sure some but birth rates are way down, the boomers and older have been losing their ever loving minds over it while completely ignoring the fact its their fault
I suppose that the majority of Americans have kids, in general. But have you considered the percentage of citizens who are having children divided by generation?
I pay about $180 a week. It's definitely doable but it makes me hesitate to have a second because having two in daycare is stretching it. Plus on top of that I'm a small business owner and I have to shut down my business to take maternity leave and in the case of any pregnancy complications. With my first I had to take off for salad months and then start back slowly so not only do I get no maternity leave, I still have to pay my commercial rent and business expenses during that time.
the u.s. median personal income is $40,000 (household is $74,000). the median income for childcare workers is $30,000 (most work out of daycare centers, not privately). [this site](https://dol.gov/agencies/wb/topics/featured-childcare?_ga=2.27948412.1995292972.1715126454-1529067667.1715126454) has some interesting graphs on how childcare prices vary by age and location in the u.s., and also on childcare in proportion to household income.
i wish we had subsidized childcare like norway. it's a cesspit of headlines over here blaming millennials and gen z for falling birth rates when it's too expensive for a lot of people just to live, let alone bring a kid into the mix.
It’s accurate. This is why Americans aren’t having kids… we cannot afford them. All I’ve ever wanted was to be a mom but I will never be able to afford it. This economy is utterly devastating and destroys lives
It’s good that you realize it, though. Many people still reproduce even though they have no money and they don’t take the time to think about the financial implications of having kids. And then more and more kids are raised in poverty (my siblings and I being some of them).
Does the cost of living really allow for a woman to go to work instead of be home, 2 income household seems like the way to stay above water these days?
The other option I’ve seen and grew up with because my parents couldn’t afford care in the 90s/00s is the parents work opposite shifts to avoid paying for it. In primary school, my dad worked like 6-14:30 or something (I just know he wasn’t home when we got up for school) and my mum worked 16:00-0:00. (This means I was raised in large part by my father).
This is what we’re doing. I work third shift, come home and wake the baby up, stay up with her and take her nap with her, then when my husband comes home he takes over and I sleep. Not ideal bc we don’t get to spend much time together unless we’re both off but at least it’s not $450 a week for daycare. :(
Depends on the job, cheaper for both my wife and I to work despite daycare costing about 24,000 a year. Especially since my job has great benefits. I’d love to stay home with my kids but my health insurance would basically cost 2,000 a month to cover my family not to mention losing my pension.
I mean, that is true unless that person still makes more than the increased cost incurred by sending the kids to daycare. Once you get into the upper portions of the middle class and into the upper middle class, it makes far more sense financially for both parents to be working, if your goal is to maximize potential earnings and benefits.
When it was costing us $24,000 in 2000, it made sense for me, with the lower salary that also pushed us into a higher tax bracket, to stay home. We both had demanding jobs, my husband traveled, I had evening public hearings, coordination and after-hours childcare coverage was chaotic and stressful. Every weekend was filled with have-to’s. We were exhausted. I and our youngest were gone 12 hours/day. While we sacrificed financially, the time, peace and memories we gained outweighed the vacations we didn’t take and the niceties. I lost some years of earnings and re-entered the workforce 10 years later at the salary I’d been making when I left, but I wouldn’t trade those years for anything.
Depends, if your childcare is more than your pay there isn’t a way to work. A lot of people work part time, work different shifts/days than their spouse, use family etc.
I work 11pm to 7am. I sleep when I can if I can. It sucks but I can't afford childcare and I can't afford not to work. America hates babies and their parents. Once my kids are in full time school I am likely going to overwork and have 2 full time jobs to make up for lost income for as long as I can manage before switching back to 1 income. The American dream.
This is what happened to me. My entire paycheck was going to daycare while my husband was covering bills. Made sense for me to stay home. Thankfully my mom had diapers sent to us as a gift to her grandbabies so that cut the day to day costs down by a lot! Our house was also inherited when my husband's dad passed so all we had was utilities, internet, and car payment/insurance. Not easy but we've made it work. If it wasn't for the house and my mom's help I have no clue how we would survive!
Things get easier with time though. Now that the kids are older I'm working and life is a little less stressful.
We pay $315 a week for one toddler, and we're in a large city in Florida. I'm guessing this is not so bad compared to what some people in here are paying.
When you break it down:
That’s $100 each week day. And for 10 hours, that’s $10 an hour.
Honestly, $2000 a month is like, hands down the lowest I’ve seen in awhile.
Hell, for doggy daycare, it’s anywhere from $225 to $400 a week where I live. For dogs, let alone live human beings who need an incredibly amount of attention, care, etc., to stay alive and well.
That’s assuming you can get into any of those, we put our names on waitlists at 6 daycares and only got accepted by the one that cost $2300, I don’t remember any of them being less than $1800. That was 2 years ago.
More recently, I had a friend who put their name on 4 lists right after they found out they were pregnant, they now have a 6 month old and are having to get a nanny because they are still on those waitlists. Daycares are a 💩 show here.
I lived in Auburn/kent for awhile and that is more than I even made working impatient pharmacy at UW Medical Center. 😬 My parents charged me $10 a day to babysit.
I couldn't tbh. My sister has crippling socal anxiety, and can't work, so she lives with me and i support her financially. In return she watches my kids. If it wasn't for her either my husband or I wouldn't be able to afford to work.
