The other day during my lunch break I went on a walk to do a few errands (bank, post office, etc) and decided to stop in the USS Towers, which is a large office building about a block away from my office building. They have a Kindercare Daycare Center in there and geographically, it's the closest daycare center to my job. I had lovely visions of popping over on my lunch break to see/feed little SugarPlum as I'm sure I'm going to miss him/her during the day. However, all that came to a screeching halt (imagine the sound of 10 MAC trucks screeching to a halt) when I asked for the cost.
Drum roll....................$287 a week which adds up to be $1148 a month!!!!!!!
Do you hear the screeching too? Now I wonder will SugarPlum be disappointed to hear that he/she doesn't even live in a home where the mortgage is even $1148 a month? Will said little SugarPlum think he/she is a rock star for having the most expensive bill in the home? Can I use this as justification when said little SugarPlum wants a new fancy dress, karate lessons, or a shiny new bike? Will little SugarPlum want to hitchhike to Nana's when we are eating soup out of a can because of this monthly expense?
I only tease. While I'm currently in a position where I can afford this ghastly bill, it kills me to think that I will be paying this ridiculous amount for childcare. Of course, I'll shop around but if I want to take SugarPlum to a reputable daycare, I'll have to sucks it up and realize I'll be paying close to this amount. We will consider adjusting our schedules if our employers allow it or consider a nanny but who do you trust these days? Maybe we'll even look into Danielle becoming a SAHM or working part time.
Maybe I need to write a letter to the President and see if he can speed up whatever actions he has in place to cut down on the cost of childcare for the working family. You know, just as a rant, childcare and the system really isn't set up for working people. I mean, here I am, working full time, earning a living, waiting until I'm at an age where I can responsibly and financially care for a child and yet I'll spend $1150 a month in childcare. Whereas some people who are capable of working yet don't, are able to earn free childcare or childcare partnership funds to put their kid in daycare for pennies. It just doesn't make sense.
If some of the mommies out don't mind sharing, what are you paying in childcare? Are you in a facility, in someone's home, a SAHM, etc? I'm interested in learning what childcare decision people made for their family.
17 comments:
"Whereas some people who are capable of working yet don't, are able to earn free childcare or childcare partnership funds to put their kid in daycare for pennies"
Tell me about it! A system that was set up to help those who NEED help has turned into a free ride for a few too many imo.
I agree. Also, how is it possible that more than 120 countries around the world provide paid maternity leave but the US doesn't :(
We are on a few waiting lists for daycare. The ranges we've seen were between $800-$1,300 a month. A friend of ours has a live-in nanny for 2 kids and pays her $1,300
Farty goes to a sitter for 5 hours a day. She is licensed and provides the care in her home. He is so spoiled, because all the other kids she sits for are in school all day. I pay her $3/hour.
As you know, my stepmom watches the kids for the rest of my work day. And she makes me want to pull my damn hair out at times. But, I know my kids are safe and loved when they're with her. And that's priceless.
PS I emailed you about your quetions, hoping I got your email address right!
We're paying $1210/month. The average around here was about $260/week. It's crazy!
We pay $2030/month. It's a fabulous facility and totally worth every penny for G man. But it is totally outrageous that we have to spend that much to get the care we need for him. Ave for our area is about 1700/month for infants, but most of them would give G the extra care he needs.
I was just talking to my co-worker about this. They pay $400 every two weeks for an in home situation and she knows it's a "deal" even though it's an hour away!!!!!! So I hear you!
If it makes you feel any better those nurseries that accept welfare kids ( can't think how to call it) are AWFUL - according to someone I know who is a fantastic child care provider but worked at one for about a month and got fired for having good ideas- like taking the kids outside! Well that's how it is in Chitown anyhow!
It's never too early to sign up for a day-care.good luck!finding one nearby is a great idea!
We expect to pay $1000 - $1200 per month when/ if we ever get that far. V will probably be able to work from home one day a week, and I might be able to, so that would cut down on the expense. We're also thinking about polling the neighbors to see if anyone babysits.
