What does it cost you for child care?

ldrosophila
ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
in Chit-Chat
I'm curious how much you have to spend for child care while you are working?

Here locally I've heard $500 a month!
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Replies

  • Momf3boys
    Momf3boys Posts: 1,637 Member
    Oh, I could tell you horror stories. Right now I am paying $290 a week for an infant and a 10 year old before and after care...I was paying $400 a week until my oldest stopped going last June.
  • jaxbeck
    jaxbeck Posts: 537 Member
    Nothing now that they are all in school but before that, it was about $480 a month. I've heard of MUCH worse
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    My two boys cost us about $1400 per month. The older they get, the cheaper it gets but I don't think ours gets down to $500/month. There are some daycares around here that would be that cheap, but we really like the quality of this place and they do a lot more than just "babysit"...they're really big on pre-education. My 3 y.o. already knows his ABCs and can identify those letters and counts to 50 among other things.
  • patrickblo13
    patrickblo13 Posts: 831 Member
    This has been a common discussion recently in my house with a little one on the way...HOW THE HELL AM I GOING TO AFFORD THIS?!?!?

    We have been looking at daycares and for the most part it is about $250/week for full time. This is our only option. We have explored having my wife stay home but when we bought our house we bought it based on us both working full time. I wouldn't be able to take on all of the expenses.

    The only upside is my mother-in law and my mother are both retiring next year so we will be able to cut down from full time to a few days a week. I do believe the social interaction is important even at a very young age.
  • djeffreys10
    djeffreys10 Posts: 2,312 Member
    My kids ride the bus to my parents house after school, and I pick them up when I get off work. So for me, it's free.
  • 1PatientBear
    1PatientBear Posts: 2,089 Member
    3 yr old son, 1 yr old daughter = $1900+ monthly. That doesn't count additional fees at the beginning of each semester.
  • duckiec
    duckiec Posts: 241 Member
    We pay around 2k/month- that's for 3 kids in a home care place- 2 full day, one after school, plus transport from school by another provider. We live just outside a major metro area (Washington DC), and that's actually fairly cheap for 3 kids- many friends I know pay that for 2.
  • absmith_
    absmith_ Posts: 63 Member
    There is a stay at home mom in the area who watches my 15 month old daughter for $200/ week!
  • Mcgrawhaha
    Mcgrawhaha Posts: 1,596 Member
    i charge my husband his weekly paycheck... i figure hes getting a really good deal...
  • jasonp_ritzert
    jasonp_ritzert Posts: 357 Member
    We go to a home licensed daycare for $30/day since she only goes 3x/week. But the weekly rate for her (under 1) is $120/week.
  • NoMoreJellyRolls
    NoMoreJellyRolls Posts: 142
    For my 3yr old I pay $340.00 a month... Pretty good deal at a Great daycare. Of course the way I had to get it started up was EXPENSIVE! I got her in on a waiting list, once you have been called, you have to enroll that day or they go to the next person. I was in an agreement with her other daycare. So I was paying for 2 daycares in Feb/March even though she only went to 1! Glad that's over!
  • ewarlow
    ewarlow Posts: 71 Member
    Where I live its anywhere from 700-1000/month per child

    I hate my life! lol
  • Jess830409
    Jess830409 Posts: 285 Member
    Here in Florida I pay $90 a week for 3 full days for my 4 year old
    it is $110 for a full 5 day week
  • Shan790
    Shan790 Posts: 280 Member
    going rate in my city (I'm a daycare teacher) is about $1200 a month full time for an infant, it goes down as they get older so preschool is about $950 a month.

    Thats why most of us stay home after we have kids, it costs more for daycare than what we make here. I stayed home with my son, opened a home daycare and only took in kids before and after school for a few hours and made more than if I was working full time and paying for care.
  • HealthWoke0ish
    HealthWoke0ish Posts: 2,078 Member
    I pay about $1k a month.

