Day Care costs

[HoneyBBQ]

I just got our annual email for "tuition" rates at our local day care. 

The price for an infant room has gone up 20% in the past 3 years (since DD was in the infant room) and is now: 

$2485 per month!

Infant - 2485
Toddler - 2365
Twos - 2195
preschool - 1850


Makes me so happy I have a cranky 3 yr old and not an infant!!

I am really amazed that day care is 25-30k/yr. Just amazing. 

I am very blessed/lucky/thankful that I can afford to have my career. So many people (especially women) can't.

[Deleted]

Jul 21, 2015 17:40:37 GMT -5 HoneyBBQ said:

I just got our annual email for "tuition" rates at our local day care. 

The price for an infant room has gone up 20% in the past 3 years (since DD was in the infant room) and is now: 

$2485 per month!

Infant - 2485
Toddler - 2365
Twos - 2195
preschool - 1850


Makes me so happy I have a cranky 3 yr old and not an infant!!

I am really amazed that day care is 25-30k/yr. Just amazing. 

I am very blessed/lucky/thankful that I can afford to have my career. So many people (especially women) can't.

That is a lot of money, frankly I am shocked.

[sbcalimom]

Oh my! We live in a much lower cost of living area but even here it's a big chunk of salaries. We used to pay $185/wk for DD who was 3 and $125/wk just for before and after care for DD who was 5. Now, we're at $250 a week for both of them so it is a little cheaper.

I think last year we paid $17K for both girls - so high but not nearly that high.

[taz157]

Holy SHIT!!!  

I thought what DH and I paid for DD when she was an infant was high ($400/week) and she turns 4 in 2 weeks!  We ended up changing because we were going broke (FWIW, I our daycare was a SAHM neighbor). We now paid $195/week to a licensed preschool.     I don't know what the infant rates are now but I have been thinking of asking (even though #2 is now the horizon at the moment).

[MJ2.0]

I live in a HCOLA and we didn't even pay 1/3 that. Must be the Rolls Royce of daycares.

[Deleted]

OMG.  I seriously cannot imagine.  I don't even take home enough to cover that and it's almost double my mortgage payment. 

I'm counting down as it is.  Four more weeks of daycare @ $110/week and he's off to Kindy! 

[wvugurl26]

My coworker paid $400/week for infant and I thought that was crazy. He pays $700 now for infant and 3 year old.

[HoneyBBQ]

Jul 21, 2015 17:48:34 GMT -5 MJ2.0 said:

I live in a HCOLA and we didn't even pay 1/3 that. Must be the Rolls Royce of daycares.

It's a nice place but it doesn't have a golden entry way or anything. 

It's downtown Seattle (HCOLA) and in the middle of the financial/medical center so they "know" you have the money. They can get away with it. The waiting list is 2+ years long for infant.

[giramomma]

Yeah. We're paying $600/month for 9 hours of week for preschool/daycare for our peanut for this coming school year. It's a good thing she's cute.

I'm in a MCOLA, and daycare is 1700/month for an infant in a good setting.

Just think, 35 years ago, my parents paid $.75/hour for daycare for me.  So, that was $120/month. I would minimally expect to see daycare costs for my grandkids to be triple what we are paying now, given that rate of inflation...

[NastyWoman]

Jul 21, 2015 18:01:45 GMT -5 HoneyBBQ said:

Jul 21, 2015 17:48:34 GMT -5 MJ2.0 said:

I live in a HCOLA and we didn't even pay 1/3 that. Must be the Rolls Royce of daycares.

It's a nice place but it doesn't have a golden entry way or anything. 

It's downtown Seattle (HCOLA) and in the middle of the financial/medical center so they "know" you have the money. They can get away with it. The waiting list is 2+ years long for infant.

How can you have a 2+ year waiting list for an infant?  If you sign up the moment you pee on a stick and see a "+", the kid would still be a toddler before s/he got in? It boggles the mind...

[Deleted]

Jul 21, 2015 18:13:56 GMT -5 alwaysbeoptimizing said:

Jul 21, 2015 17:49:18 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

OMG.  I seriously cannot imagine.  I don't even take home enough to cover that and it's almost double my mortgage payment. 

I'm counting down as it is.  Four more weeks of daycare @ $110/week and he's off to Kindy! 

I live by BBQ.

We pay 2,650/month for two three year olds (total 2650)

When they hit kindy, we'll pay

$550/each/month for before/after care (at the school grounds)

3K/year/each for full day kindergarden because our school district isn't poor

so in kindy we'd be 1500/month during school (total for two)

I'll drop to about $130/month for after school care.  That's what I paid last year too, but I also had to pay $495/month preschool tuition.  I might get by with less too if I let him ride the bus home a day a week and his 13 year old brother watches him.  Haven't decided on that one yet because brother has a lot of stuff going on during the year.  

[MJ2.0]

So basically sign up a year before you're thinking you want to have a kid.

[HoneyBBQ]

Jul 21, 2015 18:14:58 GMT -5 NastyWoman said:

Jul 21, 2015 18:01:45 GMT -5 HoneyBBQ said:

It's a nice place but it doesn't have a golden entry way or anything. 

