What do you pay for child car/preschool? How to save?

[coastalhh]

Thread should say child care not child car..autocorrected.

Our daycare is currently around $555 per month down from $620 when she was in the baby room. (21 months now)

Our friends in urban area's have to pay much more so we know it could be worse but it is still a big expense for us and we worry about having a second child with this expense x2.

We are currently looking at preschools that are closer to 900 a month and more school style for next fall. But have not yet decided to leave her in daycare or make the move to a preschool. This preschool still has full work hours(we both work) but has more days off in a school type of calendar

Did you move out of traditional daycare to a more structured and more expensive preschool? Why or why not?



(I understand none of us are in the same facilities so experience will vary greatly)

 

[staceyeileen]

I'm not sure I understand your question about moving from daycare to preschool, because around here once the child is about 3 daycares are basically the same as structured preschool, but a daycare will also have the option for extended hours care. Is your daughter currently in a home daycare where they don't have a structured program?

To answer your question, I currently pay $100/week for my 4yo son in Pre-K. This is for care available from 6:30am-6:30pm and includes breakfast, lunch, and snack. BUT the state of Florida has a state-sponsored Pre-K program that all 4yos are eligible for and that covers 3hrs/day for free. Without that subsidy, it'd be about $140/week (which is what I pay on public school holiday weeks)

The most I ever paid was $200/week for him as an infant in 2010.

 

[Gracie09]

Check the cost of a nanny. We paid $12 or 1300 a month for dd when she was an infant. This summer we will pay $600 a week for both our girls to go to a ymca camp. (They are five).
I wasn't working when we started fostering dd 2 but if I was we would have gotten a nanny full time until they were in school. It's just less expensive.

 

[skittlesrock]

Thread should say child care not child car..autocorrected.

Our daycare is currently around $555 per month down from $620 when she was in the baby room. (21 months now)

Our friends in urban area's have to pay much more so we know it could be worse but it is still a big expense for us and we worry about having a second child with this expense x2.

We are currently looking at preschools that are closer to 900 a month and more school style for next fall. But have not yet decided to leave her in daycare or make the move to a preschool. This preschool still has full work hours(we both work) but has more days off in a school type of calendar

Did you move out of traditional daycare to a more structured and more expensive preschool? Why or why not?



(I understand none of us are in the same facilities so experience will vary greatly)

Wow, how do u afford to work????? That's why I'm a stay at home mom during day!! I don't even make that much!!! I pay $130 a month for my daughter's preK. 4 days a week. 2 hrs a day

 

[skittlesrock]

Check the cost of a nanny. We paid $12 or 1300 a month for dd when she was an infant. This summer we will pay $600 a week for both our girls to go to a ymca camp. (They are five).
I wasn't working when we started fostering dd 2 but if I was we would have gotten a nanny full time until they were in school. It's just less expensive.

600 a week????? Good Lord, I would love to make your kind of money!!!!!

 

[nugov2]

I'd say $900 sounds about right. My ds's preschool is $340 a month for 5 days 8:30-11:30. If I wanted before and after care it is $840 a month. I have never used daycare, but I would for sure want to move my child to an environment with a true program as they got a little older vs one that didn't have one. I can't help you with a nanny vs daycare option, but I'd imagine it would be a lot more than if you just moved to the more expensive facility.

 

[OZMom]

Those numbers are why we chose to just have me stay home. With 2 kids in daycare, I would have been paying at MINIMUM 1600 a month for daycare in our area. We pay $265 a month for preschool for DS4. He currently goes 2 days a week for 4 hours a day. He will be 4 when he starts Kindergarten next year because of where the cut offs fall in our district, but it is full day.

 

[klmrph]

My 4 year old goes to Montessori three full days with extended care (8 to 5) and it's about $475 per month, when she goes 5 days next year, it will be about $600 per month.

 

[Sleepy425]

My boys are only in daycare 3 full days a week (they are 2 and 4. The 4 year old's program has preschool built in). We pay $285/week for both.
My (foster, hopefully soon to be adopted) daughters are 15 months. Their daycare bill is $550/week total(they go 4 days a week). We will be responsible for that once they are adopted. So if things move quickly And we adopt them before my oldest starts K in the fall, it could be $800+/week in day care.

