Daycare for Medically Fragile Children

SBMBride406

Our county has a special daycare for medically fragile children. Marino was approved. There would be a teacher and a nurse with him at all times. The in-home daycare we were going to send him to is small (3 other babies) which is the same size as his class in this daycare would be. I like that county-run daycare is very structured, and I know they would follow all of my special instructions for DS to a T, and he would have constant monitoring. The downside is it is $200 a month more than the in-home daycare and we are already struggling to find a way to pay for that. WWYD?

SuwaneeGirl

Wow, this sounds awesome. I would find some way to make it happen. "Medically fragile" is a clinical term; is there a way your insurance coverage can chip in (maybe this can be paid under a diagnosis your doctor can make)? Have you asked the administrators of the daycare if there are programs to apply to for assistance? Do you belong to a church/temple/mosque that can take an offering for you? Can your extended family chip in (instead of contributing to a college savings account, you might suggest they contribute to this, for example)? Do you have the ability to establish a dependent care account through work where you can use pre-tax dollars to pay for this daycare?

In my area, you can save $200/month by forgoing cable and Internet and a cell phone. Or maybe can you start working from home a few days a week to save on gas? There are lots of ways to do this, if you can think creatively...

HoverMo

Definitely worth it if you figure in that you can write it all off on your taxes next year.  The in home which if its like the ones around here in NJ isn't licensed and is paid under the table you can't write off.  So if you think about it you'll get back way more than the extra 2400 your putting out a year.

axh2277

If you could swing it I would put your son in the medically fragile daycare.   DS has major reflux and GI issues and was in regular daycare for three weeks before we had to pull him out because they couldn't handle his needs. 

SBMBride406

I doubt we would be eligible for any assistance. We make good money but we live in a ridiculously expensive area, so we already live essentially check to check. The fee is on a sliding scale and they think $275 a week is what we can afford (its not)!

There's a possibility I can work a 4/10 work week starting in Jan, which would make the daycare part time and cheaper. My mom said she would give me the extra $200 a month if I think this daycare would be better for the baby. I just read that this is one of only 2 such child care centers in the state, so I am thinking this is an opportunity I should probably not pass up...