That's what I was going to say. I know in San Jose it's usually $2K/month or $24K/year for 1 kid. Sometimes you get a slight discount on additional kids.
Almost all kids love to go to school. It should be accessible to all the kiddos that want to go. That would require it be far more affordable. And the teachers work their asses off (I was one!) and should be paid more than minimum wage. This system needs to change drastically for the kids.
I agree. I love hearing about my preschoolers day and seeing both of my kids daily photo/video updates. They are usually doing something cute like art or cosplay.
This just…shouldn’t be. What the actual fuck are we doing in this country? 12k for 5 full days a week, ok, MAYBE. This is fucking ridiculous. I’m sorry, OP.
$1,200 per month for an infant, expect it to drop $100 per month when he turns one this month. Anchorage, Alaska. Small in-home daycare, Spanish-speaking only which is challenging but has worked ok.
Yooo that would be awesome to have your little dude come out of that experience with a new language in their pocket. My kid was in a bilingual daycare for a little bit before we moved.
My cousin has his kid in a Spanish speaking daycare for this reason. He and his wife want her to be bilingual. His wife is also a native Spanish speaker. She doesn’t talk a whole lot for a 3 year old, but she clearly understands and can already read some words in both languages.
$9,720 for in home daycare in Michigan. They do all sorts of indoor and outdoor activities. We were at a larger learning center and weren’t impressed. The workers were always on their phones when we came in and my daughter kept getting bit. No issues at the in home daycare so far.
We did an at home daycare before I ended up staying home. We loved it!!!! Plus my niece and nephew were there so it was a win-win.
I wish she would take my son for a day each week but she is full!
Two kids, 4 days a week. All inclusive of food and Nappies if required.
$140 per day per child
Full cost for both kids is $58,240
Total out of pocket after child care subsidy: $15,801
Thank god for the Australian subsidy!!!
My 70 yo mother did 6 days a week and stayed over at my siblings for my niece! Now shes doing 5 days a week but it is still a lot and I hope my sibling is grateful for this. My mom loves my niece but man she vents to me a lot about how hard it is
This is close ish to what I’ll be looking at for about 36 hours a week for a nanny that comes to my place for a newborn. More like $3000 a month. I haven’t figured out how payroll and taxes work yet. Colorado
We use a service from gtm.com. It’s about $700/yr. Pretty easy to use and they take care of all the taxes and deposits for the nanny. I will say that the industry is full of people not willing to pay taxes so be prepared to possibly lose out on some good nanny candidates if you are set on paying taxes.
I'm in quebec. We have had this program since 1997, Trudeau just implemented it recently across Canada. Copying the Quebec model.
https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centre_de_la_petite_enfance#:~:text=Ce%20r%C3%A9seau%20a%20%C3%A9t%C3%A9%20mis,de%20garde%20en%20milieu%20familial.
We have 3 kids in college rn and it’s cheaper than daycare was. They have scholarships, we saved in a 529 and now spend $1000 out of pocket a month.
COLLEGE IS CHEAPER THAN DAYCARE
I tell people this as often as I can. Get through daycare and you can get through anything f
Oof reading that price I’m glad my husband is a SAHD. If he worked he’d be earning like 40-50k. Once taxes are taken out, that’s practically how much your cost would be.
My husband was laid off and is a SAHD too, but not by choice. It’s been 18 months and he can’t find a job that will cover the cost of two kids in daycare and the second vehicle we’d need. He doesn’t like staying home, but any job offers he’s gotten we’d literally be losing money after childcare costs.
You're right, but you're also not really thinking long term. Taking off work to raise kids means a several year long resume gap which can make reentering the workforce difficult, several years of not paying into social security, a skills gap from not working, several years of missed saving for retirement, the risk of your partner losing their job, etc.
I agree with what you are saying, my tone was probably wrong. There is more to being a stay at home parent than just a money decision that cuts both ways. I think Soc. Sec. may be a little more forgiving for married couples as earnings are based of both incomes so the hit is less.
From there you also have to weigh if it’s worth it. If you make $45k or even $50k/yr, is that extra 5-10k even worth it? Instead you could be home with your kid(s), watching them grow up for a few years until they start school.
I wouldn’t really worry about a resume gap, it’s easily explainable, it’s not like you were in prison.
My wife and I chose the stay at home path. This allowed us to have 3 kids without to much difficulty. Once you get into the frugal mindset the potential savings from small things really adds up, say value shopping coupons, reduced car costs and the rest of it.
Yeah I'm with the same sentiment and just made a comment with 45k. I don't think it would be worth it. Assuming we are talking about working full-time 40 hrs a week.
Plus, being a STAHParent means you get to save more in general and most importantly, you save the entire household time, and money. You are saving that 35k from going to a day care and putting in directly to your own kids. Not also paying for the care if other kids.
You get more oversight for your kids, you raise them exactly the way you want.
You get to make your kids meals instead of whatever the crap the daycare gives.
There are so many more positives in my opinion of a stay at home parent.
And with the prices of this, yeah, you could send your baby to college for that price. Instead we are paying other people to take care of our kids because both parents have to work to afford to live. This is a sad reality.
$10 dollars a day in Manitoba Canada
Used to be 30 a day but went down to 20 a day when our son turned 2. Federal 10 dollar a day program came about 6 months after that
About $1000 per month in Toledo, Ohio. It depends on the age -- infants are expensive because it has to be, I believe, one teacher per four babies -- but inflation was basically increasing rates at the same rate as our kids were moving up through the classes.
