown. We've been on the waiting list at River School for over a year with no end in sight - not even sure we'll go that route when the number is called. Our 16 month old baby is at Smile and we've generally been happy with the care. She's been there about 6 months and the caregivers have been very nice and we've not seen any turnover. I wish they could figure a way for the kids to get outdoor time when the weather is decent, but aside from that I think it's a nice play area for the infants/toddlers....

The dearth of satisfactory daycare centers in downtown JC is astounding. If River School is the best that JC has to offer that's really sad. It's an overpriced, institutionalized nightmare. We took a tour and it smelled and seemed a bit off in general. The staff seemed friendly enough, but after seeing their infant area I knew I wouldn't leave my child there. For the price they charge you'd think they'd be offering a premium service, but it's nothing more than a kiddie mill.

Is there no place in JC that is worthwhile that won't charge more than 1K (for 3 days/week) to take care of an infant?

We have had our daughter at Baby Einstein for about 5 months now, she was 4 1/2 months when she went for the first time. We have our ups and downs, but I really think you have that with any baby at any daycare, they change so much that everything can't be perfect. Most always I wish that she had slept more for her naps, but that's inevitable when each baby naps at different times. She really does love her caregivers and has fun playing with the other babies there. I will say though that communication can sometimes be lacking. Sometimes we feel like we ask or say something and no one hears or pays attention. However, all of the caregivers there are very nice. We chose Baby Einstein b/c the price was better then the Growing Tree, which we also considered and it is far and away much cleaner then any of the other comparably priced places. I do have to say that sometimes the drive up to the heights in the am/pm can be annoying and traffic filled. Hope this helps.

Hi - I've recenly enrolled my daughter in Day care at Baby Einstien. She starts in feb. when she will be 3 months old. I hate hate hate to leave her but unfortunately can not afford otherwise. When we were looking for a daycare we loved Baby einstien once we visited. They seemed very clean, Michelle - the owner was extremely nice, the babies all looked happy and content in the infant room (we visited around 12pm) and we loved that she will be on a schedule all day - they even have baby yoga and classes for the infants.

I've been following this post for awhile and I see lots of reviews on the other daycares in the area but does anyone have any reviews or notes on Baby Einstien? I'd love to hear some feedback from other parents who have actually used them.



Thanks in advance!!

I'd be interested in day care recommendations for infants in Jersey City or Hoboken. We are on the waiting list at the River School in Exchange Place but are looking at other possibilities in the meantime. We are considering Growing Tree Learning Center and would appreciate any thoughts from parents who have used them. Thank you.

Rates - anywhere between 11 and 15 dollars an hour for one child, for a full time nanny (40+). Part-time commands higher rates, generally.

You MAY find someone for 10 bucks, but that is rare and, frankly, not enough. The nanny will take care of your most prized possession and you want some continuity. Hence, you don't want you nanny chatting with other nannies and finding out she's underpaid. Granted, that will still not guarantee that she'll stay with your family until Junior graduates from high school, but underpaying is bad - for her and for you (think about bad karma.)

Rights - 2 weeks paid vacation is the norm. If you cancel on the nanny, you pay (say, you decide to take a Friday off from work and you tell the nanny to go home - you pay her day, because her bills are not going to go away because you took time off from work).

Now, if she cancels on you... Opinions vary. I gave paid sick days to my former nanny who I felt abused the "policy" a little bit. With the next one, I told I was giving three paid sick days. It doesn't mean if she gets sick a fourth time I'll not pay her, but I just felt it would be a way to stave off any "abuse." I also told her if she needed time to go to the doctor or something like that she'd just have to tell me with advance so I could make other arrangements; I'd pay her the full day.

You cannot cut her days, etc, unless you find her a family to share (again, so her salary doesn't decrease; think about the obligations she has to meet regardless of your convenience/situation.)

I just feel you cannot penny-pinch a person you'll greet every morning... A nanny is somewhat of a luxury (I know we made sacrifices to have one because I didn't like the daycare options in the area) so be prepared to be generous, flexible, and still have your heart broken when the nanny leaves for whatever reason because (hopefully) you will become good friends with the person.

Hope this helps. I'm sure others will chime in on finer points I've forgotten.

You can go to www.sittercity.com or www.care.com

you can check out different nannies nationwide and locally and get some general ideas on their rates...Good Luck!

Hi i needed some advice how much you pay a full time nanny hourly or weekly?Also benefits & compensation.Advice from Moms and Nannies are welcome.I would gretly appreciate your advice so out of loop.Also night and weekend how much for a hour you pay.And the rates for downtown area.Thank you.

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I'm not sure about Daycare centers but you can check www.care.com as an alternative. You have the ability to pick and choose nannies as well as do background checks. Good Luck!

I've browsed through (briefly) the threads on this topic and I'm wondering what opinions people have on daycare (particularly in the Heights) vs a part-time nanny. I've looked at Baby Einstein Learning Center and it looked good, but any other Heights ONLY recommendations? Any nannies willing to work 1-2 days per week in the Heights?
Thanks...

