The Job Dilemma

I thought that my job problem was taken care of back in July when I last talked to my boss before our 1 month break from the Center. Basically back in July I wasn't sure if I was going to have a job when school started again in September. The reason for this was because of budget cuts. She assured me I would have a job from September-December and even gave me my work schedule for the entire semester. It amounted to 13 hours a week and I would be the supervisor/lead teacher for the entire time that I worked because I have seniority over all of the other students who are going to be working there in the fall. I would receive roughly $85 a week for my work. Now here is the fun part...

My boss told me last week that she was 'working on the final schedule' for the fall semester. Huh? I thought it was done. She told me she had to 'rework' some things due to some changes. Um....okay....now rewind back to June. That is the same thing that she-(my boss) told the previous afternoon supervisor back in June before she-(my boss again) basically forced the afternoon supervisor out of a job. I say basically forced because my boss only offered the afternoon supervisor 4 hrs. a week cut down from 35 hrs a week. So now I'm worried that I'm being 'basically forced' out of a job in a round about way. And it's just lovely that I'm finding this out NOW, 10 days before school starts. At least it's better than getting the 3 hrs. notice that the previous afternoon supervisor got. Now, keep in mind that this is NOT the first time that my boss has done this to someone. The previous afternoon supervisor was the 2nd person and our boss has been pushing our assistant director out for the past year. Now it's dwindling down to me. So here's the dilemma...

The person I am working for this month-(I'm basically a full time babysitter for one of the kids that was at the Center for 2 years) asked me if I would help her out once school started. I would pick her child up from school and stay with her until the mom gets home after work. The problem was the hours she needed me to watch her child overlapped with my hours that I was given for work during the semester. I originally told her that no, I couldn't do it. I told her that because I have been at the Center for 2 years and my boss was the strongest reference I have and I didn't want to piss her off by leaving during my last year of college--thus possibly losing my best reference because my boss is also my advisor for my current program in college.

So what do I do????? Do I take the risk of losing my best reference and tell the mom I'm currently working for that I will work for her because at least I KNOW I will have a job with her? Or do I wait it out until Friday-(when my boss guaranteed me she would have the schedule done) which is 4 days before school starts for both me and the little girl that I'm watching this month? I wouldn't be getting as much money by working for the mom over the Center. It would equal out to 15 hrs a week but I would only make $38 a week because babysitters don't get paid minimum wage here.

What would you do? Go with the job that I know won't fall through or do I wait it out and hope that my boss doesn't screw me over? And if she does screw me over, scramble to possibly have to get another job because by Friday the mom might have something else figured out for child care for her daughter? I just don't know. Part of me wants to go with the mom because she won't screw me over....but then if I tell her I can work for her and my boss actually gives me my 13 hrs. then I have to tell my boss that I can't work thus pissing her off and losing my best reference. Not to mention that I need her signature on my degree audit to graduate--and she tends to get revenge on those students who piss her off.

So, any opinions would be greatly appreciated. I just don't know what to do. I hate to leave the mom hanging based on my boss because she needs to know where her child is going after school and I don't want to stress her out by asking her to wait it out until my boss gets it together. That's not fair to her and I feel horrible doing that to someone. So, again...any opinions would be greatly appreciated. Because I'm lost and I need some serious HELP on this issue. Thanks in advance!