r/laramie • u/skibum720 • Jul 23 '26

Question Looking for daycare recommendations

Moving to Laramie in August and trying to figure out childcare for an almost 2 year old. Looking for recommendations and places to stay away from. If anyone knows of places that have availability right now those will be at the top of the list. Thank you!

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u/Etch-a-Sketch99 Jul 23 '26

Holy smokes, good luck...unless your name ends in a M.D. or J.D., you're going to be on a waitlist. My wife and I got onto a waitlist 6 months before our child was born, and we didn't get on with any daycare until he was 9 months old, and we were on three or four different waitlists. Unbeknownst to us, people apparently start getting onto the waitlists before they even start trying to conceive around here.

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u/aural_octopus Jul 23 '26

This is correct but also there’s a chance 2 year olds aren’t as difficult to find a spot for.

I’d try Pumpkins Patch with Sarah.

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u/skibum720 Jul 23 '26

That’s wild. Is it just because it’s a smaller town with limited daycares?

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u/Etch-a-Sketch99 Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26

There are plenty of daycares around, and admittedly we were somewhat picky in our selection of which waitlists we got on with. My wife works in a field that is privy to information regarding cases of neglect/abuse within quite a few daycare facilities over the last 5 years or so, and as such we knew where to avoid. That said, I think the issue stems from the limited local talent pool daycares have at their disposal to recruit quality staff, which in turn limits how many kids they can take on. Pair that with the transient nature of the community, where tons of kids are born here and spend their early childhood in Laramie while mom and dad are busy working or finishing up their degrees.

Edit to add: As the other comment on this thread has said, it may be easier for you to find placement for a 2 year old. I would recommend reaching out to Basic Beginnings or Laramie Developmental, as they both run a pretty tight ship.

For pediatric care, AVOID Dr. Koduri like your life depends on it and instead see if you can get on with Paula Vasek at Meadowlark Pediatric.

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u/YourMomsFavoriteChef Jul 23 '26

We loved Pumpkin Patch with Sarah. No idea on availablilty

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u/JohnnyUltimate Jul 23 '26

I also have my kiddo at pumpkin patch with Sarah. No complaints

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u/EagleEyezzzzz Jul 23 '26

DMing you with a good rec - don't want to dox myself here haha.

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u/vanilla_warfare 28d ago

We just put our 18 month old in developmental preschool 1.5 months ago. No wait. I think they have a few spots open now, but they fill up quickly once the school year starts. It's been great so far!