Childcare/Daycare Centers

Since there were no responses I am gonna to take it that Childcare/Daycare centers are not an option. Any other suggestions?

Tiffine,
Which island are you on?!
If on STX I can give you the "low down" :0)
Lindsay

We are not there yet. We are looking at moving to STT in the near future. Wish you could be of some help. Doesn't seem to be anyone else out with any information.

Where on what island? A lot depends on where you'll be working, where you live, how much you can afford. There are day care facilities.

Ok - Honestly - I don't have a job, don't have a place to live, going on a wing and prayer!!!
My situation - I currently work for Alvin ISD as a PEIMS/ADA Clerk and my husband owns his own swimming pool service and repair company. My son is currently 10 so I have a situation with school and/or some type of after school care. Unfortunately we are not independently wealthy and will be scraping to make ends meet. Public school sounds out of the question and Private school sounds very expensive! I have an Associates in Early Childhood Education and have worked for the school district for 6 years and in Childcare centers for over 10 with 5 years as a Childcare Director. Ideally the perfect scenario would be to get a job at Antilles or Montessori where my child can go to school where I work. But we all know that life isn't perfect. So I am trying to see what other options are out there.

You'll need to look into that when you get here. Without knowing where you'll be living or working it would be hard to know where to suggest. Also what ages of the child, etc. There are several here. Do you want just Day Care or Pre-School?

My son is 10 now probably 11 before we get there. I have seen where they offer after school programs at places like Antilles.Seems like a very costly school. I guess the whole wait and see when you get there really gets to me. I/we want to move to STT so very badly and have for several years. Saving the money, working out all the details, reading this board, it just seems so hard! Not like moving here in the States.
In the States a my Associates allows me to work in/or direct a childcare facility and/or work in the school district as a paraprofessional.

Tiff: The fact that you thought you should have a response to your question overnight and that you said,"I guess the whole wait and see when you get there really gets to me" sends several red flags up. Things do not happen quickly here. Heck, even this board is on island time unless the topic is iguanas on Viagra. Moving here, and living here are very much different from moving among the states. Have you and your family visited St Thomas with an eye toward living here? I don't mean on vacation, but a trip to see the lay of the land.

There are other schools here for 10-11 year olds besides Antilles and Montessori- All Saints, St Peter and Paul for two. You really will need to come down and look at the child care options for work.

We kept cross-posting. Send your resume to the schools. I have to agree with East Ender that you really should do a pre-move visit since you have to have a child to consider. Good luck!

OK Call me ANTSY!!!
We have been on vacation several times to STT, STJ and Tortola. Tortola by far is where we would really love to live, but we know that we could never get a job there and we are wealthy enough to just quit working and retire there. Absolutely loved the fact of no commercialism, enjoy scavenging the grocery stores, hung out and talked many hours with the locals. While on vacation we do many of the none touristy things, grocery stores, local dives, less crowded beaches, serenity, etc.... I realize that things move way slower over there and although I am a AA personality I/we are more than ready to slow down. If it were just my husband and I we would already be living in a tent until we worked everything out. BUT as a mother I feel the need to take of work, house, school, transportation and food before I take my child over there. After reading this board I am realizing most people don't have those things before they move to the VI.
You are right I sort of expected an answer overnight and you are right I should have known way better. Saw the posting slipping down to the bottom of the page and I guess I started to panic. Well not panic, but get antsy. I know that upon moving there I am sure that I will run into some aggrevation due to the slow down, BUT will get over it and move on to enjoy life in the slower left hand lane!!

Yes, but a vacation no matter how non-touristy it is, is not the same as a pre-move visit. You need to check into the day care, visit the schools, knock on some doors about employment & try to nail down a place to live.

I would not think that the "wait till we get there" approach would be at all suitable for a family with a young child. In fact I think it would almost be irresponsible. What if it didn't fly...back to the States we go, Sonny!
"Scraping to make ends meet"...does not bode well for a smooth move. There are many unseen costs in moving to the Islands. A piggy bank of about 10 grand would be the accepted amount that most of us agree would be needed to move.
What about health insurance, what about flying back home - illness, family reasons.
This sounds too negative, you should strive to move where your heart tells you, but if you can't afford to dedicate a block of time for a pre move business visit, then perhaps it is too much to move here at this time in your life.

