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How much do you pay for childcare?

5K views 72 replies 70 participants last post by  monkeysmommy 
#1 ·
I just curious how much other working mamas make and how much of that goes to childcare. I love my job and I don't know how we will afford for me not to work, but on the other hand childcare is soooo expensive. I prefer a home based setting so I posted on craigslist and my first response, though she sounded great wants $250 a week. I only make $350 a week and money is tight as it is. I just don't know what to do.
 
#53 ·
I just went back to work 3 days a week (5 hours a day) and put DS#2 in a full day toddler program on those days.

The program is $675.00 a month and includes a hot lunch and a morning and afternoon snack and all drinks (they have a kitchen and the cook makes the food and makes/bakes the snacks). The place is pretty impressive - one toddler playground and a massive older child playground, two miniature baseball fields with dugouts, two inground pools (one toddler/one older child) for the summer, a garden, animals, bike areas . . . .

Transportation is included as well, but toddlers are not allowed to be transported on the minibus - only children age 3+ are allowed to bus. I wouldn't be putting him on the minibus anyway though.

On the bright side, when DS is no longer in diapers, the cost goes down to $650.00 per month.
 
#55 ·
The cost for DD'd daycare is actually on the low-median end of cost, it's like $630/mo. I have a subsidy that covers 75% of the cost because I'm a student and qualify for PELL grants, so it's only $165/mo.

Hopefully after I graduate it'll cost nothing, because I'm moving back to TX where my mom will watch her for free.
 
#56 ·
wow, thats really expensive!!
i work at a center on an army post in germany, and we have a sliding scale based on total income (privates make a whole lot less than officers, lol) that goes from about 190/month to about 550/month. hourly care went up from 2.50/hr to $4/hr last year

eta: thats full day care, and the center is open from 6-6. breakfast, lunch, and 2 snacks are included
 
#57 ·
We are paying $50/day for dd in a private home daycare with one or two other toddlers. All snacks and lunch are included. This is on the high end of standard for private care around here which ranges from $40-$50 day. So $800 a month. Not cheap at all, but dcp is fantastic: AP, CD friendly, mellow, gentle, peaceful and provides organic food. Dd adores her and her son. So I'd probably pay more if we had to. My salary comfortably covers well more than that, and with dw's occasional income as a supply teacher it works well.
 
#59 ·
We are in NY. I am on internship and earn about $325 a week. That said, dd's daycare cost is $300 a week....so, basically my entire check goes to her care. I looked at all of our daycare options, and the cost is worth it to use becuase the center is amazing. We are struggling financially, but it is time limited and we are making sacrifices to make it work.
 
#60 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by shawni
Thank you all so much for your responses. I guess like anything else, it really varies on the city/area. I'm still really torn about working or not, but thanks for the perspective.
Be sure when you're "running the numbers" that you don't discount things like Social Security credits, advancement, staying current in your field/at your job, the connections you're making/keeping in the workplace, and so on. Early on, daycare may take a huge chunk of your paycheck, but IME you're still getting a significant income boost if you consider the long term, because your daycare expenses will go down each year (typically) while your income will go up (typically). So if you dont' work at all now, in five years or whenever you do go back to work, you'll be starting at a salary a good bit lower than you would be getting if you'd been working those five years. It's kind of like compound interest-- each time you get a 5% raise (equivalent to "interest" in the compound interest example), the higher your salary (equivalent to your principal in the compound interest example) the larger your raise. So financially it is almost always better to work those early years when daycare is taking a huge part of your check because that won't be the case forever.

Also, I think people tend to over-estimate a lot of the "cost of working." Unless you have to wear suits to work and would otherwise wear only sweats and t-shirts, there's not a huge difference between the cost of work wardrobe and a good casual wardrobe. Food costs don't have to go up a lot if you're committed to cooking rather than eating out and stuff like that. The commute costs money, but you're not taking daytime trips to the park or the library, either, so that offsets some of the commute costs. And so on. That's the way I see it, anyway.
 
#62 ·
I live in a small town just south of KCMO and after reading what everyone else pays for daycare, oh my goodness!! I'm glad I live in the sticks! I have a wonderful in home dcp that charges $20 a day and that provides breakfast, lunch and snacks. For after school kids she charges $8 a day. I really couldn't afford to pay all that much more and it be worth it.
 
#65 ·
We pay $5/hour per child, so for us, it is $10/hour. They are there for 21 hours/week, so it's $210 each week, most weeks (if I work more, we pay her more, if I work less, we pay her less) - our sitter is a SAHM. We also will be paying her paid time off beginning the first of the year, in addition to paid holidays. This includes all meals/snacks etc.

As to how much of my income it is - it's significant. My gross weekly income is approx $360 - right around 58% of my income. We hover right around the line of is it really worth it for me to work....if DH made a little more, I could stay home.
 
#66 ·
Very interesting thread -- child care costs vary so greatly!

I'm in Canada, in a relatively small city. We pay $26.50 per day for my daughter's Montessori daycare programme. I'm on mat leave right now, and when I go back, I'm working only 70%, so she'll just be going three days a week. My baby boy will be with my MIL for the first 6 months I'm back at work (no cost), but when he goes to the daycare in June 2007, he'll get a reduced rate since my DD is already enrolled.

If we factor in the $200 we get from the government as sort of a "baby bonus" (I'm not a fan of this policy for many reasons, but I'll take the money), it does pretty much pay for DD's fees. Our present child care costs work out to about 3% of our combined gross pay.
 
#67 ·
We live in Ohio and pay for our 3 youngest. DD 4yo =145wk, DS 2.5yo=160wk and DD 2mths=190week....monthly total....(drum roll) 1762 per month...urg. It does include breakfast/lunch/two snacks and all the milk and water they would like. Their teachings are wonderful, they basically prep them for school. Also, I get to see them 3x a day, because I nurse my infant, I am 3 minutes down the road.

I still wonder what a Nanny would cost...
 
#68 ·
WOW! I guess I better not move. Ds will start daycare this week....$75/week for infant ($70/wk once he goes to toddler room)- avg in this town is about $80/week- with meals provided
The home day cares I checked were $60-85/week- some provided dipes/food etc and some didn't.....I was not comfortable with the home daycares I interviewed
Oh and dd's afterschool care is $5 day
I think it will be $ 130/week for dd 4 and ds infant this summer- meals provided
This is a well established licensed facility, that provides meals snacks etc, has cameras in all rooms- I just hope it works b/c I've never used daycare before.
Oh I figure I'll make $800-$1000 /month after childcare expenses
 
#69 ·
I pay $30/wk for after school care for dd. When she is there full days during school vacations, I pay $100/wk. This includes snacks and meals. We love dd's sitter. I will be sad when she doesn't need to go any longer.
 
#73 ·
I used to pay $45 a day for three days a week, so that came to $540 a month. That is a pretty good rate for around here, for good care. The place she was in before that was $30 a day but it was crappy. Some places we looked at were $75 a day! Now that dh is in school and not working, we have dd in a state run preschool and we pay $1 a day. Her preschool is on the campus where dh goes to school! We could not be happier with out childcare situation. Healthy food, developmentally appropriate curriculum, positive discipline, diverse staff and kids, lots of space, and loving attentive teachers. We live in San Francisco.
 
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