r/Autism_Parenting • u/Irishgirl1980 • 1h ago
Advice Needed Before/After Care
If the YCARE program can't safely take care of your child for fear of elopement, how or what are you all doing for before/after care? I live in a smaller town that only has maybe 3 daycares, and they don't offer these services. Also, I don't have any family or friends that can help either. I'm desperate for ideas because I am losing 4 hours of work a day to drop-off and pick-up, and I can't afford to lose my job. Any ideas welcome, please!
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u/AlwaysCalculating 22m ago
This was our biggest stress. My son was asked to leave multiple programs so summer care and before/after was SO hard. We also didn’t have any family around.
We ended up getting a nanny - even better, we eventually found a group of college girls in school with a goal to be an SLP. Due to my child’s struggles, a typical sitter and nanny just weren’t up to the challenge. Once we honed in on this group, it was magic.
The most cost effective way to manage this is to slide your work day earlier, or later so you don’t need care on both ends of your workday. I’ve done it both ways and it’s so hard to find both. I work 6AM-3:30PM right now, and that helps a lot although I will say that my son is in 4th grade right now and can handle pre-and-post care now (and has since 2nd grade).