The Creche (Day Care)

Mathieu was finally accepted into a Creche (day care center) here in Lyon. What an ordeal!!! Sometimes I feel like we are in the baby capital of the world. Everywhere you look there are babies. Well, it definitely becomes more apparent when you are trying to secure a spot in a day care center.

After 6 months and several letters they have finally placed Mathieu. There are 2 day care centers in our area and of course we didn’t get into the one that is right around the corner. Instead, my new morning commute involves a 15 minute walk down to the day care with Mathieu which is conveniently located next to a Vélo station (Lyon’s semi-free biking system – greatest invention in the world by the way) where I take a bike and then bike 20 minutes to work. At least I am getting my exercise but I am not looking forward to this routine in the middle of winter.

Anyway, as always there are a few wrinkles to iron out. Basically once you are approved you have a meeting with the Director of the day care and at that point they tell you about their center and they give you the rate you will pay which is an hourly rate. Well, this rate is based on your combined revenue and cannot exceed a specified level which is defined by the city each year. Well, lucky us, we have to pay the highest amount and even more interesting is that it is higher than actual established rate by the city. Hmmm, seems a bit bizarre. Makes me think we are paying for all electricity bills.

So, Valerie called the city hall and they said that the director is not allowed to charge more than the set rate which will not rise this year. Well, after confronting the Director, she said that she never received information stating that there would be no raise in rates from the city hall. Ok, she works for the city but she never heard this information and she has conveniently created a rate just for us. Once again seems bizarre. So, now we are playing the waiting game to see what we are actually billed at the end of the month. Should be interesting.

On another note, Mathieu seems to be doing fine at the day care. Unfortunately, I have the crappy shift (the drop off) in which the second I put him down or hand him over he starts crying and reaches out for me, but apparently after I leave he quits crying. Val has the good shift since he is really happy to see her and go home. C’est la vie.