The Child Care Catch-22

So you want (no, NEED) to work if you & your family plan to continue living in a major metro area. But whoa! Not so fast there! At least not if "family" takes in "child" or, heaven forbid, "children". What will you do with your kids? I find it humorous that most daycare/childcare/preschool programs close for the day anywhere between 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., considering that if you commute to work, there is no feasible way you will ever leave work at 5:00 p.m. (assuming you can leave then) and arrive to pick up your child on time. I can recall stories of my sister racing to pick up my niece from school only to be fined by-the-minute and threatened with explusion! It's a universal problem and if anyone out there has some solutions to this quandry...please share with the rest of us. In the interim, here are some thoughts...
Check out www.christineadlercare.com. Christine Adler's made Start-Up Nation's Top 100 Home-Based business list for 2007; I haven't used her services, but I have to imagine she's got competition nation-wide, and in a pinch, sounds like she's onto something good (she & her colleagues can even be booked for errands!). Try keywords like "mommy's helper" or "concierge + child care" on a Google search to see what's available in your area.
Plenty of Nanny sites out there as well--but I've found word-of-mouth the best source for nanny referrals, nanny agencies, nanny dirt--yes, dirt--the lowdown on who's around, who's good, who's a slacker, who you can count on and the going rates.
The good thing for multiples, is that you certainly separate out the wheat from the chaff. You will get nannies who will avoid you like the plague once they learn you have twins (ditto with babysitters). Only a serious (or completely naive) nanny will take on twins. You'll know in a second if she's clueless about double-duty. Another good thing (am I channeling Martha Stewart now?) about twins is that if you go with a more formalized care situation (eg, preschool), you most likely will get the 10-15% discount on enrolling a sibling...hey, at least it's something!