Surviving Daycare Costs

2008-03-13 10:14:06

( Business )



Daycare Costs - The Biggest of All Household Expenses

Working parents spend roughly between eight to fifteen thousand dollars a year to have someone to take care of their young children during working hours. Even when the child is of school age, he or she still needs supervision before and after school hours.

Common Daycare Alternatives

If you have children of preschool age and you're a working parent, you have several choices.

Getting a stay-in nanny or babysitter may be the most convenient, as she can care for your children right in your own home. However, this is also the most expensive method, since you have to pay her a regular salary as well as provide for her meals during the day.

Another alternative is to bring your child to a daycare center which also accommodates other children. Daycare centers have one or more caregivers who supervise the children. This may cost less than individualized daycare, and the child has the opportunity to interact with other children.

Some schools provide after-school daycare services for an extra fee. All the children who belong to the after-school program stay together in one classroom and do homework or play with each other until the parents come and pick them up.

There are pros and cons to each of these alternatives. While it may be ideal for your child to receive individualized attention from a caregiver, this is most costly. Being in a daycare center may be cheaper, but may not suit a child who needs more care and attention, especially one who has disabilities. Your child will also have to put up with children of different personalities and may not necessarily get along with them.

Furthermore, engaging a nanny or a daycare center for your child does not necessarily guarantee his safety. There have been horror stories of child abuse and neglect occurring either with individual or group daycare services.

Beating Around Daycare Costs

There are several other solutions you can explore in order to survive high daycare costs.

You can check whether the daycare center will give you a special discount if you bring your own daycare supplies, such as snacks and educational materials for your child. You can also take turns with other parents in this responsibility, and you may be able to cut daycare costs.

You may want to consider moving to a company which can provide free daycare services for your child as part of your benefits. You can check on your child every now and then, and spend your breaks with him.

Another way to beat daycare costs is to quit your job and put up your own daycare center instead. You can either do this alone or with friends, and it's also a viable income opportunity. There are many helpful books and websites which can give you great pointers on how to open a daycare center.


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