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DH and I are planning way ahead about childcare for *hopefully* our little one. I called around in the Atlanta area and honestly I am shocked.
I had no idea. I am finding most places on average cost 300 a week!
Momma bees, what do you pay for infant daycare in your area? We wish we had family to help with some of the cost but we dont.
I am not a mom, but my MIL has an in-home daycare, and she charges $55 a day, and $65 a day for babies. Most of them come 5 days/week and for 7-8 hours/day.
She is in the Seattle area.
Where I live (Boston) day care is 2K a month!!! It's insane.
I will probably cut down to 4 days a week at work and my mom will watch at least one day, leaving 3 days of child care to pay for. There are some places that allow part time for $100/day. So, that's still $300 a week for part time day care. So crazy.
@MissDareDevil: if we get lucky and have a family, I think we are going to have to go the in home route.
I'm blessed enough to be able to work from home...
I know that what my parents did was while my sis and I were too young for school my mom ran a registered day home. Then when we started school she worked part time (the hours we were in school) b/c she ultimately gave themselves a pay raise by not having to pay childcare.
Not sure if those are options for you but thought I should share just in case ;)
@ pantera - definitely a second mortgage! hoping my mom will want to watch a few days a week (she already committed to one...even though i'm not P yet : )
I would love to have in home care for the other few days a week if we can afford it.
Childcare has always been outrageous. That is one reason why I chose to be a stay at home mom. By the time you pay childcare, unless you make way more than minimum wage, it just isn't worth it, and the sad thing is, by the time you figure out how much the childcare worker is making, it is usually considerably less than minimum wage and you are trusting them with your child(ren).
I work at an early childcare center. For infants we charge $318.00 a week, it goes down from there.
The real kicker is I have 8 babies in my classroom, I am the lead with a helper at all times. I make 10.50 an hour (and I'm the highest paid teacher). I would not be able to send my own children to the center based on my salary!
*I should add that in the infant room because of the high demand babies have to go all week (or at least pay for full time). So even if you are only bringing your child in for 3 days a week (say mom or dad watches them the other 2 days) you are still responsible for the entire week tuition.*
I work from home 3 days a week so I would only need care 2 days. I have found most places will charge you for the full week anyway.
I have gotten the strangest replys from people ask when I am expecting and I tell them "oh, I'm not even pregnant yet" I can't help it. I am a worrier...errr...planner.
cart meet horse.
People are often surprised that childcare workers need a living wage too.
If this is what people do for a living, whether it is in their home, where they can only safely look after a limited number of children, or in a commercial operation where they have huge costs associated with regulations and staffing, they have the same bills to pay as the rest of us.
If you worked at home but only had two clients, how much would you have to charge to make a decent living?
I would think that in the US where you have some many more income tax eligible deductions than we do, these costs must be tax deductible.
I worked at his daycare full time so I got a 50% discount. It was only $167 bi weekly! (what it cost everyone else per week) However I only made $400 bi weekly once daycare was taken out and I lived on my own (just us 2)... It wasn't fun for us the 4 years he was there but we made it through, the price decreases the older they are.. ours started at infants: $313 a week and went down with age until 5 yrs of age: $167 a week. My FI wants another baby but I don't think daycare is worth paying for if I'm barely making more than it'll cost to enroll the child and I won't work in a daycare again... it's hard hard work for very VERY little pay.
Still TTC, but my friends in the NOVA/DC area tell me that it's $1200-$1600 for an infant and you can't do part time. So even if you have someone like family that could look after them a few days a weeek, you'd still have to pay a full week at day care. Can't imagine what people do with twins!
@panterapeach: OK, as a professional nanny who has worked in the industry for nearly a decade in the metro Atlanta area, I have to tell you $300 is a deal. Depending on where you live and how many days a week you are planning to have your little one at day care, you could be looking at even more by the time you decide to have little Jr/ette.
In-home care, such as in home day cares and nannies can be a less expensive option, but remember, just as with anything else you get what you pay for. My current rate, with my experience, skillset, expertise and quality of care, is $650 a week including health insurance and PTO. Now remember: this is my career and I am often insulted by folks who don't consider it as such. If you want the best care possible for your kids, you need to be willing to pay for it. Having children is not cheap- most kids cost any where between 1 to 1 and a half million dollars to raise by the time they are 18. These are things a lot of people don't realize before they decide to indulge their biological needs.
