u/Moonwitxh

Hello! I'm looking for input from fellow teachers who have had to leave their classroom in the middle of the year.

I'm a certified public school Integrated Pre-K teacher who is also currently 26 weeks pregnant. I am on a few childcare waiting lists for my little one to start daycare in January (due in October). However, after checking in with the care centers today, my confidence in being able to get a spot at any of them for January is shaken. Apparently most of their spots (even for their infant and toddler rooms) open in June or September, and as time goes on they seem less sure that I'll have a spot for January. We don't have family nearby that can take care of her until daycare can be lined up, so the only other option would be I stay home with her.

I already told admin that I intend on returning to my classroom after maternity leave. I personally wouldn't be too upset about needing to stay home and enjoy my baby, but professionally I'm nervous about the idea and unsure of what could happen. Will they try to go after my certifications? Will having to resign due to lack of childcare put a black mark on my teaching record? I'm sure my current district would not want to re-hire me later because of it, but would other districts hire me in the future (once we secured care or she started school herself)? I'm also slightly concerned about how the parents of my students would feel. The only guidance my handbook gives me is I have to provide at least 30 days notice.

Open to any and all input and advice!

I originally fully intended to stay at my current district longer, but the long commute + the price of gas + the low pay (lowest teacher salary in two counties) + the impending cost of daycare has made it so that my husband and I have unfortunately decided it would actually make more sense for me to somehow stay home than to continue teaching there. Additionally, all the paras and teachers in my grade are planning on leaving as well, and the district just did a hard cut on other grades. I'm regretting taking this job, but I took it out of desperation as a new grad last year.

However, we can't really afford for me to stay home either, and I don't know...as nice as that idea is, I also didn't go back to school, get my master's, and do all this work to then bow out of my new career.

There are several schools nearby that are hiring for grades I am certified to teach. They're a maximum of 25 minutes away, and pay at minimum several thousand more annually. One of the schools I have an interview for is actually a magnet school that truly aligns with my personal interests and former career experience. I think it would be a great fit and I could probably see myself staying there for years based on my research into them.

However, I'm 21 weeks and due mid-October. I'm definitely starting to show.

How should I navigate this? Would anyone even hire a pregnant teacher? Should I not even bother looking for a new job?