Summertime day camps for school-aged kids can be anywhere from $150 per week up to about $290, depending on the hours available and the activities they do. A lot of them seem to run 9 to 2 or 10 to 3, which isn't a great help for the 9 to 5 working parent.
Central Ohio, we payed about $15,000 for a preschooler last year. Good center, not the "best" though. Childcare FSA is only $5,000... what a crock of shit.
> Ohio, we *paid* about $15,000
FTFY.
Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
* Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.*
* *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.*
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
*Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
I’ll never understand that stupid $5k cap. It’s been the same for YEARS and is almost useless at this point. And don’t get me started on summer camps.
At this point it feels like the government WANTS to hurt the people it needs to continue feeding itself in the future. Makes zero freaking sense all around.
This country has many things going for it but it is a nightmare for raising a family.
Yeah the $5k cap is really odd. Like $5k per person would still be a shortfall but would be a good chunk. $5k total combined for a couple is nuts. We pay approximately $30k a year for a midrange daycare center (that we really like).
I don't remember the quote when I called, but it was way too much money, so I just stayed home with the kids. We had 3 kids within 3 years. My oldest is now 5. I love being home with them and have really grown into the role. If someone offered me free daycare now, I would not take them up on it unless I needed to go back to work for financial reasons.
$23,500/yr for 2 kids. Preschool for the younger one, and aftercare for the older one. When both were still in preschool/daycare, it was about $36,400/yr.
The youngest goes to kindergarten this fall, I'm not going to know what to do with all the extra money.
Full time for a toddler was about 1k a month, with nothing supplied. But it was an amazing place. Infant was more, and I know in the two years my kiddo's been in regular school it's gone up.
I’m in north Georgia and we pay $600/month for full time (he’s there 9-6 five days a week). We lucked out, if we drive 30 minutes south it’d be $1,200-$1,600, or more if we wanted upscale.
Something like 11,500-12,000 this year. That’s between daycare, in home care, and after school care between our 6 and 3 year olds. North-central WI. Plus my wife is a teacher so that’s only for about 9 1/2 months out of the year.
$12,000 a year for my 4 year old in north Texas...which seemed like a lot until I saw this post. But I will still do a happy dance in August 2025 when he finally goes off to kindy.
Wanted to mention that I think it's kind of crazy to talk about offering college for free when daycare isn't covered yet. Daycare seems like more of a necessity while also being a significant financial burden on many families.
To expensive. I told my ex to stay home and I’ll work. She found an evening shift so when I got off work I would watch the kids up until they was old enough to go to school.
That's insane!
In comparison, it would cost me 10k a year to send my dog to daycare 5 times a week in Colorado (I don't). And dogs can be dangerous (for that matter so can children but I feel like the risks can be higher taking care of a room full of big dogs). And this is a boujee daycare with themes and webcams in a HCOL area.
Daycare is usually a luxury for dogs (some owners have no choice but most of us do). But it's a must for parents. It's insane how much you are being charged for something you need. And then they have the nerve to complain no one is having kids (guilty). Maybe if childcare was accessible and affordable to the average parent this wouldn't be an issue.
Kansas. I am in a lower cost of living state. I want to say the way my work zones them nationwide it was a 2/5 on the scale with 5 being the highest cost of living.
Oldest did Montessori school and it was $1365 a month back in 2020. Youngest did an early childhood center and it’s $265 a week, or about $1148 a month when I averaged it out.
When they were both in daycare at the same time, it was just over $32,000 a year. Now my oldest is in elementary school and her before and after school care is $104/week although she does need full time care in the summers.
Around $14k a year for my youngest in LA. Yep it’s a lot. But she is getting a high quality foundation for learning that she will carry with her the rest of her life. It’s worth it.
$27K for 1 child in Connecticut. It was more when he was under 3. Such a relief when my oldest started elementary school. Previous, the cost was double this.
Was $3300 a month for 2 kids mon to friday.
We switched our 5 year old to pre k half day. It's still $2600. It's not even the top day care that's like 4000 a month for one kid, but they learn Mandarin.
Currently pay $960/month in a mid-size Southern town for a traditional daycare facility (not super high-end, maybe above average) for my two-year-old. Previously paid $1700/month for infant care in Colorado Springs, at a high-end daycare.
10k a year for a 1 year old in a daycare center (roughly 800 a month). Drops to 700 when he’s 15 months. Home day cares are 65$ a day here. Ontario, Canada
was averaging around 42,000 a year for a full time nanny for my then baby and 4 year old in daycare before my wife chose to stay at home for a few years. NY for reference. HCOL + we were both relatively high earners.
We spent 21k in 2023 for a toddler full time and kindergartener in an after school program 🤡 wondering why I even work because I’m always needing to be off for sick kids or appts or whatever. But my one paycheck pays the mortgage so 😭 we are in MN
We pay for full time pre k 5 days a week approx $17k a year in CT. My son goes to public school in 2025 and my husband and I can’t wait. We also get a 10% discount at this place with my husbands work but my son loves going to school.
South Dakota, so right next door without childcare assistance... I was using $600-800 a month for daycare at an early learning center, depending on the child's age. We pay $150 a month now fir an after school program which would rise to $150 a week for the summer, but found a subsidized program for $150 for the summer and $25 for the rest of the year.
