a daycare myth

I always wondered how come it is easy to integrate in Quebec for people from former Eastern block. Good question, right?
Well, believe it or not, but what I realized a minute stepping in Quebec, it is like stepping back to the 80s, where it was all about connections.
Remember - colour televisions did exist, you could get it, but... you needed to knew someone, who knew someone, who would tell you when to be at the right time in the right place.

This is exactly how it works in here.

• One gets a doctor by knowing someone who has one, and would know 6 months before the spot will be available; 
• One gets a spot at the tennis/gymnastics/swimming lessons by knowing from someone on which site to log on, at which time, at which day, or where to be at a certain day;
• One gets a 7 dollar daycare by ....

Talking about a 7 dollar daycare. For a year I will pay less money then I would pay for a crappy daycare in NYC.
There are certain ways of getting such a daycare.

1. There is a site where one can check on availability http://www.mfa.gouv.qc.ca/_Layouts/mfa/isf/pdf/MONTREAL.PDF
2. Learn French 
3. If you know French - start calling and leaving messages and calling back and talking to personal
4. But the most important! Plan to give birth in September! (I am not joking) September is a switch month, where older kids move to pre-school and spots can become up.
5. And then, one you get one, take it! This is like a lottery, the chance happens only once. 

So I managed to negotiate a spot for Yaakov in a such daycare which is a wonderful relief for my mother-in-law, who takes care of the baby in between our work and numerous amount of flights. This way it will give her an opportunity to have 6 hours free a day.
Then came the paperwork. So if one is not on a certain work permit (you see, Mortens work permit will not cut it, so I had to get mine rolling), you will not be certified by the authorities to get such a place. The number, that is hidden in your work permit is crusial. Thank goodness the lady who were taking our papers knew exactly which numbers to look for and where. And mine was the right one!
Then we wait and in about 2-3 weeks (pretty fast in Quebec standards) one receives the verdict.
And yes, a myth comes true.
The last step is the most interesting. You receive a stuck of papers which you need to sign:

• if the child is allowed to get a sun cream
• in the case of the emergency, who goes with whom to the ER
• in the case of the fever ....
• in the case of the running nose ...
• in the case of a baboon bottom ...

however my favourite were:

• in the case of a fall, does your child allowed to have a band-ache (does any one ever said "no" to that)?
• in the case you can't or forget (!) to pick up your child, whom should we call, please state 2 names 

Oh well, let the fun begin