 

[staceyeileen]

I didn't want to have two in daycare at the same time. Baby #2 is due in June and DS goes to Kindergarten in August. Perfect timing!

 

[Saimaeve]

Four years ago I started working from home so that cut down my child care expenses quite a bit. Before we paid between $75 -$150 a week depending on where we lived and how old she was.

Summer is coming and I've considered a day camp care and expecting that to be $300 a month or so.

 

[coastalhh]

I didn't want to have two in daycare at the same time. Baby #2 is due in June and DS goes to Kindergarten in August. Perfect timing!

This is the timing we are hoping for. Two at once would lead to several cut backs to make it work for us.

 

[OZMom]

My 4 year old goes to Montessori three full days with extended care (8 to 5) and it's about $475 per month, when she goes 5 days next year, it will be about $600 per month.

Ours is Montessori as well. We love the program. Worth every penny IMO

 

[CalDisneyMomof2]

My son goes to a church preschool. He only goes 3 days a week, 8:00-12:30 those three days. Price just went up $20 to $275 a month. His school is on the border of Orange and L.A. County. I'm considering sending him 4 full days starting in the fall which will cost us $440 a month. We have it really good.

I've inquired at other preschools locally and they're anywhere from $200-$300 a WEEK. His school is 6 miles from our house and was originally chosen because it's a halfway point from my mom's who would pick my boys up. I'm thinking we'll keep him there even though there's about a dozen schools closer.

 

[staceyeileen]

Four years ago I started working from home so that cut down my child care expenses quite a bit. Before we paid between $75 -$150 a week depending on where we lived and how old she was.

I work from home full-time, but I can't imagine having a baby home with me. I would not get any work done. How does that work out for you?

 

[coastalhh]

I'm not sure I understand your question about moving from daycare to preschool, because around here once the child is about 3 daycares are basically the same as structured preschool, but a daycare will also have the option for extended hours care. Is your daughter currently in a home daycare where they don't have a structured program?

To answer your question, I currently pay $100/week for my 4yo son in Pre-K. This is for care available from 6:30am-6:30pm and includes breakfast, lunch, and snack. BUT the state of Florida has a state-sponsored Pre-K program that all 4yos are eligible for and that covers 3hrs/day for free. Without that subsidy, it'd be about $140/week (which is what I pay on public school holiday weeks)

The most I ever paid was $200/week for him as an infant in 2010.

Our daycare is very basic with somewhat high ratios of teacher to kids. They do some learning and structure and it's great for learning to behave and play with others etc.. But the full preschool programs do more for getting them ready for school with structured learning.

We have to apply for the preschool. Pay an application fee etc.. Then if we get in its a lot more money. The more I say it out loud the more I just want to stay where I am at... But we will tour the preschool before we decide. We have to apply by the end of March for the start at the end of August.

Should have mentioned the preschool is about 15 minutes closer than our current day care. Which would be nice..but probably not worth 400 a month extra.

 

[tvguy]

Been 25 years since I had a child in pre-school, it was $125 a week then. Rate card for the same school now is $275, but of course you can use a Flexible Spending Account to pay for it with pre-tax money, so the end amount you actually pay with the tax savings can be about 20% less.

 

[bcwife76]

I've been a stay at home mom for the past 6 years because daycare is insane around here. If I had my two girls in daycare it would easily run me $1200+ a month. My oldest is now in grade one, youngest is just finishing preschool (going to Kindergarten in September); she goes to preschool for 2.5 hrs 3 times a week at a cost of $185/month.

 

[Gracie09]

600 a week????? Good Lord, I would love to make your kind of money!!!!!

I live in a high cost of living area. My small 3 bedroom 2 bath ranch on 1/3 acre house cost almost half a million. My property taxes alone are over 11,000. I may make more than the average American but my normal expenses including child care are also more.

 

[MrsSkellington]

My son goes to a small, Reggio based daycare. It's just over $1100/month. That does seem to be a decent rate though for a quality center. Even the big chain daycares are around that much in my area.