I know I am probably coming off harsh here, and I am sorry- please forgive me, but these are things to be said and considered. I teach my wards French and ASL, I am able to tutor in history and English and I am a certified wilderness first responder with years of training in CPR, 1st Aid, lifeguarding, swimming lessons, water safety and household emergencies. I have years of experience with infants and even twins, so I am an asset to any family who hires me and I have impeccable professional references to boot. You need to sit down with your SO and think about what services you want your child care provider to give you and you need to decide what you are willing to pay for and what you can't afford. I know I am expensive, but like many other Atlanta area nannies, I am worth every penny. There are gonna be lesser expensive options out there, sure, but they might not be able to give you all that you want for your little one to have a leg up in the world.
If you want some help or need some advice on nannies or schools in the area, I'd be happy to help. (no charge. ;) )
that's why mothers stay home and not work to 'save money'. sorry that shouldn't have been in quotes - it really is saving money to not work and watch the darn kid yourself! What about hiring a full time permanent nanny?
$300 a week seems pretty good to me. We were looking at $1800/month. We decided it was way more lucrative to have Mr. DG stay at home with her, even if it meant a pay cut. In the end, he's been able to manage his job and the baby, but if we add a second child, I don't think he's going to be able to continue to do it.
I don't know what we are going to do when the time comes. It would be ideal for DH to find a job working from home 2 days a week. Or one of both of us needs a big raise. :)
I think 300 a week came as a shock because I would only need care for 2 days.
I didn't realize you had to pay full time regardless for an infant. (it makes sense when I think about it though)
This is exactly why I'm staying home. We would actually be losing money if I worked. The sad thing is that people pay so much for childcare, but most often the actual people taking care of your kids aren't seeing as much of that money as you would think.
For JUST before/after care for my school age daughter I pay $600/month. Luckily, my mother in law runs a licensed day care and has agreed to keep our new baby infant for $675/month. So I am getting daycare for an infant and an 8 year old for a little more than $1200/month- which I think is a steal!
I have 2 little ones so i do a few little work from home things because it wouldnt be worth getting a job and having to pay day care
Be a stay at home mom if you can. I've had friends to quit jobs because paying for child care for more than one child would cost more than what they would earn if they worked.
I just did a quick search for the daycare across the street from us, and they charge $35 a day for babies under 12 months. Sounds like a good deal!
I live near newcastle in australia. I pay $61 a day for chilcare. My daughter goes once a week. Usually around here you go on a waiting list. When a Day becomes available you get offered one day and once. Your in you get priority on other days. I was lucky that We had a Small centre open near us. So we got straight in. But We can only afford one day at this stage
I believe in sydney childcare is hard to get and is alot more expensive. I heard of centres that are 1500 pre Wyee. But they also have advanced programs that teach french, japanese, computers, music and activities like yoga.
I really need to stop posting from my phone. Sorry about that last post. This thing has a mind of its own sometimes.
Holy Cow....
I thought where I work was a little high in price. It's about $700 a month at the preschool I work at, as many others have said, it doesn't matter how many days your infant is in chidcare you still have to pay full time. The sad part is I only make $9.00 an hour working there and it is a very big center....how much money do they make in profit? It has to be a lot! I'm planning on taking my baby there when we have one and I guess I will have to figure it all out then. I really don't know where all the money goes that the parents pay because I don't know of any high paying preschool jobs!
Sometimes living in Iowa can be annoying, like when I want to go to Ikea and not drive three hours. However, daycare in our area runs about $500/month and I'm really OK with that right now. :)
On a side note, my mom ran and in-home, registered daycare for 10 years while my brother and I were growing up and I am toying with the idea myself so that we can afford for me to stay at home with our kids. It is hard work and if you think about it, these are the people that shape your kid's lives. So, I'm OK with paying for quality care.
@panterapeach: I've worked youth service agency for 17 yrs. I would look at home based child care, if anyone will consider a part-time tuition you might find it there. The other thing some parents can do is work out a split with another family. It can be tricky, but I have seen it work really well. Basically you get two days a week and they get three, or vise versa, or even 2 each and you split it bill accordingly. It creates a full client for the day care. It can be hard, both families have to agree on the child care place and the schedule, but it can work. Also, in home day cares are more accepting of this. We are a multi site agency and only allow this for staff.
And I don't think your planning too far ahead, I'm a planner too. I'm always so surprised at new moms coming in so clueless about it. This way you have time to figure it out.
