DC Question/Intro

PB&J714 · December 2013

Hi all,

Just a quick intro: I lurk here from time to time, but am mostly active on BOTB and Baby Name boards. DH and I have been discussing TTC #1 in the next year or so, finances, etc. and I'm realizing how little I know about cost of DC in our area. It is a very significant expense that I would like to be able to anticipate before TTC, so my question for all of you is: how did you go about researching DCs? I'm just not sure where to begin: DC center, in-home DC, nanny? What should I be looking for as far as certifications? Any help is appreciated. Once I get a better idea on cost, we'll be able to see where that fits into our budget in the future.

Thanks!

jf198400 · December 2013

I only looked at DC centers. I basically just called up all the centers near our home and went for a tour and that's when they gave me their pricing info. I also belong to a local moms group on Facebook. People post on there all the time asking for daycare recommendations both centers and in homes. That's a good way to get a very general idea of cost in your area. I think its premature to actually start touring before you are pregnant, unless you live in an area with very long waiting lists.

groovygrl · December 2013

I also was only interested in centers. I think the first step might be to figure out which one of those options you want to explore, though obviously some ppl explore both center & in home DC and then decide which one is a good fit. There isn't much you can do re a nanny at this point except understanding the cost (which would be very much based upon where you live) and understanding the legal and contractual things to consider (taxes, vacation/sick leave, hours you'd expect, etc). If you'd really like that kind of care you could explore an au pair as well.

I personally would only use a licensed DC, home or center. Most states have a site where you can look & see how they're rated (star system or otherwise) and whether there have been complaints or issues lodged. That can help you narrow down, then visit them, talk to the director, find out about wait lists so you're on top of that when the time comes, get the current pricing (and expect it to be higher when your LO is here). Make sure you think about open & closing times, late policies, vacation/free week policies (or lack thereof), etc. I wouldn't make any sort of decision at this point obviously b/c so much can change but it would help you to have some idea of how things work.

Ditto the local message boards- a FB page would be good or where I used to live there was a super active board from themommiesnetwork.com (they only have boards in certain cities and my current city is not at all active but the last one was).... you can join those types of things before having kids to get info (in fact I used the mommies one quite a bit before I had kids for non-kid related things like finding service providers, etc).

GL!

PB&J714 · December 2013

Thank you for the responses! Good to know what kinds of policies I should be considering. I know, it's kind of hard to get any concrete numbers right now since we don't even have a LO yet. But I'll start researching licensed providers and see what I can find. We're in Columbus, OH, so I'm sure there are some mommy groups that can give me some great advice as well!

emberlee3 · December 2013

I never considered researching anything until I got pregnant. If you are looking for general cost, most large centers post their tuition rates on their websites. Or talk to friends and coworkers about their child care expenses.

82Sonia · December 2013

You need to think about what you're going to feel the most comfortable with. Do you want the oversight, classrooms of close ages, and extended hours of a center? Do you want your child to be the only child cared for by a single person (nanny)? Do you want a home based atmosphere with multiple ages?

A center appealed to us so that's what we went with. We did briefly entertain a nanny search through an agency after we got fed up with the typical DC illnesses but ultimately stuck with the center.

The prices for each are going to fluctuate wildly depending on where you live. For example, I'm in a high COLA and I pay $1775 for 5 days a week in the infant room. A professional nanny was going to cost us about $22-$25/hour.

Most centers have their tuition rates on their websites. Your state will also have some sort of Department of Early Learning that has each licensed facility listed.

VitaLuna · December 2013

Like others have said, first decide what you want (center, in home, or nanny) and go from there. In my experience, in home is least expensive, then center, then nanny. We only looked at centers, then nannies when there wasn't an opening at the center.

jasminelorraine20 · December 2013

We researched centers and wasn't crazy about DS being in one, so we decided on an in-home DC. My cousin recommended his Aunt to me and she had all of her certifications. Her contract included every possible detail that you could think of and the price is extremely reasonable and fits within our budget. The CDC (Child Development Center) on base would've charged us less, but I don't like how the center is ran and there's just not enough eyes in my opinion so that narrowed down our choice. The commute is around 30 minutes each way, but it's completely worth it and we couldn't be happier.