There are more threads here on daycare if you search the archives. I suspect the webmaster will combine this with one of them once he sees it.

River School is very good, but expensive as noted (especially for 3 day -- you're paying for more like 4 days) and the wait list is very long, over a year and a half in my experience. Unless you sign up BEFORE you get pregnant, you have little chance of getting in when your kid is 6 months old.

Another option downtown is Baby Galileo on Grove. I think it's fine for babies, but can't comment on the toddler and preschool programs. The price is very reasonable. I understand they have a wait list these days, but surely nothing like the River School's.

There's a number of childcare providers that frequent the playground on Hamilton Park most afternoons. They seem to be very popular with families in the area. See if you can chat them up and get an idea.

I am still pregnant but have been told that I should be thinking already about registering our baby for childcare. I plan to take 6 months off work after the baby is born, but then will need childcare, probably 3 days per week.
Does anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks

I'm a parent too although my Sons are now young Men. I wish I knew of a reputable place but I don't. You can maybe try your luck at www.sittercity.com or www.care.com. I'm not sure what's available but I do know that you can do background checks. I'm sure you're already looking to take her elsewhere. That is pretty scary...Good Luck!

I had my daughter in Baby Galileo on Grove St. I dropped her off with 3 ounces of breast milk and a full bottle of juice, when I picked her up 7 hours later they gave me back all the liquids...juice and milk. On her daily report card it said she drank 3 ounces of milk, so either they fed her someone else's brest milk or they just make stuff up on the report cards...SCARY.

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I found a wonderful babysitter on SitterCity.com. You have to pay a small fee for this service.

I interviewed many, many great prospects.....I highly recommend it.

Nanny wanted
Very sorry to change the subject from day care, but I am hoping that someone on this blog might know of and recommend a full time, live out nanny to work in Jersey City. We have posted on Craigs list with limited success, we tried one agency but their applicants didn't show up. Any helpful advice on where to look or efficient and reasonably priced agencies would be gratefully received.

Thank you

This is hardly any of my business, so apologies in advance and I don't mean to butt in (well, not entirely) - but I don't understand the need to put 1-yo twins in daycare part-time, unless for financial reasons you need to keep your nanny's hours down. At this age, they are still "parallel playing" and behaving pretty much like "ships in the night" with other kids.

In my humble opinion, they'd benefit from playgroups or classes in town with your nanny, or the Grace Van Vorst drop-off program... Which, BTW, is full and has a waiting list as far as I know, but if a caregiver (either you or the nanny) stays with the children, they can attend beyond the program's capacity (eight kids a day, I believe, but call them for details).

Again sorry if I sound off the mark. But just my two cents as a mother of a toddler and another on the way.

Baby Einstein in the Heights does part time. It would require driving up to the Heights, but it has a nice large space and the people there are very nice.

Hello
Thank you everyone who responded to my question.

I went back to Growing Trees asking to share with another family. They tried to fix me up to share a week with other twins, but the parents had found day care else where so GT won't take me.

Baby Galileo won't do less than 3 days a week and have a 6 month waiting list.

Our Little Rugratz do have places and will take us on day a week. I liked the Director, but there was very little play area for the kids which I was a little disappointed about. Still considering this as an option.

Will post on other sites this weekend to see if I get any other suggestions and changj, thx for the suggestion of sharing. I'm going to continue my search as I want something soon, but I'll post again in the future to let you know how I'm doing see if we can work something out. Best of luck with your pregnancy.

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Hey,

The only thing I can think of that may work would be the drop-off program at Grace Church. It is for a few hours in the morning but may be worth to a.) give your nanny a break and b.) allow your kids to socialize with other children. I've personally never done it myself but I would do it if I needed to.

http://www.gracevanvorst.org/children_youth

Growing Tree told us they'd consider part time if we found someone else to take the other days. I'd think you'd have more luck with this if you were doing a 2/3 day split, not 1/4.

We were previously at Baby Galileo, but left before moving to the toddler area, which we were not so impressed by. I still think it's a fine place for pre-walking babies.

In our experience, River School wait list was 19 months, if I'm recalling correctly. I think they also told us a year initially. Keep in mind that part time is more expensive when you divide it by day. I think this is true anywhere, but it was maybe 5-10% extra at Baby Galileo, but more like 25-30% at River School.

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Hi
I'm looking for part time day care (1 or 2 days a week) for my 1 year old twins and I can't seem to find anywhere to take them. The River School will do 2 days , but as you know has a 1 year wait list. I'm waiting for Baby Galileo to call me back, Growing Trees don't do part time... anyone got any advice, suggestions. fyi I want part time as we are getting a nanny, but want to give her a break for a day or 2 a week, plus the kids love to socialize with other children and enjoy the occassional day that I put them in daycare.

Please help....

Thx v much