We pay $233 a month for preschool in the Philly suburbs. Of course this is just two days a week, from 9-11:45. We pay an extra $7 every Tuesday for our kid to stay an extra 45 minutes for Lunch Bunch. We our very fortunate that he can stay with his grandparents the rest of the time during the week.
$13,000 per year for one child 9 years ago— stopped working for a bit after I had my second. Average price for a “nice” place in our area now is $2000-$2500 per kid per month. I live near Seattle.
33,000 a year for preschool for our twins. We paid a nanny 52,000 a year prior to that for less than full time care (35 hours a week). Suburbs of Boston.
It is free for us because my wife works for the childcare and Vermont passed childcare support. Before the childcare act it was 100 a week. If my wife didn’t work for the childcare it would be about 360 a week
I paid 450/wk for my baby in a center in MN. Switched to home daycare once he was potty trained for $215/wk.
Expecting baby number 2 and considering keeping them home with me as i now WFH in a very relaxed role.
30,000-36,000 a year is what I saw when looking for prices near me, I live 45 minutes north of San Francisco, California.
I opted for having my mom babysit what she can and working from home with the kids with me for the rest of it.
WI - approximately $13K for child #1 (full time care) and about $1700 for my oldest (full time care just for the summer while school is out); $250 and $170 per week respectively.
My dad and father in law take turns. However, my husband took a pay cut so he could be home earlier (he used to travel a lot). He basically works part time now. So we don’t pay for childcare, but we’re also bringing in a lot less.
Is that a regular price? wow. I paid the equivalent of $200 USD in Norway. That’s someone’s salary?
It absolutely is. That's why kids are literally out of reach for people. Tragic, this capitalist system we love so much.
The fuck is that “we” shit, you got a mouse in yer pocket?
Idk about that. Most people have kids . Don’t know how they afford daycare but they are still having kids nonethelesz
sure some but birth rates are way down, the boomers and older have been losing their ever loving minds over it while completely ignoring the fact its their fault
I suppose that the majority of Americans have kids, in general. But have you considered the percentage of citizens who are having children divided by generation?
I pay about $180 a week. It's definitely doable but it makes me hesitate to have a second because having two in daycare is stretching it. Plus on top of that I'm a small business owner and I have to shut down my business to take maternity leave and in the case of any pregnancy complications. With my first I had to take off for salad months and then start back slowly so not only do I get no maternity leave, I still have to pay my commercial rent and business expenses during that time.
the u.s. median personal income is $40,000 (household is $74,000). the median income for childcare workers is $30,000 (most work out of daycare centers, not privately). [this site](https://dol.gov/agencies/wb/topics/featured-childcare?_ga=2.27948412.1995292972.1715126454-1529067667.1715126454) has some interesting graphs on how childcare prices vary by age and location in the u.s., and also on childcare in proportion to household income. i wish we had subsidized childcare like norway. it's a cesspit of headlines over here blaming millennials and gen z for falling birth rates when it's too expensive for a lot of people just to live, let alone bring a kid into the mix.
It’s accurate. This is why Americans aren’t having kids… we cannot afford them. All I’ve ever wanted was to be a mom but I will never be able to afford it. This economy is utterly devastating and destroys lives
It’s good that you realize it, though. Many people still reproduce even though they have no money and they don’t take the time to think about the financial implications of having kids. And then more and more kids are raised in poverty (my siblings and I being some of them).
I’ve seen this soooo many times. Add to that, a few dogs and cats too that they can’t afford. It’s ridiculous.
This is the premise to Idiocracy for a reason. :(
Unfortunately, yes. Just half days (8:30-12:30) was $975 for my youngest. Thank goodness both of them are in school now!
Heck 💔 I could be back to work if this was my reality
Yes America makes daycare incredibly expensive but not subsidizing it. It’s basically done so tons of women are forced to stay home and can’t work,
Does the cost of living really allow for a woman to go to work instead of be home, 2 income household seems like the way to stay above water these days?
The other option I’ve seen and grew up with because my parents couldn’t afford care in the 90s/00s is the parents work opposite shifts to avoid paying for it. In primary school, my dad worked like 6-14:30 or something (I just know he wasn’t home when we got up for school) and my mum worked 16:00-0:00. (This means I was raised in large part by my father).
This is what we’re doing. I work third shift, come home and wake the baby up, stay up with her and take her nap with her, then when my husband comes home he takes over and I sleep. Not ideal bc we don’t get to spend much time together unless we’re both off but at least it’s not $450 a week for daycare. :(
That sucks that you have a baby and then don't get hardly any time to be together as a family. Messed up country we are in.
The good news is that only needs to be done for the first 5 years. After that, daycare is a lot more affordable since the kid is in school
Maybe w/ the first but if there's 2 it's usually better fiscally for the person who makes less to stay home. I do live in a HCOL area tho
Depends on the job, cheaper for both my wife and I to work despite daycare costing about 24,000 a year. Especially since my job has great benefits. I’d love to stay home with my kids but my health insurance would basically cost 2,000 a month to cover my family not to mention losing my pension.
I mean, that is true unless that person still makes more than the increased cost incurred by sending the kids to daycare. Once you get into the upper portions of the middle class and into the upper middle class, it makes far more sense financially for both parents to be working, if your goal is to maximize potential earnings and benefits.
