Steve Drew

We ended up choosing My Small Wonders due to the location and the simple fact that they do not have a waiting list (at this time). The upside is that the place is sparkling new and they spared no expense in the building and the playground. All of the teachers either have college degrees, are on their way to getting a degree and/or or they are teaching certified. The major downsides are that this is the most expensive daycare in Edmond and the place is so new that there really are not many classmates for my 4yr old daughter. The main reason for so few pre-K aged kids is that most parents like to keep their kids in the same school from infant through K - meaning that the kids in My Small Wonders are mostly from families new to Edmond.

* The Goddard School was our 2nd choice, but they had a moderately long waiting list and it was not convenient for families living on the east side of Edmond. Nice people there and a fun atmosphere.

* Kids Ink looked great, but the waiting list for our 12mo old son was 8 months to a year.

* The FCCC church also had a well rated daycare in the area...with a 1.5 year waiting list. Another non starter for a family new to the area. Nice people, though.

* New Horizons seemed pretty nice, but did not fit with where we bought our house and it came in a little behind The Goddard School and My Small Wonders on our list. I was impressed with the Manager at the Western / The Deopt location and liked how well she ran the place.

* Child Time was a real stinker. They are corporate owned, which I learned means the manager on site did not have as much of an interest in maintaining the place. I visited several daycares at the same early morning time and Child Time was a zoo compared to the rest - messy with kids wandering without purpose. They gave me some lovely glossy brochures and detailed corporate contracts to sign, though.

* Outside of Edmond, I visited the downtown Greater Oklahoma City YMCA daycare and was very impressed. Clean, creatively / professionally designed facility with a well-managed feel to the place. It definitely would have been a top choice if we chose to go with a downtown daycare option. - Sat May 3 2008, 07:35

Hi Tracy. I've been doing some homework on the Oklahoma City market - focused mainly on Edmond; so my response will have that bias. It looks like Oklahoma City's Real Estate market has held up well compared to the rest of the nation. Part of the reason is that new home construction has slowed down tremendously, meaning that the supply of houses has not outpaced demand. From a home buyer perspective, it looks like there will be bargains - just not the steep bargains that can be found in some of the hardest hit cities.

IMO, you should get yourself pre-qualified to buy a home and then begin looking for housing in your price range. After several weeks, you will know a lot about which homes are real bargains and which might be overpriced. By the time your lease is up, you will have a better hands-on feel as to whether you should buy or not. Also remember that you will be in the driver's seat for negotiating since you will be able to make an offer straight-up versus other people whose offers will be contingent on the sale of their house. - Thu Jan 3 2008, 11:05