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Sales of note for 9.10.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 30% off your purchase
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything + extra 20% off
- Boden – 15% off new styles
- Eloquii – $29 and up select styles; up to 50% off everything else
- J.Crew – Up to 50% off wear-to-work styles; extra 30% off sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – 40-60% off everything; extra 60% off clearance
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
- Loft – Extra 40% off sale styles
- Talbots – BOGO 50% everything, includes markdowns
- Zappos – 26,000+ women’s sale items! (check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kids’ shoe brands on sale)
Kid/Family Sales
- Carter’s – Birthday sale, 40-50% off & extra 20% off select styles
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off all baby; up to 40% off all Halloween
- J.Crew Crewcuts – Extra 30% off sale styles
- Old Navy – 40% off everything
- Target – BOGO 25% off select haircare, up to 25% off floor care items; up to 30% off indoor furniture up to 20% off TVs
New daycare says
My child recently switched daycares due to a move and we’re not loving the new place. We’ve already decided to move our kid to another center, which will happen in 3 weeks. However I’ve noticed twice in the past 2 days on the livestream (so dumb that they even have this) that the room has appeared to not meet what I thought were the state required ratios. On multiple other instances the teachers and admins have referenced needing to stay in ratio to us, as teachers or kids get shuffled between rooms to do so. Would you ask about what I’d seen recently? Assume there was a nuance you didn’t understand either in the required ratios or maybe a teacher watching outside a window or something, and leave it be knowing you were leaving soon? Pull your kid out immediately? We could piece together care for the three weeks but it would be messy.
Anonymous says
I would not say anything- teachers need to run to the bathroom, kids move in and out. You’re leaving in three weeks anyway.
anon says
There are supposed to be floaters and/or management should step into the room if teachers need breaks. Rooms should always be in ratio. I probably wouldn’t worry about <5 minutes, but chronic ratio issues are a sign of understaffing.
Anon says
How old is your kid? What kind of ratio changes are we talking about? And how long does it last? Is it possible one teacher is in the bathroom with a kid and not in view of the livestream but technically still in the room?
I guess my instinct would be to stick it out for a few weeks, especially if your kid is not an infant. Our daycare didn’t have a webcam but I sort of assumed there were moments in time when ratios weren’t meant if someone had to briefly step out of the room.
anon says
Yeah, these would be my questions. Is it that one teacher looks to be in charge of 5 infants while the other teacher changes a diaper off camera but still in the room? Or is it during naptime, when I think the ratio is different in some states?
Anon says
Thanks for the thoughts! It’s a toddler room which is supposed to be no more than 1:4, and I’ve seen it be 1:7 for periods longer than 5 minutes, not during naptime. In one case I was also physically present and I definitely wasn’t missing someone nearby – that one gave me particular pause because the teacher started talking to me and the remaining kids felt remarkably unattended too for the few minutes I was in the room.
Anon says
Yeah that sounds worse than what I was originally envisioning. I’m sorry you’re in this tough spot. I think either decision would be reasonable.
anonn says
I’d mention it to the director. our prior daycare had a livestream too,so if you don’t report them to the state someone else might anyway. That’s how I phrased it last time I called to ask about a worker who was clearly asleep on camera “hey I’m guessing a worker has to be awake to count toward ratio, so I wanted to let you know before another parent reports to the state” They were very appreciative, and fixed it quickly. 1:7 is a safety issue with Toddlers, its very likely that one will tie up the teacher with a diaper change and then what happens when one starts hitting/kicking biting another kid while she’s got her back turned on the diaper change?
anon says
I mentioned serious ratio issues (e.g., 13 infants to 1 worker, with several examples of my baby not being fed or changed) to our daycare management several times and they blew me off. So I reported to county inspectors and they came out within the week and cited the daycare for every single room being out of ratio. Daycare management ended up retaliating against parents, increasing costs (which were already outrageous and above market), restricting hours, and making us fill out forms with the exact hours we were planning to use and fines if our kids weren’t there for the exact hours on our form. We ended up leaving the daycare.
I don’t regret calling the county because it was an unsafe situation for kids, but daycare management was not competent and that didn’t change with an inspection and citation. I heard from friends that daycare management turned over after we left and I understand that things got better, but that was from parents who weren’t complaining when things were bad before. I think there’s a huge impetus to play ostrich with daycare issues because changing is a huge disruption and the grass isn’t always greener.