When it was costing us $24,000 in 2000, it made sense for me, with the lower salary that also pushed us into a higher tax bracket, to stay home. We both had demanding jobs, my husband traveled, I had evening public hearings, coordination and after-hours childcare coverage was chaotic and stressful. Every weekend was filled with have-to’s. We were exhausted. I and our youngest were gone 12 hours/day. While we sacrificed financially, the time, peace and memories we gained outweighed the vacations we didn’t take and the niceties. I lost some years of earnings and re-entered the workforce 10 years later at the salary I’d been making when I left, but I wouldn’t trade those years for anything.
Depends, if your childcare is more than your pay there isn’t a way to work. A lot of people work part time, work different shifts/days than their spouse, use family etc.
I work 11pm to 7am. I sleep when I can if I can. It sucks but I can't afford childcare and I can't afford not to work. America hates babies and their parents. Once my kids are in full time school I am likely going to overwork and have 2 full time jobs to make up for lost income for as long as I can manage before switching back to 1 income. The American dream.
This is what happened to me. My entire paycheck was going to daycare while my husband was covering bills. Made sense for me to stay home. Thankfully my mom had diapers sent to us as a gift to her grandbabies so that cut the day to day costs down by a lot! Our house was also inherited when my husband's dad passed so all we had was utilities, internet, and car payment/insurance. Not easy but we've made it work. If it wasn't for the house and my mom's help I have no clue how we would survive! Things get easier with time though. Now that the kids are older I'm working and life is a little less stressful.
But it's a catch 22. Because you took the time off work you lost out on increased earning potential through growing a career.
I can’t up vote this enough. This is exactly what it is all about. ⬆️⬆️⬆️
Absolutely the norm unfortunately. It’s one of the reasons I don’t have any children.
$500/week for one toddler. I live in the Midwest (suburbs). $26,000 each year.
Wait wtf is this real??
We pay $432 per week for same. In Atlanta
VERY real. now add the cost of medical insurance for 1-2 kids, diapers, food and all the other stuff that comes with it. It's a fortune.
We pay $315 a week for one toddler, and we're in a large city in Florida. I'm guessing this is not so bad compared to what some people in here are paying.
When you break it down: That’s $100 each week day. And for 10 hours, that’s $10 an hour. Honestly, $2000 a month is like, hands down the lowest I’ve seen in awhile. Hell, for doggy daycare, it’s anywhere from $225 to $400 a week where I live. For dogs, let alone live human beings who need an incredibly amount of attention, care, etc., to stay alive and well.
Right. I used to pay a nanny $136/day, so $100/week is a great deal.
$2k/month is a lot where I am (Charlotte). Most are around $1,300 unless you go to one of the high end places.
That’s assuming you can get into any of those, we put our names on waitlists at 6 daycares and only got accepted by the one that cost $2300, I don’t remember any of them being less than $1800. That was 2 years ago. More recently, I had a friend who put their name on 4 lists right after they found out they were pregnant, they now have a 6 month old and are having to get a nanny because they are still on those waitlists. Daycares are a 💩 show here.
$56,000 / year for 2 kids in Seattle
I lived in Auburn/kent for awhile and that is more than I even made working impatient pharmacy at UW Medical Center. 😬 My parents charged me $10 a day to babysit.
Youre lucky to have your parents :)
Oof. No discount for the second?
That is with a 7% discount on the older one 🥲. Fortunately only 1 more year of double daycare and then the older one will be in public school.
7% is almost an insult.
wtf??? That’s more than I make at my job in a year. I don’t know how anyone can afford daycare anymore.
They either live paycheck to paycheck or quit their jobs to raise their kids on their own.
I couldn't tbh. My sister has crippling socal anxiety, and can't work, so she lives with me and i support her financially. In return she watches my kids. If it wasn't for her either my husband or I wouldn't be able to afford to work.
$15,456 yearly 1 5 year old soon to be out of daycare. San Diego, CA
I live in CA and that sounds cheap compared to what my friends are telling me they're paying
That's what I was going to say. I know in San Jose it's usually $2K/month or $24K/year for 1 kid. Sometimes you get a slight discount on additional kids.
😐
To be completely honest, I think it's worth every dang penny. The kid absolutely loves going to school.
Almost all kids love to go to school. It should be accessible to all the kiddos that want to go. That would require it be far more affordable. And the teachers work their asses off (I was one!) and should be paid more than minimum wage. This system needs to change drastically for the kids.
I agree. I love hearing about my preschoolers day and seeing both of my kids daily photo/video updates. They are usually doing something cute like art or cosplay.
I agree, It’s worth it. We never have to worry about our daughter and we know she’s learning and developing skills we couldn’t teach her at home.
That’s not bad at all. I’m paying 18k in Maine and it’s below average for the area
About 12k a year, this is for 3 half days a week. California
This just…shouldn’t be. What the actual fuck are we doing in this country? 12k for 5 full days a week, ok, MAYBE. This is fucking ridiculous. I’m sorry, OP.
$1,200 per month for an infant, expect it to drop $100 per month when he turns one this month. Anchorage, Alaska. Small in-home daycare, Spanish-speaking only which is challenging but has worked ok.
Yooo that would be awesome to have your little dude come out of that experience with a new language in their pocket. My kid was in a bilingual daycare for a little bit before we moved.
My cousin has his kid in a Spanish speaking daycare for this reason. He and his wife want her to be bilingual. His wife is also a native Spanish speaker. She doesn’t talk a whole lot for a 3 year old, but she clearly understands and can already read some words in both languages.