One good thing is that you pay less taxes when you have a child to deduct, and you can have that added in each paycheck, rather than wait til refund time to get it, if you want.
I hear you about the free childcare, though. My bff has a neighbor who purposely doesn't marry her live-in boyfriend (who earns a decent living, like $60k or something) so that she qualifies for all kinds of free government programs, including reduced childcare. She was just complaining a couple of weeks ago that she doesn't get multi-child discounts b/c she's on the gov't program. So she pays something like $25/ week per child, and she thinks she should pay less. Grrr.
Between Gracie and SugarPlum, you could spend a fortune on daycare! But if this place is really close to your work, I suppose it's worth it for the convenience. And a close location will allow you to spend more quality time with SugarPlum as opposed to time in the car.
We expect to pay $1400 per month. We can handle this for 1 child but it means that if we're going to have a 2nd we're going to have to financially space them out.
You're absolutely right that daycare today doesn't work for working families and the same can be said in Canada. We are luck that we have paid mat leave (55% of salary up to $400/week) however that is not a lot of money to raise a family on - sometimes paying for daycare is cheaper. That's a sad, sad, statement.
I've found that the corporate(read: convenient to working parents) type daycares are super expensive.
Initially we were paying over $1000/month, but it decreases relatively fast. Now that our son is 3, it's $735/month, but let me tell you, I'm freaking out about how we'll pay for childcare if I get pregnant with twins.
Hi, I just started reading your blog (friend of J&DZ). We are in Toronto and pay more than that for a 5 day program. We put our daughter in for $1200/month as an infant (10 months) for 4 days a week. We then paid less as she got older (they require fewer workers per child as they become a toddler and then pre-school). To send her now at 2.5 in the pre-school room, it's over $900 for 4 days. To send both her and our son when he turns 1 year will be over $1900! More than our mortgage!! It's crazy and really uncool. I can't wait until she's old enough to go to school. :P
I forgot to mention where the kids go. It's a private daycare (no subsidies because we found the ones who offered subsidized positions don't have any room, even after being on a waiting list before Riley was born). It's in the office buildings where I work so it's totally convenient, is 7 am - 6 pm, has catered lunch and snacks and offers webcams to check in on your kids. We love it!
Of course childcare is more than a mortgage! Isn't your child worth more to all of you than a home? Don't you want talented, qualified professionals taking care of your precious children? Of course they should be paid well so that the profession can attract the best qualified people! And as for busting on people who don't work so they can get government subsidies (would you really want to trade places with them?), wouldn't we all be better off pushing our government to recognize the importance of motherhood, and giving us paid maternity leave? Why bust on poor moms (no matter how irresponsible we think they are) rather than push for our own rights?
Anonymous, this is for daycare alone. A child comes with many other expenses so our point about it being more than a mortgage is that it is VERY EXPENSIVE to raise a child. Heck, people have to space them apart because they can't afford to have 2 in daycare at the same time. I think it could be far less to still get qualified people. If you have 10 toddlers at $1000/month, that's $10k with 2 teachers. No way do they bring home even half of that. It's not going to the workers.
um, we pay $1200 a month here in nyc. it was going to be about that at the place we found in dallas.
i think $300 a week is about right for infant care.
tyreegirl:
"welfare kids?" do you realize how elitist you sound? All the moms on this blog sound elitist. It is sickening.
FYI, most reputable daycare centers do accept vouchers for childcare from "welfare people."
I agree that some abuse the system, but many really need that leg up. Many moms are single working moms who are on their own due to reasons beyond their control, for example getting out of an abusive marriage. Some of us work 50 plus hours a week IN CHILDCARE caring for your children and giving them excellent care so that we can provide for our own kids who are the most important people in our lives.
Lower the cost of childcare? Do you realize what a regular childcare provider makes? It is not a whole lot more than minimum wage. I think we should all be advocates for quality childcare in our country and that includes providing childcare providers with good wages and professional development.
Please do not generalize until you have walked a mile in our shoes.
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