My husband and I are having trouble balancing both of us working an having a child. He is currently stationed at Camp Pendleton and his varying hours make it hard for me to be able to have a set schedule at my work. We are having a hard time finding a reliable baby sitter that falls into our price range, and day care is just too expensive and we cannot find one that covers the hours we need. My question is can anyone provide us with any resources that can help our situation.

Hi Samantha -
I have a few thoughts that I hope will help you find the child care that will fit your needs. First of all, regarding the cost of care, do you know about the DoD's military child care assistance program? You may very well be eligible to receive help in paying for care. The way the program works is that you choose from a list of eligible child care providers (they have to meet pretty rigid quality standards, which means they've already done the first level of screening for you!). They have a searchable database online where you can search by zip code. Also, if you find a provider who isn't already in the system but you'd really like to use, they can apply to be an approved provider. Here is the link to the program where you can find out if you are eligible and how it works: http://www.naccrra.org/military-families .

As for finding a provider who can offer the flexibility you need, given you and your husband's schedules, I agree with Christina that a Family Child Care provider is your best bet. Many of them, especially those in a military community, will offer care at non-traditional hours and will work with individual families. The program I mentioned earlier includes family child care providers - you can limit the search to only FCC providers.

Have you talked to the Family Care office at Camp Pendleton? Actually, they are probably the first place to start in your search. Their job is to help families locate care, so they are also a good place to get info about what's available to you as a Camp Pendleton family. They should also be able to give you info on how to find a provider off-base, if you prefer. And they will know about the financial assistance program. Here's the link: http://www.mccscp.com/familycare and the phone number (760) 725-6308 (7 am - 5 pm).

Oh, they should also be able to give you info about the YMCAs in your area. As Samantha mentioned, many do have child care programs. More importantly, many offer respite care (drop off care for a few hours) for eligible military families that is PAID FOR through a joint program with DoD . You can also do a zip code search for participating Ys (you can also get a free family membership!) on their website: http://www.ymca.net/military-outreach/

Finally, as you are looking for a child care provider, although cost and availability are really important to you, I know you also care about quality and safety. It can be hard to know what to look for and what questions to ask if you've never looked for a professional caregiver before. Here is the best guide/checklist I've ever found - it's very thorough and will give you lots of pointers! http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/PM1805.pdf

I know that was a lot....I hope some of it is helpful to you! Most of all, I would encourage you to look for a child care provider who is licensed by the state, who participates in child care training classes on a regular basis, and (if at all possible) who is a member of a professional organization. For the regular care that you are looking for, your child deserves more than a "babysitter." And there are many wonderful, professional child care providers who can meet your needs as a family while also providing warm, responsive care for you child.

I wish you well in your search, Samantha!
Kathy
http://www.facebook.com/childcareandmilitaryfamilies