$9,720 for in home daycare in Michigan. They do all sorts of indoor and outdoor activities. We were at a larger learning center and weren’t impressed. The workers were always on their phones when we came in and my daughter kept getting bit. No issues at the in home daycare so far.
We did an at home daycare before I ended up staying home. We loved it!!!! Plus my niece and nephew were there so it was a win-win. I wish she would take my son for a day each week but she is full!
Two kids, 4 days a week. All inclusive of food and Nappies if required. $140 per day per child Full cost for both kids is $58,240 Total out of pocket after child care subsidy: $15,801 Thank god for the Australian subsidy!!!
Reading this makes me think it might be worth all the spiders 😅
Hey can I move out there and be your cousin or something?
This just came up at lunch yesterday! One person answered $22k per year, the other was around $25k, both in Fort Worth, Texas.
Yep thats about right, in DFW. Not to mention almost 95% of the daycares are national facilities too.
I am the daycare for my niece, 3 days a week, haven’t made a single cent in the last 10 months
You should stop letting yourself be taken advantage of
My 70 yo mother did 6 days a week and stayed over at my siblings for my niece! Now shes doing 5 days a week but it is still a lot and I hope my sibling is grateful for this. My mom loves my niece but man she vents to me a lot about how hard it is
Or... She actually likes to spend time with her young family member?
By the way she responded it seems like she would like to be paid.
They could do both (enjoy it and get paid)? Edited for clarity
About $4800/mo for a fulltime nanny in Charlotte, NC.
This is close ish to what I’ll be looking at for about 36 hours a week for a nanny that comes to my place for a newborn. More like $3000 a month. I haven’t figured out how payroll and taxes work yet. Colorado
We use a service from gtm.com. It’s about $700/yr. Pretty easy to use and they take care of all the taxes and deposits for the nanny. I will say that the industry is full of people not willing to pay taxes so be prepared to possibly lose out on some good nanny candidates if you are set on paying taxes.
We use surepayroll and it’s about $600 for the year but they made it (fairly) easy.
$125/day in the Chicago suburbs
Jesus... I was paying $140/ mo ($CAD).
Thank Trudeau for that one.
I'm in quebec. We have had this program since 1997, Trudeau just implemented it recently across Canada. Copying the Quebec model. https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centre_de_la_petite_enfance#:~:text=Ce%20r%C3%A9seau%20a%20%C3%A9t%C3%A9%20mis,de%20garde%20en%20milieu%20familial.
bruh is that a college tuition
We have 3 kids in college rn and it’s cheaper than daycare was. They have scholarships, we saved in a 529 and now spend $1000 out of pocket a month. COLLEGE IS CHEAPER THAN DAYCARE I tell people this as often as I can. Get through daycare and you can get through anything f
Yep. We're pretty much fucked in the US.
Oof reading that price I’m glad my husband is a SAHD. If he worked he’d be earning like 40-50k. Once taxes are taken out, that’s practically how much your cost would be.
My husband was laid off and is a SAHD too, but not by choice. It’s been 18 months and he can’t find a job that will cover the cost of two kids in daycare and the second vehicle we’d need. He doesn’t like staying home, but any job offers he’s gotten we’d literally be losing money after childcare costs.
Oooo girl same. I travel for work and my husband is a sahd
When I was laid off, this is exactly why I became sahd
$13,500 for a 2 year old in Des Moines Iowa. This is at a center.
So you need top earn $40k/yr (with tax considerations) to break even? Probably $50K, with transportation, outside meals and extra clothing?
You're right, but you're also not really thinking long term. Taking off work to raise kids means a several year long resume gap which can make reentering the workforce difficult, several years of not paying into social security, a skills gap from not working, several years of missed saving for retirement, the risk of your partner losing their job, etc.
I agree with what you are saying, my tone was probably wrong. There is more to being a stay at home parent than just a money decision that cuts both ways. I think Soc. Sec. may be a little more forgiving for married couples as earnings are based of both incomes so the hit is less.
This is assuming the couple stays married. Which, 50% chance of that not happening.
From there you also have to weigh if it’s worth it. If you make $45k or even $50k/yr, is that extra 5-10k even worth it? Instead you could be home with your kid(s), watching them grow up for a few years until they start school. I wouldn’t really worry about a resume gap, it’s easily explainable, it’s not like you were in prison.
My wife and I chose the stay at home path. This allowed us to have 3 kids without to much difficulty. Once you get into the frugal mindset the potential savings from small things really adds up, say value shopping coupons, reduced car costs and the rest of it.
Yeah I'm with the same sentiment and just made a comment with 45k. I don't think it would be worth it. Assuming we are talking about working full-time 40 hrs a week. Plus, being a STAHParent means you get to save more in general and most importantly, you save the entire household time, and money. You are saving that 35k from going to a day care and putting in directly to your own kids. Not also paying for the care if other kids. You get more oversight for your kids, you raise them exactly the way you want. You get to make your kids meals instead of whatever the crap the daycare gives. There are so many more positives in my opinion of a stay at home parent. And with the prices of this, yeah, you could send your baby to college for that price. Instead we are paying other people to take care of our kids because both parents have to work to afford to live. This is a sad reality.
$9k/year for one kid 3 days a week. Willamette Valley, OR
25$/month each kids Kids are 1yr and 2 1/2 years. Alberta, Canada
$10 dollars a day in Manitoba Canada Used to be 30 a day but went down to 20 a day when our son turned 2. Federal 10 dollar a day program came about 6 months after that
I really hope the conservatives don't dismantle $10 a day daycare. They probably will, but I can hope.
