Daycare Costs? I'm sure you guys get this question all the time.

meganinmaine

I have no children.  I'm not even pregnant.  But I'm a planner.  And so when I think about having a child, I instantly think of what strikes me as one of the larger costs (for someone who intends to go back to work, anyhow) - daycare.  If nobody minds my asking, how much do you pay for daycare, what kind do you use (in-home, more of a school-type setup, etc.), and what part of the state do you live in?  I just want to make sure I'm mentally prepared.

kristen80

I'm in northeastern MA in a small city, which I'm sure is a different ballgame than ME.  We send Jake to a privately owned center 3 days/week and it's $62/day for 8 hours.  I know the more days you send them, the cost is slightly less per day.  For us, the price was very comparable w/ other similar centers.  The home daycares I found were generally $5-7/hour, while the Montessori-type schools were crazy expensive around $100/day.  Fun times!!  Thankfully you get a teeny bit of help w/ tax-sheltered savings accounts (up to $5K I believe).

kl8107

We pay $195/week for our daycare in Portland. Its in a home, but nobody lives there..its just for the daycare. But its small and cozy which I love. The centers we looked at started at around $190/week, but most were $200-$250/week.

kclouts

We are in Lewiston and our daughter goes to a full-time in-home daycare.  We paid $140 a week when she was an infant and now pay $120 a week (since she turned 18 months).  At the infant rate, we provided all the formula and diapers (cloth).  At the preschooler rate, they provide two meals a day plus snacks and we still provide the diapers (cloth).

SBTibbs

We use an in home daycare in Sanford that provides breakfast, lunch and 2 snacks. He goes part time and we currently pay $55 for 2 days or $75 for 3 days.

AnnieME

Our little guy goes to daycare in the Gardiner area.   We pay $130 for a full week of infant care at an in-home daycare.  We provide formula, other food, wipes and dipes.  

mrscjwatts

We pay $130 a week for 745 am to 445 pm, 5 days a week. I'm in central maine and formula, foods and diapers are provided. We cloh diaper but if I forget them or dont paack enough, dcp provides. Cost will go down once she turns 1

kristen80

Oh my I can't believe how much more $$$ it is here in MA.  I knew there'd be a difference but not that much!!  Geez.  We're planning on moving more north and maybe even southern NH - hope the prices go down as we move up!!

meganinmaine

Thanks, you guys!  That was better than I hoped!

meganmarieCA

kristen80:

Oh my I can't believe how much more $$$ it is here in MA.  I knew there'd be a difference but not that much!!  Geez.  We're planning on moving more north and maybe even southern NH - hope the prices go down as we move up!!

Holy cow, you're not kidding!  At our former in-home daycare, we paid $70 a day for 8am - 5:30 pm and we provided everything (meals, diapers, wipes, etc.)  Our new daycare center is going to be $80 a day, but at least they provide the meals.  That's the cheapest I've found around Boston. 

cdg0819

We're in LA and we pay $60 for a half day. We do 4 half-days so we usually pay $240 a week

MA&CB

We pay $30 a day; he goes to our former neighbor's house and she just has him and her own kids, so it's not really a daycare.  

appleofmyeye

I can't get over the LA prices!!! $60 for a half day!!!!

 I run an in home daycare in Westbrook and charge $35/day. It includes breakfast, lunch & snacks. I know many other in home providers in the area and there rates range from $30 - $45/day.

Mrs.ErikaMay

I pay $173/ week for 3 days of full time care, whether he's there or not, at a non-profit center in Portland.  They provide breakfast, lunch, and snack.  I provide diapers, cloth or not.  We paid the same when he was an infant, but had to provide all the food.

I think the rate goes down when he's 2.5?  It's whenever the ratio of kids to teachers goes up because he doesn't get as much 1-on-1 attention. 

And the cost of daycare (and the lack of extra income) is why I can't afford to have 2 children yet.

jd72878

I'm in Southern Maine and Abby goes to an in home day care once a week from 9am-4pm.  It's $50/day or $200 for the week.  It's amazing how costly, yet necessary day care can be. 

grahamsm3

Non-profit run Head Start in Bangor *2 years ago* might have gone up, but I was there when the went up last time and it was only like a $10 increase.

