OT: Childcare rates

[goofy4wdw2]

For those of you who use a babysitter or nanny for childcare during the day, either in your home or the babysitter's home, how much do you pay per hour? Is that cash/non-taxed, or is is taxed? In your home or their home? We've had someone babysit our daughter in our home 3 days per week for one year, but then put DD2 in daycare when the babysitter couldn't watch her over the summer (her own kids were out of school). I'm pregnant with our second child, so we need to decide what to do about childcare those 3 days per week after maternity leave. The babysitter receved $10/hour for my DD, or $16/hour when she watched my DD and nephew (same age). The babysitter is now asking $20/hour for 2 children, and says her rates are cheap. All of the research we've done shows us that she is already well compensated, but maybe we're way off base. She is great with the kids, but doesn't do any household duties/laundry or any driving of the kids anywhere. We provide all of the kids' food. Your thoughts and experiences with rates for 1, 2, or 3 children? Thank you!

 

[NotUrsula]

That's dirt cheap. Jump at it.

PS: I meant that it is dirt cheap for a nanny who comes into your home, when one of the children is an infant. It would be pricey for daycare that also had other kids, though not so much if one of the kids was an infant. I would expect some child-related housekeeping for that price (meals for the children and those dishes, baby laundry, clean the children's rooms), but I don't think that it is unreasonable at all.

Most large licensed daycares that I have experience with will charge around $280/wk for an infant these days (if you can get a spot), and about $200 for a 2 yo. No breaks if you are not there for the entire week, because a spot is a spot.

 

[goofy4wdw2]

Hmm...do you think $80/day(8 hours) for 1 child or $160/day for 2 children is dirt cheap?

Anyone else with thoughts on this? Thanks!

 

[Stasieki]

WOW.... that seems expensive if I am reading it correctly. I pay $140/week to take our 18 month old to someone elses house (she watched a few kids). That also includes her feeding them. We are in Florida as I am sure it varies. I know my friend in Atlanta pays more like $200/week. Also... this is for FULL time. Believe it or not, there isn't too much different b/w full or part time. My friends, who takes her two kids to the same lady for three days a week pays $105/week per child.

 

[flipflop]

We have triplets who go to a sitter in her home. She is related to us and cuts us a break. Normally it would be $200 a week per child. We pay $475 cash for 48 hours a week for all 3. We send food.

We looked into a Nanny. That would have run around $725 a week for 45-50 hours.

Our au pair arrives next week and that runs about $450 a week for 45 hours (when you add in all the agency fees, educational costs, etc).

I think $20 per hour for 2 children is high IF it is a full time gig AND you have to bring your kids to her. If this is part-time and she comes to your house, does laundry, etc, than it may be close to reasonable (I would try to get her down to $17) since you will have a newborn and part-time nannies get paid more per hour than full-time nannies. Unlike an out-of-your-home but in someone else's home child care situation, there is can be a bigger disparity in per hour pay between full-time and part-time nannies.

We live in central, coastal NJ.

Hope that helps.

 

[abouley]

$20 sounds high to me but depends where you are at. I am in CA and we were looking into a nanny for between $12-$14 for my 2 kids. I had one lady lined up who had her own daughter and was going to bring her to my house to watch my infant and was going to work for $10/hr. I decided to go the daycare route and I pay $180/week for full time although I only work 3 days so don't usually use all my days. My 3.5 year old is in preschool those same 3 days and it is $450/month!

Alison

 

[jakoky]

that is a LOT of money...i do in home babysitting and for 1 child i charge 30 dollars a day and 40 dollars for 2...i supply all food and i do claim some of my income....i am not sure how anyone could "afford" to work paying 20 dollars an hour..and i would feel guilty taking that..i would look around to see what others charge...i know that around here, i have never heard of rates that high...good luck
sharon

 

[Colinsmom]

We pay $14/hr for a part-time (3 days/week) amazing nanny in the suburbs of Chicago. Two children, 5yo boy and 18mo boy. She does drive them a small amount and has no household duties (laundry, etc.). This is in our home. We pay her taxes on top of the $14/hr (so she takes home $14/hr, we pay all the taxes, and we get to claim the child care expenses.

 

[nicolemomof4cuties]

I run a licensed in-home daycare and I charge a flat fee of $100.00 per week per child regardless of hours. I provide the childrens meals with the exception of special dietary needs and formula. The parents also provide formula, diapers, baby wipes, and any rash ointment that is needed. I have been doing home based care for the past 5 years and have beenpretty successful thus far. Before this I worked in daycare centers for 7 year. They charge around $50-70 per child more than I do. I think that is ridiculous and refuse to do that to people. Who can afford that!?! P.S. I also pay taxes on ALL of my income.

 

[Princess Roo]

That would be just a little high for the Atlanta area, I think, unless she has a degree in early childhood education or something similar. I've never looked into nannies, but it's a frequent discussion at the women's functions in our neighborhood - LOL. So all I know is that in our neighborhood, where many people use the high-end daycares (like Creme de le Creme at $1400-1600 per month per child), apparently hiring a good legal nanny who speaks English well but doesn't have an education degree, is about the same cost as that daycare for two children. It's hard to get an exact hourly rate from that, but I would put that around $15/hour when you figure that it's more than 40 hours per week, but a few weeks vacation are generally built in. Usually it's also a little more per hour if you don't use the nanny full-time, unless you work out a nanny-share with another family. HTH!