It's downtown Seattle (HCOLA) and in the middle of the financial/medical center so they "know" you have the money. They can get away with it. The waiting list is 2+ years long for infant.

How can you have a 2+ year waiting list for an infant?  If you sign up the moment you pee on a stick and see a "+", the kid would still be a tddler before s/he got in? It boggles the mind...

Tell me about it! It makes no fking sense. But what about small children does?? LOL. 

GET ON A LIST BEFORE YOU EVEN THINK OF CONCEIVING!!! that's the basic idea. 

[tskeeter]

Jul 21, 2015 17:40:37 GMT -5 HoneyBBQ said:

I just got our annual email for "tuition" rates at our local day care. 

The price for an infant room has gone up 20% in the past 3 years (since DD was in the infant room) and is now: 

$2485 per month!

Infant - 2485
Toddler - 2365
Twos - 2195
preschool - 1850


Makes me so happy I have a cranky 3 yr old and not an infant!!

I am really amazed that day care is 25-30k/yr. Just amazing. 

I am very blessed/lucky/thankful that I can afford to have my career. So many people (especially women) can't.

Guess that's how deciding to have a child becomes the $250,000 decision. 

[milee]

$2485 a month equates to an annual salary of approximately $30k or $15/hr. Not sure it would be the case in HCOLA like Seattle, but in many other areas, I'd be thinking long and hard about hiring a nanny instead of paying that for daycare since the cost difference wouldn't be great and you'd get more flexibility with a nanny. With more than one kid, the nanny would actually be a cost savings.

As for the $1500/month alwaysbeoptimizing will be paying for full day kindy and aftercare, I'd be tempted to seek out a grandma type to do that instead of going the school route.  Not only for the added flexibility and more personal nature of the care, but because full day plus aftercare is a long, long day of having to be "on" for little people.  Mine would have melted if they'd done all day kindy plus aftercare at that age...but having a "grandma" pick them up, play, bake a little would be fun for them.

All that said, I'm in complete agreement with alwaysbeoptimizing's wife that $1500 a month is a bargain price to pay not to live with your MIL.  In fact, not living with MIL = PRICELESS. 

 

[giramomma]

Jul 21, 2015 18:36:25 GMT -5 milee said:

$2485 a month equates to an annual salary of approximately $30k or $15/hr. Not sure it would be the case in HCOLA like Seattle, but in many other areas, I'd be thinking long and hard about hiring a nanny instead of paying that for daycare since the cost difference wouldn't be great and you'd get more flexibility with a nanny. With more than one kid, the nanny would actually be a cost savings.

 

In my parts, you pay a nanny $15/hour. That doesn't even cover all of the other costs, the taxes, etc.

You get more flexibility with a nanny, but when the nanny is sick and takes vacation and holiday time, you are more at risk than if you go to a center.

We were lucky that our HDCP only took like 3 or 4 days of vacation a year outside of legal holidays. I don't think most people would agree to that.

[quince]

We pay $200/week for part time.  It is an in home daycare which we love, but the larger daycare that is a bit closer to us is ~2.5K/month for an infant-toddler. 

Nope, and at the same time, I wouldn't accept that little to watch someone else's infant/toddler.

[alabamagal]

Makes college seem like a good deal!

Thankful that I paid $90 a week for infants 24 years ago.

When I had 3 I paid nanny $190 a week. Had her for 6 years until youngest was in 1st grade. I paid taxes worth it for child care credit.

[NastyWoman]

$2485 a month equates to an annual salary of approximately $30k

But since you'd be paying for this with after tax money, you might have to make $20/hr just to hand over all your earnings for daycare.  How are soc. workers, admins, etc. supposed to pay for something like this.

As for signing the kid up for daycare the moment you start thinking about having a child, you'd better not be very fertile (get prenant within the first month out) or encounter fertility problems (says the woman who got pregnant exactly twice in 16 yrs of trying to conceive --- and I have two sons to prove that we ultimately succeeded  , or worse yet move to another area with similar supply problems. A 2+ yr waiting list for infant care is beyond crazy!  

[milee]

Jul 21, 2015 19:31:30 GMT -5 NastyWoman said:

$2485 a month equates to an annual salary of approximately $30k

But since you'd be paying for this with after tax money, you might have to make $20/hr just to hand over all your earnings for daycare.  How are soc. workers, admins, etc. supposed to pay for something like this.

Read the rest of my post and you'll see that the "annual salary" reference is to show what amount you could pay a nanny and be approximately even.

I didn't comment on how much a person would have to earn to pay a nanny $30k, since every person's tax, benefit, etc situation is so different. 

[cronewitch]

I am retired and don't need the money but I would watch an infant or two for 3-6K a month they don't even walk how much trouble can they be? Why don't more people open day care centers? Two employees at 400 a week each could easily watch 2 infants and 4 toddlers. The money from toddlers would be profit and if an employee called in sick I could watch the babies.

