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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.
 
#2 ·
When the price of care went up around here was when I decided to stay at home with the kids. I was making approximately $800 a month working 15 hours a week. That was great in supplementing DH income, but when we had DD, we realized we'd be paying for two kids to be in daycare. That would have cost us about $450 a month, then add gas and food on top of that
: . It wasn't worth it.

I have never paid weekly or monthly, always at an hourly rate. For our provider, it was $3.50/hr. and, then with two kids, $6/hr. HTH
 
#3 ·
I live outside of DC (far reaching Virginia suburb) and use home based care. I pay $375/week for my 2 kids ($175 for my toddler and $200 for my infant). I know that is a GREAT rate. The center I have them wait listed on wants $275/week for my infant and $200 for my toddler.
 
#8 ·
$135/wk for dd at a center
for ds before/after school care: $4.00/$4.50 per day (he can be there an hour before school starts and from when school lets out (2:20 4 days/wk, 1:20 on Weds) until 5:30. We get a discount for low income.
 
#9 ·
About $160/week for fulltime at an awesome Montessori preschool. I know that sounds low compared to what a lot of people pay but it is actually very expensive for where we live. We think it's worth it tho.

When we were paying for home-based care to a mom who only had our son and her own, we paid her $250/week. I actually felt guilty it wasn't more. We couldn't really afford more but I felt bad that it was basically minimum wage.

The thing about a lot of moms who take in a baby/child to care for, for a low amount of money, is often they don't really want to be doing it, but they're in a situation where they need the money. At least in my experience, it isn't necessarily the best situation to be putting your child into.
 
#12 ·
When we used daycare in the past, it was an in home and we paid almost $400 a month for 4 days. Included in that was an extra 2 just in case i wanted to work an extra shift.

After school at the karate camp where my son went for 2 years, cost me $15 an afternoon, of which i used 2 afternoons a week.

The drop in daycare center (A Tutortime/Kindercare type place) quoted me 30 a day for a toddler.

When i called the Montessori school up the street they wanted $600 a month, not including the "afterschool" portion.
 
#16 ·
mine is kinda hard to follow. I am a part of a state program that helps me pay for childcare based on my income. So I pay 70 a week for Isaiah. Caden's after school care comes out of my pocket and that is 4 an hour (about 3 hours a day so that is 60 a week for him) if I didnt get the help with izzy it would be 2790 for the montessori toddler program he is in an then an additional 4 an hour after 11:30... I make about, after taxes, 1100 a month
 
#21 ·
We pay $191 for DS (2 years old) and 151 for DD (PreK) and that is for only 3 days a week! So our total is 342 a week for M,T and W! Ouch! But we are pleased with the center and it is NAEYC accredited which I know takes a lot on the center's part to have that designation. When the new baby starts we will add another $191 a week to that. One bad year and then DD will be in K and only at the center 3 half days, DS will be in PreSchool and the cost goes down and then things will be a little less painful to the checkbook!
 
#22 ·
We currently pay our babysitter about $13/hour. She babysits one day/week. My mother sits the other days, and we do not pay her.

We are getting an au pair shortly, though. When you figure it all fees, etc., we will be paying about $275/week, plus extra costs of food, electricity, car insurance etc. (This is cheap for my area)

We live just outside New York City. It's expensive here
 
#23 ·
DD is in a good daycare and they charge $29/day which averages out to about $560 or so every month but since I don't make a lot I get the state daycare subsidy so I pay only about 21% of the cost. With how much you said you make it may be worth looking into, many in-home and center daycares take it. There are some really nice childcare centers that take the subsidy that I would not have thought would also, I looked into one of our upscale very good $700+ a month places and even they take it so don't limit yourself to cheap places if you do decide to take it because you may be able to get much better.
 
#24 ·
When my kid was in daycare, it was just over $1000 per month. This was the most expensive daycare anywhere around us, but I know it all varies by location. She's in school now and her after school care is $205 per month, but thats only a couple hours after school. Her after school is a program with the school district and the daycare before that was a private facility.
 
#25 ·
We pay $130/wk for an in-home dcp with 2 "staff" (husband and wife). That includes breakfast, lunch and snacks, and it's pretty average for in-home daycare in our area I think.

We have a "back up" dcp that we use if our regular dcp is on vaca or has some other issue, and she charges $135/wk or $25/day.
 
#26 ·
I'm in NE and I pay an infant rate of $25/day or $125/week at a daycare center. The usual rate is about $150+ around here. That's out of $500/week salery.

Oh, and they are very accepting of bfing and willing to use cloth diapers.
 
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