Anon says
How old is your child? If it was an older child 3-5, I’d just let them stay unless you were observing worrisome behaviors on the livestream from the kids. If it was a younger child, I’d pull them now. My daughter is in her last two months of daycare between preK and kindergarten, and they have had to adjust classrooms on a daily basis because the kids’/parents’ schedules are fluctuating. A lot of people are out on vacation, and there’s a nasty summer cold going around. So, the classroom sizes are fluctuating day to day resulting in the need to move kids and teachers around. There was also a lot of staff changeover when the preK year ended last month.
Anon says
There’s an infant daycare near me that has a record of at least 3-4 significant ratio violations (recorded as incidents observed by the state). We’re talking one teacher to 9 infants on a regular basis. THAT would concern me more, but at the same time, follow your gut and don’t hesitate to be the squeaky wheel.
Anon says
Parenting wins/cute kid stories for Friday? This summer I did something I’ve wanted to do since my job went fully remote in 2020, and I’m spending a whole month in Maine and sending my kiddo to camp here while I work. I wasn’t sure how it would go (would she be resistant to going to camp while traveling? would she hate the nature camp I signed her up for?) but she’s wrapping up her first week of camp and it’s been so great. She loves the camp more than any of the camps she did at home and complains if I arrive 5 minutes early to pick-up. And I’m so proud of my Midwest kid for keeping up with the Mainers and swimming in the ~60 degree ocean here. This is a kid who often complains that the our heated fitness center pool is too cold, so it feels like a big win! Yay for positive peer pressure.
Anonymous says
Cute although not exactly a “win”- we recently got a basketball hoop and my kids (1st and 4th grade) insist on changing into matching shirts every time they play because they “have to wear their team jerseys.” Since the older one is 9, I’m not sure there is that much time left that they’ll want to match, and it’s adorable.
Anon says
Aww that’s so cute!
anon says
I love this idea of working somewhere else in the summer and using a camp there. Maine sounds heavenly.
Anon says
We work with a consultant who took his grandkids to France, put them in day camp for 2 weeks of their total of 4, and then toured the countryside with his wife. Sounded amazing!
Anon says
It’s pretty much my favorite place on earth! If you’re interested in coming to Maine I highly recommend the College of the Atlantic day camps for kids entering 1st through 6th grades. That’s what my daughter is doing and it’s been a great experience even for a kid who isn’t naturally outdoorsy. They also have overnight programs for teens.
Europe is very tempting to me too, but the logistics within the US seem a lot easier. I did look into English language camps in Italy but had a hard time finding ones that seemed suitable (a lot of them were for native Italian speakers to improve their English, and included instruction in English, not Italian or any other foreign language, so that seems silly). And renting a flat within reasonable commuting distance of the camps also seemed complicated.
Anonymous says
I would be skeptical that most employers would allow you to work remotely from outside the US.
Anon says
It’s permitted for me as long as you don’t exceed a certain period of time (~one month). I work for a university and many faculty and staff are from abroad and go home in the summer to see family so I think there would be a big revolt if they said no remote work from outside the US. TBH, I know plenty of people who ignore the time limit and go for the whole summer and nothing happens to them, although I wouldn’t do that personally. I think people are much more likely to excuse it if they know you’re returning home to see family vs. an American who just wants to hang out in Europe.
Anonymous says
Ah. Maybe the tax implications are different in academia? I know that many employers claim you can’t work from abroad, or even from a state they aren’t set up for, for tax reasons.
SC says
My son goes to sleepaway camp in Asheville. Last year was his first year, and he did a 1-week “starter camp” from Sunday to Friday. Asheville is about a 12-hr drive from where we live, so DH and I rented an AirBNB for the week instead of driving or flying back and forth. It was so lovely! I had coffee and read on the porch in the mornings, worked 10-6 (my job is on Central Time), and then DH and I went out to dinner in the evenings.
This year, our son is in camp for 2 weeks, and my parents are driving him up. We don’t have to, but we’re driving up a week early and repeating last year’s trip. It may be our new tradition!
Anon says
That sounds lovely!
anon says
You are inspiring me!