Cost of Daycare

sylvie23 · February 2013

So we all have our limits for what we can afford for childcare, but what on the low end what would you be comfortable with? I noticed a few days ago a woman on the May board posted that she had found a neighbor to nanny for her for $400 a month ($100 a week) full time. I keep thinking about that post and if I were in that position I don't think I would feel comfortable with someone whose rates were that low both reliability wise and safety/attention to the job wise. I'm just curious about what others think.

heddy79 · February 2013

That sounds too good to be true, so if it is, I would be skeptical of the kind of care being provided. In my area childcare can range from $1000 - $ 1500 a month.

brunstar · February 2013

We are paying 177 per week to a center that is 5 stars on the states young star program. That's the best rating a center can have. We also considered an in home for 150 per week thhat we would have felt completely comfortable with.

OhSewCrafty · February 2013

I only pay $125/week for an accredited center. Just because its inexpensive doesn't automatically mean that its bad or unsafe. If paying $200+ a week makes you feel better though, there are plenty of places that will happily take your money. Wink

tmrchi · February 2013

I think costs will range pretty drastically depending where you live so it might be hard for us to compare.

JSS1002 · February 2013

She could just be doing it as a favor.

We'll be paying $254 / week for a center. The in-home's I talked to ranged from $50 / day to $225 / week.

But MN has one of the highest daycare costs in the nation.

MKC12/22/2006 · February 2013

Daycare costs vary widely depending on the area. MN is the 2nd highest in the nation. In home providers charge 25 a day and the center we could go to charges 37.

JSS1002 · February 2013

MKC12/22/2006:
Daycare costs vary widely depending on the area. MN is the 2nd highest in the nation. In home providers charge 25 a day and the center we could go to charges 37.

Where are you going in Eden Prairie that is only $37 / day?!

MKC12/22/2006 · February 2013

I should note that we are in rural MN. It's more in the cities.

nyki06 · February 2013

Here in the Midwest (at least MN where I live) our cost of living is very low compared to the rest of the US. I'm assuming that that would translate into lower childcare cost, which would not necessarily make is less quality than someone in a different part of the US where they pay 3x more.

sylvie23 · February 2013

Ok, I was mistaken. We are paying $1400 a month and I figured that was average everywhere.

beth00002013 · February 2013

I live in the northern va / dc metro area. 350 per week is a fair average for this area for a good center.

jbrosenk · February 2013

Boston area is so expensive! We live just north and will be paying $1600-1800 for a center. Rates in boston are up to 3k per month!

skidderdo · February 2013

Sounds sketchy. We are paying $1150/mo for M-F daycare

OhSewCrafty · February 2013

jbrosenk:
Boston area is so expensive! We live just north and will be paying $1600-1800 for a center. Rates in boston are up to 3k per month!

My college degree was cheaper than that. Tongue Tied

MsAmeera25 · February 2013

My coworker sends her child to a center and pays 400 a month but she lives in East Atlanta where the cost is lower. The center at my husbands job is also 100 a week for federal employees and I would feel comfortable sending my child there is my husband didn't travel to different offices throughout the week. All the daycare centers near our house and my job range from 250-375 a week so it really depends on the area.

mypalbabs · February 2013

nyki06:
Here in the Midwest (at least MN where I live) our cost of living is very low compared to the rest of the US. I'm assuming that that would translate into lower childcare cost, which would not necessarily make is less quality than someone in a different part of the US where they pay 3x more.

Not in the Twin Cities. The cost of child care is really disparate from the cost of living.

love4b · February 2013

Where we live in Brooklyn, NY it's roughly 2K a month.

heddy79 · February 2013

beth00002013:
I live in the northern va / dc metro area. 350 per week is a fair average for this area for a good center.

This is the same for us in MD.

randimarie86 · February 2013

The lady that will be keeping LO in her home charges $100/week (or just $20/day if we don't have a full week of school, or he misses a day). Like normal day care (at least here), I supply diapers, wipes, and formula/food, and once he is eating regular food like us, she supplies breakfast, lunch and snacks (still $100/week). She keeps no more than 4 at a time, and only 1 under a year old. She only keeps teacher's kids bc she likes her summers and holidays off (I don't pay for those times, and won't lose my spot, and he gets to stay home with me). I guess I should add that she is a friend's mother, so she's not just someone random that a friend of a friend recommended. I have known her for years.