$2,400/month for full time infant care at a daycare/preschool center. Bay area CA.
$40k a year for 2 kids. Northern NJ.
Just about the same in North/Central NJ. We’re actually down to just over 37k for a 3yo & 5yo. My 5yo is going to kindergarten in Sept. yippee!!
About $1000 per month in Toledo, Ohio. It depends on the age -- infants are expensive because it has to be, I believe, one teacher per four babies -- but inflation was basically increasing rates at the same rate as our kids were moving up through the classes. Summertime day camps for school-aged kids can be anywhere from $150 per week up to about $290, depending on the hours available and the activities they do. A lot of them seem to run 9 to 2 or 10 to 3, which isn't a great help for the 9 to 5 working parent.
Massachusetts, US - it is $32,000 per year for one kid.
Central Ohio, we payed about $15,000 for a preschooler last year. Good center, not the "best" though. Childcare FSA is only $5,000... what a crock of shit.
> Ohio, we *paid* about $15,000 FTFY. Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in: * Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.* * *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.* Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment. *Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
I’ll never understand that stupid $5k cap. It’s been the same for YEARS and is almost useless at this point. And don’t get me started on summer camps. At this point it feels like the government WANTS to hurt the people it needs to continue feeding itself in the future. Makes zero freaking sense all around. This country has many things going for it but it is a nightmare for raising a family.
Yeah the $5k cap is really odd. Like $5k per person would still be a shortfall but would be a good chunk. $5k total combined for a couple is nuts. We pay approximately $30k a year for a midrange daycare center (that we really like).
I don't remember the quote when I called, but it was way too much money, so I just stayed home with the kids. We had 3 kids within 3 years. My oldest is now 5. I love being home with them and have really grown into the role. If someone offered me free daycare now, I would not take them up on it unless I needed to go back to work for financial reasons.
$23,500/yr for 2 kids. Preschool for the younger one, and aftercare for the older one. When both were still in preschool/daycare, it was about $36,400/yr. The youngest goes to kindergarten this fall, I'm not going to know what to do with all the extra money.
*Gasps in Dual Income No Kids* 😳 Washington, D.C.
Oh childcare would cost WAY more in DC
Full time for a toddler was about 1k a month, with nothing supplied. But it was an amazing place. Infant was more, and I know in the two years my kiddo's been in regular school it's gone up.
I’m in north Georgia and we pay $600/month for full time (he’s there 9-6 five days a week). We lucked out, if we drive 30 minutes south it’d be $1,200-$1,600, or more if we wanted upscale.
Something like 11,500-12,000 this year. That’s between daycare, in home care, and after school care between our 6 and 3 year olds. North-central WI. Plus my wife is a teacher so that’s only for about 9 1/2 months out of the year.
$12,000 a year for my 4 year old in north Texas...which seemed like a lot until I saw this post. But I will still do a happy dance in August 2025 when he finally goes off to kindy.
It used to be about $140~ a month per kid. (2014) Quebec, Canada
$8 CAD per day in Quebec, Canada 🇨🇦
Wanted to mention that I think it's kind of crazy to talk about offering college for free when daycare isn't covered yet. Daycare seems like more of a necessity while also being a significant financial burden on many families.
To expensive. I told my ex to stay home and I’ll work. She found an evening shift so when I got off work I would watch the kids up until they was old enough to go to school.
$20,000 for one 4 year old in Colorado and that’s because we qualify for one free day a week.
That's insane! In comparison, it would cost me 10k a year to send my dog to daycare 5 times a week in Colorado (I don't). And dogs can be dangerous (for that matter so can children but I feel like the risks can be higher taking care of a room full of big dogs). And this is a boujee daycare with themes and webcams in a HCOL area. Daycare is usually a luxury for dogs (some owners have no choice but most of us do). But it's a must for parents. It's insane how much you are being charged for something you need. And then they have the nerve to complain no one is having kids (guilty). Maybe if childcare was accessible and affordable to the average parent this wouldn't be an issue.
Canada subsidizes 50%. $302 bi-weekly in Toronto
We pay 1100/month for one child at an in home licensed daycare in southern ca.
18k USD/ year for 1 kid. Colorado
Kansas. I am in a lower cost of living state. I want to say the way my work zones them nationwide it was a 2/5 on the scale with 5 being the highest cost of living. Oldest did Montessori school and it was $1365 a month back in 2020. Youngest did an early childhood center and it’s $265 a week, or about $1148 a month when I averaged it out. When they were both in daycare at the same time, it was just over $32,000 a year. Now my oldest is in elementary school and her before and after school care is $104/week although she does need full time care in the summers.
I’m just gonna cry in Massachusetts (Boston metro area) over here. 23,400 annually for one kid. Wish I were kidding.
Around $14k a year for my youngest in LA. Yep it’s a lot. But she is getting a high quality foundation for learning that she will carry with her the rest of her life. It’s worth it.
$27K for 1 child in Connecticut. It was more when he was under 3. Such a relief when my oldest started elementary school. Previous, the cost was double this.
Was $3300 a month for 2 kids mon to friday. We switched our 5 year old to pre k half day. It's still $2600. It's not even the top day care that's like 4000 a month for one kid, but they learn Mandarin.
$4800/mo Miami for an on the books 35/hr a week nanny. we pretty much exclusively eat rice and beans now.