@panterapeach: after seeing what my MIL does and how she bonds with her daycare kids, i really think it's the best route. she has the kids all the way through their middle school years (most of them) and she basically becomes family to them. She has a beautiful home and a beautiful yard... i would feel SO comfortable having her watch my kids! Much better than a crazy busy daycare center
300 a week? For an infant in this area, you'd be way more than that. For a preschooler it was 48 a day.
Ours is around $250/wk but we're in the midwest. It still doesn't seem worth it for me to work and spend a huge chunk just to pay for his childcare - plus I couldn't imagine leaving him with someone else for that much time.
Childcare isn't something you want to try to find a deal on - you'll get what you pay for.
My daughter found a daycare home for her daughters, and the price is the absolute lowest she's found, and the kids are happy-BUT
If she accepts a job for approx. $10/hr. after she graduates from college in August, she will gain a net of approx. $100.00 a month-but lose an equivalent of $400.00 of food stamps! -So they will have daycare, she'll gain about $100 take home $ and they'll have to stop eating!! It's ridiculous!
I can't believe ur minimum wage is $10 An hour. I Do nightfill right now and as a permanent part time I get $18 an hour. If I was casual it would be $24 an hour. Even pizza delivery boys make more than $10 an hour. It really sounds wrong.
My FBIL & FSIL are due to have their first baby in about a month so they've already got their daycare picked out. Apparently it's the only one in the area who does part time infant care but I think it's still like $250 p/week.
Personally, I could never justify paying that kind of money for someone else to watch my kid. That's why we've decided that we won't TTC until one or both of us are able to stay home.
Our friends just had their daughter last year and the wife is a SAHM. Is it tough financially? Uh, you betcha but I think it's worth it for them. The husband doesn't make a ton of money so there's not much left over after bills and such but that doesn't really seem to bother them. She goes a little nuts sometimes (I imagine that no adult interaction would do that to anyone) but she says she wouldn't trade staying home with their daughter for anything. She thinks it's important for atleast one parent to be there to experience all of the firsts and I have to agree with her.
@panterapeach: we have a nanny/babysitter and pay about roughly $700ish a month. We pay on the books so we have to add in all these other costs (workers comp, employer taxes, etc.) i wish i had looked more into the daycare option but nannies are just as popular in the NYC metro area. and my kid absolutely adores her nanny. i agree with the previous poster saying that these people are entitled to the wages they demand because it is true. if my childcare system fell apart of any reason (nanny needs to take extended sick days, has decided to find another family), I would have no idea what I'd do. Once you actually get used to the arrangement and investing that much into childcare, it all becomes a part of your life, you'd be willing to spend more than you'd think.
It's a lot and if my SO gets a better job by the time baby is born, I'll be a SAHM. I teach GA Pre-K in a daycare, so I would get a discount and the lady who works in the baby room has been there for 10yrs or more, so I'm comfortable with that. Some places have teachers in and out of the classroom and as a soon to be parent in 9wks, I'm not cool with that. It's $300 a week, so I'd be paying $150 or so.
You'd think the baby teacher would get paid more for the precious cargo they are taking care of.
@MsGigi: Wow, wish I could afford you for my baby!LOL I'd love for my baby to learn all of that!
@panterapeach: i live in the atlanta area too :) we started looking into childcare this spring and MAN...i was blown away too! The first place i looked at, a daycare center that i actually really liked, was just under $400 per week (in the dunwoody area). That's more than our mortgage!!! We shopped around for weeks and you definitely get what you pay for...it's so frustrating. In home daycares tend to be more expensive too, can be hard to find, and it can be easier for things to go wrong since they are not all registered with the State (I'm sure there are plenty of amazing in-home daycares out there, I just say that because I have worked at a daycare center and an in-home daycare, and saw how much the in-home daycare cut corners).
We dont have any family nearby and can't afford to pay an experienced nanny a respectable amount of money. We chose a small childcare center in the Toco Hills area that has an in-home feel to it. I really like it and feel pretty confident. PM if you're interested in checking it out :)
I guess I shouldn't complain about paying $160 a week for in home day care for an infant (rural upstate NY). Day care is the main reason that we are not having our children close in age... We are not planning to start trying for #2 until DS is at least 3.
I don't know how people do it in larger cities where the cost is so high. We couldn't afford it at all.
We pay my aunt $300 a week under the table. I do not have to cover her health insurance or anything. I don't think it's that expensive really, but that is the amount she wanted. I really want to move into a smaller house so we can afford for me to stay home. Even though I love my house.
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