 

[asmit4]

For those of you who use a babysitter or nanny for childcare during the day, either in your home or the babysitter's home, how much do you pay per hour? Is that cash/non-taxed, or is is taxed? In your home or their home? We've had someone babysit our daughter in our home 3 days per week for one year, but then put DD2 in daycare when the babysitter couldn't watch her over the summer (her own kids were out of school). I'm pregnant with our second child, so we need to decide what to do about childcare those 3 days per week after maternity leave. The babysitter receved $10/hour for my DD, or $16/hour when she watched my DD and nephew (same age). The babysitter is now asking $20/hour for 2 children, and says her rates are cheap. All of the research we've done shows us that she is already well compensated, but maybe we're way off base. She is great with the kids, but doesn't do any household duties/laundry or any driving of the kids anywhere. We provide all of the kids' food. Your thoughts and experiences with rates for 1, 2, or 3 children? Thank you!

If a quote that out to a FULL YEAR salary at 40 hours a week that's 41,600 a year. MORE than I make! I'd gladly come to your home and watch your 2 children for that! LOL!

So NO, IMO- 42K a year for childcare is ABSURD. What kind of jobs do these parents have that they can afford those rates? I'd have to be bringing in 100K a year to afford 42K on childcare!

 

[medalla74]

Wow! Now,that is alot of money! Even though my family thinks we pay alot. We have a babysitter down the block and we take our 3 kids to her. I have a 6mo old, 4yr old and an 8yr old. My she charges me $45.00 dollars a day for all three since my 8yr old is in school most of the day but in the summer she charges me 50 dollars a day. We supply diapers, wipes, formula and some items like juice, cereal and different breakfast items that my kids like.

 

[goofy4wdw2]

Thank you for your responses...I'm feeling better that we're not trying to be cheap. The babysitter comes to our home (2 miles from her house), unless she's having car trouble or home repairs, in which case we'll switch to her house when needed. It is part-time: 3 days per week because my mom usually watches the other 2 days, and the babysitter has expressed that she doesn't want to work full-time due to her 3 school-age boys. We feel $20/hour for 2 children is a lot, especially since she doesn't do the traditional things many nannies do, like clean/laundry/carpools/outings. She doesn't have an education degree, but has 3 sons of her own (ages 8, 10, and 12), so obviously has experience. She says she feels undervalued, and I feel bad that we disagree, but we feel the $16/hour for 2 children was a good hourly rate considering hours are also on her terms (she comes here after her kids get on the bus in the am, then leaves in time to get home from them, so she's actually only here 6.5-7 hours each day most days). We're trying to gather info to have an informed discussion with her. Thanks again.

 

[Princess Roo]

...but we feel the $16/hour for 2 children was a good hourly rate considering hours are also on her terms (she comes here after her kids get on the bus in the am, then leaves in time to get home from them, so she's actually only here 6.5-7 hours each day most days).

I definitely agree. If this is a job that allows her to have her PERFECT schedule for her own children, and she prefers the two days off, then the pay should be less. Realistically, what else could she do at that time that would earn that much? Not many people want nannies that are only available those hours. The preschool teacher that I use as a part-time sitter only charges $12 per hour for 2 children, knowing that we need to work around her preschool schedule. (She makes >$20 per hour at the preschool, so if I wanted to hire her away from there full time I'm guessing it would be quite expensive.) Good luck getting it all worked out.

 

[WantToGoNow]

My children (ages 6 and 3) are kept at home by my older dd23. My son is in school full day so she has him an hour in the morning and 2 hours in the evening. We pay her $250 a week to care for them which is less than I was paying at a daycare center when I pulled them out last summer.

She still lives at home, rent free, and goes to school at night. I'm sure after she graduates in the spring she will start looking for full time employment and I will then have to put them back in childcare of some sort.

By the way, neither of them had been sick since they left daycare a year ago until she started putting them in childcare at the YMCA while she attended classes a couple of days a week for an hour and a half. In the last month, dd had a case of strep and ds has a mystery illness that has had him vomitting on-and-off for a week and a half (he will be hospitalized for tests on Saturday if he doesn't make a full recovery before then). I do not want them back in daycare for this very reason.

 

[elmo2wdw]

$20 an hour is outrageous! I pay $110 a week for my 4 year old to go to an in home daycare. He is there 5 days a week for about 9 hours a day and everything is supplied (breakfast, 2 snacks and lunch).

 

[bzzymom]

I take DD (3) to a li sitter who watches kids in her home. She charges $20 per day full time or if part time (2 or 3 days per week) she charges $25 per day. I used to take DD there 2 days a week for $50, it is hard to find a sitter to take a child 2 days a week, however, now that I have a bad back injury, I send DD there 5 days a week for $100 per week. She has a "food program" which is a government grant, I think.

 

[NemoMOm]

If you drop your children off at a daycare you may get a better rate. I just had a woman that I watch kids for check nanny rates and it was $600 plus benefits/week. However the nanny also did house work. We do not live in a metro. area so it sounds like you are getting a good deal.

 

[jennilouwho]

I work 7 hours a day watching two 6 year olds (who are now in first grade) AND one 18 month old and make $8 an hour. I go to their house and I bring my 17 month old son. I've been their nanny for years though and started around $6 and hour and am now at $8. $16 sounds more than fair! I do pay taxes on it.

 

[DISNEYFOS]

Rates vary depending on where you live. If you go to the website for International Nanny association nanny.org, it has salary surveys. We had two different nanny's for my now 4 year old starting when she was 6 months old. Never paid more than $15. 20 does seem rather high.. It was for 24-32 hours a week.

I'd say unless she has incredible creditials she's asking too much. My nannies had bachelors in psychology...and had at least 10 years experience.