[MJ2.0]

Jul 21, 2015 21:01:18 GMT -5 cronewitch said:

I am retired and don't need the money but I would watch an infant or two for 3-6K a month they don't even walk how much trouble can they be? Why don't more people open day care centers? Two employees at 400 a week each could easily watch 2 infants and 4 toddlers. The money from toddlers would be profit and if an employee called in sick I could watch the babies.

It's not just about watching kids anymore - it's about teaching and helping them develop. Also, there is a lot of certification and insurance to go through if you want to be a legitimate DCP. The teachers don't really make that much money when all's said and done.

[taz157]

FWIW, 2 of my clients are daycare centers (I'm not sure on the ages though).  I reviewed both returns today and neither company made any net income in 2014.  Let's just say, they don't make much money once all the expenses are paid and trust me, the owner is hardly paid anything (including distributions).

[giramomma]

Jul 21, 2015 21:01:18 GMT -5 cronewitch said:

I am retired and don't need the money but I would watch an infant or two for 3-6K a month they don't even walk how much trouble can they be?

Clearly, you've never met a "spirited" or "high-needs" baby. Or a kid that doesn't burp easily and then takes it out on you by out spitting up like the girl in the Exorcist.

My last child didn't walk until she was over a year. But she was army crawling by 4 months and doing stairs very well by 7 months.

[cronewitch]

Maybe the high needs parents would be worse than the high needs babies. My niece did daycare in the home all by herself when her son was 3 and she was pregnant all the kids were from his prior daycare and all his age. She couldn't even go to the kitchen to make lunch but had to stay in the same room as them all day. She put a little kitchen in the daycare area with a tiny stove and frig and mini sink. All day was scripted because the kids knew the drill she would ask do you want to go outside and they would start singing, clean up clean up so she had them clean up before going out. She offered them lunch and they said and then a nap so they got naps. Once they trained her she would say lunch and they would whine no nap, but they knew, naps after lunch. She gave it up while five months pregnant because she didn't need the money and became a housewife.
I don't really want a bunch of kids dropped off early every morning and picked up late with all the mess and making them lunch and snacks, babies might be easier since you can just give them bottles and change them, I wouldn't let them crawl, I would lock them in cages or sound proof booths. This may be a bad plan, I have never changed a disposable diaper or used baby wipes. I babysat my cousin when she was little almost 55 years ago and she had to tell me how to dress her since I could figure out all the little shirts and thing I just asked her now what is next. She could say puppy but I don't remember her knowing more words. She would point to the door and say puppy so I would take her outside to pet her brother's new puppy then walk around the house and back in until she said puppy again in about 5 minutes. Now she has a farm full of animals and competes in horse shows raises lots of pets and her daughter was a rodeo princess now mother of 2 year old horse lover.

[Ryan]

My town has a median income of $140K and the monthly rates for daycare for an infant is $1300/month at the pish-posh place around here.  That place is a smaller "chain" of daycare/preschools that tend to only open up in the affluent suburbs around my area.  Interestinglythough, I have heard that the more "big box" daycares charge around $1800/month for infants so not totally sure what the deal is there.

For my twin 3 year olds, I paid $1100/month to send the two of them to a church based preschool that had a full day option.  

[gooddecisions]

Daycare has definitely been on my mind, too. Right now I pay $552/week, but when #3 is here it will be almost $900/week or about $45,000/ year.   And, it's all got to be cash flowed because there is no student loans for daycare!

[TheHaitian]

Jul 21, 2015 22:35:13 GMT -5 gooddecisions said:

Daycare has definitely been on my mind, too. Right now I pay $552/week, but when #3 is here it will be almost $900/week or about $45,000/ year.   And, it's all got to be cash flowed because there is no student loans for daycare!

Look on the bright side; You are getting prepped for college costs

[DVM gone riding]

Jul 21, 2015 22:35:13 GMT -5 gooddecisions said:

Daycare has definitely been on my mind, too. Right now I pay $552/week, but when #3 is here it will be almost $900/week or about $45,000/ year.   And, it's all got to be cash flowed because there is no student loans for daycare!

HOW!! I make a little over 90k a year but at that price for daycare i a) couldn't have 3 kids b) would almost need to quit and go on state aid! Bec at 90k you get no tax benefits and after taxes, SL debt, housing there is a lot less than 45k left over to live on and that is before food, life etc.

[Deleted]

Jul 21, 2015 17:40:37 GMT -5 HoneyBBQ said:

I just got our annual email for "tuition" rates at our local day care. 

The price for an infant room has gone up 20% in the past 3 years (since DD was in the infant room) and is now: 

$2485 per month!

Infant - 2485
Toddler - 2365
Twos - 2195
preschool - 1850


Makes me so happy I have a cranky 3 yr old and not an infant!!

I am really amazed that day care is 25-30k/yr. Just amazing. 

I am very blessed/lucky/thankful that I can afford to have my career. So many people (especially women) can't.

Shoot HoneyBBQ, are they teaching the babies programming at that price? 

Actually, they are probably just paying the carers at a decent wage since infant ratios are so low.