FWIW: daycare for an infant near me is anywhere from $160-$185/week.

silverfanatic · February 2013

I live in one of the top 5 largest cities in SC. Our daycare costs are between $100 and $110 a week. I haven't priced home daycare but these rates seem good to us.

AshleyR2452 · February 2013

It depends a lot on the area. For us, we pay $140 per week per child for an in-home daycare that we are 100% comfortable with. It is one of the lowest in the area though, mostly because she's been doing it for years and just doesn't want to raise her rates. A lot of other places in the area are about $160 per week, and a daycare center for our 2-year old would be $194 per week.

highlights · February 2013

An in home around here is roughly 2/hour. Our center is 25/day.

It just depends on your COL.

OhSewCrafty · February 2013

randimarie86:
The lady that will be keeping LO in her home charges $100/week (or just $20/day if we don't have a full week of school, or he misses a day). Like normal day care (at least here), I supply diapers, wipes, and formula/food, and once he is eating regular food like us, she supplies breakfast, lunch and snacks (still $100/week). She keeps no more than 4 at a time, and only 1 under a year old. She only keeps teacher's kids bc she likes her summers and holidays off (I don't pay for those times, and won't lose my spot, and he gets to stay home with me). I guess I should add that she is a friend's mother, so she's not just someone random that a friend of a friend recommended. I have known her for years.
FWIW: daycare for an infant near me is anywhere from $160-$185/week.

This seriously sounds like the best deal ever.

akraxner · February 2013

We will be paying $135/week. In my area of Iowa the highest I saw was $220/week for a center and the lowest I saw was about $20/day. The $20/day ones weren't great, but the one we are using is certified and I feel very safe with them. I have never been so glad that I don't live in a big city after reading some of your costs. I don't know how anyone can afford it. Yikes!

nyki06 · February 2013

mypalbabs:
nyki06:
Here in the Midwest (at least MN where I live) our cost of living is very low compared to the rest of the US. I'm assuming that that would translate into lower childcare cost, which would not necessarily make is less quality than someone in a different part of the US where they pay 3x more.
Not in the Twin Cities. The cost of child care is really disparate from the cost of living.

That's a bummer. I live in the suburbs in a relatively rural area (for being so close to the Cities) so that probably makes a big difference.

skoogirl · February 2013

My son goes only 3 days a week and we were paying $257/week for a center and that was a deal. Once he hit 2 he went down to $210/week. With DD, we'll be adding $257/week, but getting a 10% discount for 2 kids. So, for the two of them to go just three days/week, we will be paying $420/week or approximately $1821 per month. Ouch.

I can't imagine feeling comfortable with paying someone just $100 per week. I also struggled with the idea of an in-home daycare though, which is why we decided the center was right for us.

Monsieur_et_Madame_Ha · February 2013

I'm going to echo PP and say prices vary A LOT based on where you live.

Around these parts, rates can go from $25 to $45/day (that goes for both in-home and centers), so anywhere from $125 to $225 a week.

If you feel the $100/week rate is too low, I say ask for references (actually, you should do that regardless of how much a place wants to charge you).

nessahm · February 2013

I live in a MD subburb right outside of DC and I pay $300/week for my daughter to go to preschool full time (which is actually pretty cheap around here). For an infant, depending on the center, it is between 350-450 per week. I plan on getting a nanny to watch our newborn FT and DD 2 days/week and will pay her about 450 per week, in addition to that I'll have to pay for DD to stay in preschool 3 days a week which will probably be 150 or so. So a total of about 600/week for two kids (about 31k a year). Holy sh*t.

Angela814 · February 2013

Cost of living is so variable that it's really hard to compare.

Some of our options here are a large center that's $285/week or a small center out of a church that's $230/week. In-homes quoted me anywhere from $4-6/hour, which for a typical 10 hour day (8 hr work, 1 hr lunch, 30 min commute) ended up being anywhere from $200-300/week.

I would assume that the neighbor volunteered to nanny just to make some extra money and probably doesn't really care about how much she's making. Also, if she's paid cash, it's essentially tax free income.

mngildersleeve · February 2013

It really does all depend on location. DH and I were looking at centers and for one month it is pretty much equal to my monthly income so no point in going that route!!

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