    ETA: I think it's a great deal considering the 2-year old is there eight hours a day and the four year old is there for about 4.5 hours a day (the rest of the time in pre-school).
  • kaysmom13
    kaysmom13 Posts: 13 Member
    $294/wk for my 6mo so about $1200/mo
  • frankiep73
    frankiep73 Posts: 40 Member
    We pay $150/week for our 2 year old, full time. That is average here, and we are in the south suburbs of Chicago, on the Indiana side. If we were to cross the border to IL, it would be double! This is what we paid a licensed daycare home, and now what we pay a SAHM to watch her. We don't send any food and she eats well there.
  • nikki2001
    nikki2001 Posts: 98 Member
    My daughter $85 week =$340 month
    My son $81 week =$324 month so $664 monthly...basically another rent/mortgage payment! :sad:
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    We have always had our daughter in a home-based daycare, never paying more than $85/week ($340/month). We were fortunate enough to find providers who focused on learning and activities. And the fees included breakfast, at least 1 snack (maybe 2) and lunch.

    At age 2, we also enrolled her in preschool, for an additional $72/month. She attended 3 years of preschool.

    Now, she's in kindergarten and I'm glad to have that money back!
  • larsensue
    larsensue Posts: 461 Member
    I am extremely lucky. My mom puts my daughter on the bus and I can be home 5 minutes before the bus drops her off. next year she will be able to put herself on the bus. when she was not in school it cost me $32/day at a licenced day care and I know it has gone up since then....
  • Needachange84
    Needachange84 Posts: 310 Member
    I have a 5 yr old and before he was in school it was costing me $300 a month (which is not bad at all compared to some places). Then when he started pre-school, we got into an income based daycare and he was only there for 2 hrs a day so that was about $160 a month. Now we pay $200 a month and I still won't complain :)
  • djeffreys10
    djeffreys10 Posts: 2,312 Member
    i charge my husband his weekly paycheck... i figure hes getting a really good deal...

    Funny, my EX wife used the think that every dime I made was acceptable payment for her being a stay at home mom. I got a much better deal through divorce court.
  • BaackOnIt
    BaackOnIt Posts: 26 Member
    $120/week or $480 a month for a toddler.
  • sevsmom
    sevsmom Posts: 1,172 Member
    It's over $200 for infants around here. Thankfully I had my sister for my oldest and a friend from church for my 2nd....they were both under $100 a week!!! I pay $20 a week for my son to go to before school care now. I would have seriously considered quitting if I had to pay $200+ a week!!!
  • iamanadult
    iamanadult Posts: 709 Member
    $700 per month for one child.
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,021 Member
    I don't have kids, but my brother and his wife have a 3-year-old and a 5-month-old, and they pay $1200/month, but they live in a small town. I'm sure it's worse in bigger cities.
  • TheSlorax
    TheSlorax Posts: 2,401 Member
    $500/mo is cheap for infant care in my area of CA. My mom was a daycare provider for a very long time and before the economy tanked she charged $35/day per child (although she did give sibling discounts). After that she was lucky to get $25 with so many parents out of work.\


    eta: one of the countless reasons I don't want kids..... childcare is a huge consideration.
  • DrunkenFaeGirl
    DrunkenFaeGirl Posts: 107
    I homeschool and work nights so thankfully I don't pay for childcare. I was an daycare/preschool teacher up until 6 years ago, however, and the centers I worked for all charged approx $250 per child over age 2, until they started K, per week. Younger than 2 was higher and over 5 was cheaper. Some offered sibling discounts but not all.
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
    It costs me $172 a week for my 5-month old here in Austin, TX. I'm lucky I found my place because other places are upward of $220.
  • Mia_RagazzaTosta
    Mia_RagazzaTosta Posts: 4,885 Member
    Over the summer it was $310 a week for two school age kids. Less now because they're back in school

    The younger they are, the more expensive they are.

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