PB&J714 · December 2013

emberlee3 said:

I never considered researching anything until I got pregnant. If you are looking for general cost, most large centers post their tuition rates on their websites. Or talk to friends and coworkers about their child care expenses.

I know it seems like I'm putting the cart before the horse. But I'm just looking for general numbers so that DH and I can consider that in our "baby budget." He doesn't want to give up ALL of our fun money once we have a LO, and I realized I had no numbers we could discuss.

And unfortunately, all of our neighbors/co-workers with LOs either stay home with them or use family for child-care. So they really don't know the cost either. Bummer.

PB&J714 · December 2013

Estwd2 said:

https://www.odjfs.state.oh.us/cdc/query.asp There's your childcare directory for OH. You can search in your area and check out their inspection reports to see if they have any serious violations.

Thank you!!

umma4babes · January 2014

I have a friend who has a doctorate in education and she recommended searching for daycares certified by National Association for the Education of young children (NAEYC) www.naecy.org. These centers have to meet extra requirements in addition to state certification to get this seal. I found several, but the ones near my work had 18 month waiting period (still waiting to hear back from a couple of places after 3 years). We got lucky and found one near our neighborhood. We paid about $1500 per month, regardless of holidays or if we didn't send him due to vacation, sickness etc.

The reason I only looked at daycares was because my job is not very flexible and we can't deal with a backup sitter when the nanny is sick, late or moves/quits. I was less than impressed with in-home care, most had a mixed age group of kids which I definitely did not want and the ratio of kids per caregiver was too high for my comfort level.

Our son was a surprise so I didn't research daycares until I was already pregnant, but I certainly would have done so before getting pregnant if I had a chance.

EMOmamma · January 2014

I just checked a few centers. I figure they're middle of the road - home care centers are cheaper and nannies are more expensive.
FYI - for 2 kids our cost is almost double our mortgage each month. Seriously. Ugh.

umma4babes · January 2014

EMOmamma said:
I just checked a few centers. I figure they're middle of the road - home care centers are cheaper and nannies are more expensive.
FYI - for 2 kids our cost is almost double our mortgage each month. Seriously. Ugh.

I'm expecting my second very soon and we will be paying 1.5x more for childcare than our mortgage. Not quite double, but still a lot! It's kind of crazy when you think about it!

mommatotwo2 · January 2014

Generally speaking, home daycare is going to be the least expensive and nannies are the most expensive. Centers will usually fall in the middle. It definitely varies by state, so you would have to call around/look around, but you are correct, daycare is a very significant expense. For one infant in care and one child in part time care, both in a center, we pay more in childcare than our mortgage each month. We specifically waited to have our 2nd child until the first one was in kindergarten because we could not afford 2 kids in daycare.

djm31012 · January 2014

i think all PPs gave great advice. Its probably most important to figure out what type of care you need. Full time/part time, what are your hours, how difficult would it be to do drop offs/pick ups. Can you find back up care easily if a nanny gets sick OR if your LO gets sick. Then chekc out the costs...Nanny will be the most expensive. Day care and au pair a bit less...In home day care the least (but also my area doesnt really have any in home cares so yours may not either). Also--nannies you cant look into until somewhat last minute (ie you would be willing to hire within 2 mos). Day care usually needs to be done in advance as there are wait lists.

DaisyJanie · January 2014

Since you're undecided, you probably want to start by researching centers. Like someone else said, many have their rates posted online. When you do get pregnant, go ahead and get yourself on a waiting list of at least one of your preferred centers. In-home care places might not know their availability 9 mos- a year out, but centers will fill their slots fast. So even if you keep looking for in-home care as your pregnancy progresses, you know you have the option of a center.

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