I agree with Jane. YOU MUST DO A PREMOVE VISIT AND CHECK EVERYTHING OUT! life is not easy with kids on the island because there are so many "unknown" variables. It is very costly for just about anything, but booze so be prepared to have some savings to go through. If you want to have "great" care for your child while you work, you will pay some money. Once you are on the island you may meet someone to "trade" childcare with....
Good luck! Forget what you know about the island when you are on vacation...HUGE DIFFERENCE!
The best of luck to what you decide to do....:)

Tiffine,

I never did a pre-move visit and had never been to STT before in my life but I did have a job lined up before I moved here with my husband and 2 daughters. Many of the public elementary schools are fine (Sibilly and Bowsky School--formerly Peace Corps- come to mind) and most offer an after school program. My daughter was in Sibilly's after school program but they only run M-Thurs. til 5:30 PM and didn't start until late Sept. so you may have to make other arrangements for the start of the year and for Fridays. I've found that Fridays are almost like an unofficial half day of work for most people, especially gvt. employees (yes, myself included!) I would go online and check out the VI phonebook for daycare positions, http://www.viphonebook.com/ I always see openings advertised in the Daily News. I say, "Just Do It"

-Suzanne

Tiffine, you might also try Antilles, Montessori and All Saints, which all have pre-school programs. I'm not sure about Sts. Peter and Paul. You'd get a tuition break for your son if you worked at any of these schools (50%, I think).

There are lots of after-school programs, some of which are more expensive and offer a lot of activities and some of which are cheaper and are basically just babysitting. I agree with Suzanne that they sometimes start a little later than the actual school year. You see a lot of kids hanging out with parents at work in the VI, probably for exactly this reason.

Your son is entering those delicate pre-teen years. Is he the type to make friends quickly? Is he doing okay in school? The VI tends to offer less in the way of special help for those who need it, so the burden might fall on you if he does. On the other hand, is he likely to have an interest in diving, windsurfing, sailing, etc.? These are activities which offer youth a chance to meet the like-minded, burn off stress, develop self-confidence, and be a reason to want to call the island home.

A PMV is a good way to educate yourself about the expense and other challenges of island life. On vacation, you tend to only see the beauty, and you have so much more time to enjoy it. You are already relaxed and better able to deal with the stresses than when you are working. Of course, if you read up on the negatives and know that you are a flexible person who pretty much handles what comes your way, and you are prepared for a bit of a material lifestyle downgrade in return for life in paradise, then you have accomplished much of what a PMV will do for you.

Thanks for the positive emails. I was beginning to wonder if maybe we should wait till he is out of school. My son is very intelligent, in the Gifted and Talented Program, perfect scores on Standardized Test, participates in many after-school activities that cater to gifted children so I wouldn't be worried about getting the "special help" for him. My main concern would to challenging him. Thought about home-school or virtual school, but that brings me back to "what do I do with him while I am work?" Antilles looks like it offers the type of program that he would adjust well to - it seems to cost alot. I saw that financial aid is available. Anyone know how this is handled or what percentage of their students get scholarships or financial aid? Good to know that they do offer a tuition reduction for employees.
As for friends he adjusts quickly and is more than ready to move. Where we are from in Texas there are not many opportunities for windsurfing, surfing, snorkeling, etc... Our closest beach is 45 minutes away - although we do spend alot of time there we have no waves and our sand and water is BROWN!! YUCK!!!!!!!!!! Not anything like the beaches over there!
Anyone know approximately what teacher's aides, educational paraprofessionals, childcare workers or hotel kid's program workers make?
As for material lifestyle downgrade. We don't live in an expensive house now and it is only 800 sq feet. We do have nice trucks/suv, but are more than willing to give them up for a jeep. Majority of our shopping is done at WalMart including our clothes - name brand is just not that important. Not into keeping up with the "Jones's"
Realize that a PMV is a must. Going back to STT end of June first of July for 10 days. This board has definitely given me some different things to look into while on vacation. Probably another year and a half to two years before we actually get to move so between now and then I will keep reading this board, the Island Trader and the news papers to see what additional information I can get maybe a job will post and I will get lucky enough to move with a job already taken care of.
Thanks again for all the helpful information

Most of your questions might be answered about Antilles at their site, including financial aid.

http://www.antilles.k12.vi.us/