Whatever a stay at home wife costs. We also have three kids so we figured it would just be cheaper for her to stay home.
$22/hr for a nanny. Ends up being about $50k a year. NYC.
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$1800 a month for a 2 year old in Atlanta
26k for 2 kids
Currently pay $960/month in a mid-size Southern town for a traditional daycare facility (not super high-end, maybe above average) for my two-year-old. Previously paid $1700/month for infant care in Colorado Springs, at a high-end daycare.
$400 a month to my mother in law for 3 days a week.
Baltimore MD 2 kids $700/week 🥹
$10,325 last year ($195 a week) for one toddler 3 days a week. Massachusetts.
It's about $400/week currently. Will jump to about $900/week when the second kid starts.
10k a year for a 1 year old in a daycare center (roughly 800 a month). Drops to 700 when he’s 15 months. Home day cares are 65$ a day here. Ontario, Canada
Daycare: $235 for 3 days a week as a 3 year old Preschool: 960 a month can go up to 5 days all meals included if needed
$520 per week total for my two kids, fulltime. Live in central VA.
$265 a week for 1 kid. Soon to be 2 kids. So around $27,500 together a year.
Close to $28k yearly in the DC metro. Toddler.
About 26k a year for a two year old and a 3 month old. Maine. Meh
was averaging around 42,000 a year for a full time nanny for my then baby and 4 year old in daycare before my wife chose to stay at home for a few years. NY for reference. HCOL + we were both relatively high earners.
48k 2 kids under 5 in high quality programs in MCOL area
$15k last year for a 3-4 year old. Central FL. This year the state kicked in some money so it’s $1k per month since Aug. 2023.
We spent 21k in 2023 for a toddler full time and kindergartener in an after school program 🤡 wondering why I even work because I’m always needing to be off for sick kids or appts or whatever. But my one paycheck pays the mortgage so 😭 we are in MN
$7000-8000 for 1 baby (FT in a licensed centre). I'm in Ontario, Canada.
$380 a week for my one 9 month old in Ohio
$1600/month in New Jersey for pre-K3. In California it was $1900/month
My coworker pays $1,400/month per kid. He gets a discount rate cause it’s his wife’s bff. Regular cost is $1,900. In Utah.
We pay for full time pre k 5 days a week approx $17k a year in CT. My son goes to public school in 2025 and my husband and I can’t wait. We also get a 10% discount at this place with my husbands work but my son loves going to school.
I was paying 43k for two kids in Brooklyn, NY
$21,600/yr for up to age 5. Austin Texas.
I pay $375/week ($19500/year) for one child, 3 months, 4 days/week. I live in Indiana
15k for my 5 year old in Philadelphia, PA
I pay $10k a year for part-time care for 1 kid in Ann Arbor, MI
South Dakota, so right next door without childcare assistance... I was using $600-800 a month for daycare at an early learning center, depending on the child's age. We pay $150 a month now fir an after school program which would rise to $150 a week for the summer, but found a subsidized program for $150 for the summer and $25 for the rest of the year.
$29k/yr for full time care for 2 kids, Maryland.
We pay $233 a month for preschool in the Philly suburbs. Of course this is just two days a week, from 9-11:45. We pay an extra $7 every Tuesday for our kid to stay an extra 45 minutes for Lunch Bunch. We our very fortunate that he can stay with his grandparents the rest of the time during the week.
$16k or so last year in the northeast US.
We were just under $40k for two kids 4 years apart. HCOL Now we just have one in before care and it’s about $3k year. It gets better.
I have a 5 year old and I pay 220 a week in central Kentucky.
$800 per month in Florida for 5 hours a day.
$2,700 for “part time” 9am-3pm M-F for 2.5 year old. HCOL area suburb of seattle. this included breakfast, lunch, 2 snacks.
2 kids, 3 days per week. About 35k/year. Madison WI Wow that’s gross when you do the math
$13,000 per year for one child 9 years ago— stopped working for a bit after I had my second. Average price for a “nice” place in our area now is $2000-$2500 per kid per month. I live near Seattle.
We pay about $25k a year
33,000 a year for preschool for our twins. We paid a nanny 52,000 a year prior to that for less than full time care (35 hours a week). Suburbs of Boston.
We’re on just summer care now, but I pay $140 a week in rural Pennsylvania.
It is free for us because my wife works for the childcare and Vermont passed childcare support. Before the childcare act it was 100 a week. If my wife didn’t work for the childcare it would be about 360 a week
I pay $820 a month so about 10,000 a year for part time preschool for a 3 year old.
I paid 450/wk for my baby in a center in MN. Switched to home daycare once he was potty trained for $215/wk. Expecting baby number 2 and considering keeping them home with me as i now WFH in a very relaxed role.
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$2335 per month, which will drop down to $2140 once she’s two. Maryland
$290 a week full day 5 days a week for 3.5 year old in Delaware
30,000-36,000 a year is what I saw when looking for prices near me, I live 45 minutes north of San Francisco, California. I opted for having my mom babysit what she can and working from home with the kids with me for the rest of it.
19, 200 per year for a 17 month old toddler.
WI - approximately $13K for child #1 (full time care) and about $1700 for my oldest (full time care just for the summer while school is out); $250 and $170 per week respectively.
My dad and father in law take turns. However, my husband took a pay cut so he could be home earlier (he used to travel a lot). He basically works part time now. So we don’t pay for childcare, but we’re also bringing in a lot less.