Provided Everything But the Child!!! diapers, wipes, formula, breakfast, lunch, snack, blanket, toothpaste, toothbrush, education, family support, developmental and health screenings. 

Open 6:30 am-5:30 pm, closed federal holidays and 3 non-consecutive staff training days per year - no weather closure. 

Infant $180/wk 

Toddler $140/wk 

Preschooler $120/wk 

 

P.S. does anyone else read Ms. New Megan's name too fast and think it is MeganMarie and wonder why she needs to know how much daycare is if she already has a child in care? Can't have too many Megans on here!

grahamsm3

jd72878:

It's amazing how costly, yet necessary day care can be. 

I am always amazed at how much daycare costs vs. how little daycare staff get paid. It really costs a lot to just care for the child without factoring in the cost of the help.

at the daycare I gave prices for above there are 3 staff per room -

center aide makes $7-8/hr - needs HS diploma or GED

asst. teacher makes $10-11/hr - needs an AS in early childhood or related

teacher makes $12-13/hr - needs a BS in early childhood or related 

jgreg29

Oh, ouch, this post has brought me down.  Most of my coworkers and friends pay $80-100 a day.  That's part of why we have a crazy waitlist at my office's daycare because it's only $65 a day.

KatieLG04

Yikes!  If I had to pay $100 a day I might as well not work.  I pay $100 for the week and that includes breakfast and lunch.  I am very fortunate to have found Ben's daycare.

MainelyFoolish

I can't believe how cheap all of you have daycare!  I'm ready to sign up Helen! 

grahamsm3

MainelyFoolish:

I can't believe how cheap all of you have daycare!  I'm ready to sign up Helen! 

2 years of preschool is not unreasonable. Send her half days when she is three. Alone time for mama!

Does your public school have a 4 y.o. program? 

grahamsm3

KatieLG04:

Yikes!  If I had to pay $100 a day I might as well not work.

I make $66.70/day before tax and retirement, so yeah, I would need to find an extra $33.30 to send to daycare in VA. I would have to SAHM, couldn't afford to work!

 

MainelyFoolish

grahamsm3:

MainelyFoolish:

I can't believe how cheap all of you have daycare!  I'm ready to sign up Helen! 

2 years of preschool is not unreasonable. Send her half days when she is three. Alone time for mama!

Does your public school have a 4 y.o. program? 

Oh, she's definitely going to preschool in the fall.  But aren't most preschools only 3 hours a day, 2 days a week for three year olds?  Basically enough time to drive her somewhere, come home, waste an hour and a half, drive back to pick her up, come home again.  I was thinking how nice it would be to have a whole day each week with DD out of the house!

I don't think Sanford has any public preschool except for Head Start.  I'm starting to look for preschools and I'm having trouble locating them.  A lot of places that say "preschool" are really daycares, which is not what I'm looking for. 

tanyamc81

Wow....I'm reading all of these rates and thinking about changing my rates!! I'm almost certified as an in-home daycare and I have my BS degree in early childhood development! I was only going to charge 25 for full day and 15 for school aged!   And have breakfast, lunch and 2 snacks included.  Diapers and wipes  parents would have to supply though!  Man....is that too low or what? I just know how hard it is to leave your child with someone else never mind pay an arm and a leg to do so!!!! 

jgreg29

grahamsm3:

KatieLG04:

Yikes!  If I had to pay $100 a day I might as well not work.

I make $66.70/day before tax and retirement, so yeah, I would need to find an extra $33.30 to send to daycare in VA. I would have to SAHM, couldn't afford to work!

 

Well, on the "positive" side, your salary probably would be higher because salaries are higher here.  So $100 isn't directly comparable.  And once you get into the outer suburbs you can find care for $60ish.  Still, it's expensive to live here.  So far, it's been well worth it but I may change my tune when we have two kids! Paying for child care for two seems impossible but being a SAHM on one salary in this area is also scary!  :-P

grahamsm3

MainelyFoolish:

Oh, she's definitely going to preschool in the fall.  But aren't most preschools only 3 hours a day, 2 days a week for three year olds?  Basically enough time to drive her somewhere, come home, waste an hour and a half, drive back to pick her up, come home again.  I was thinking how nice it would be to have a whole day each week with DD out of the house!

I don't think Sanford has any public preschool except for Head Start.  I'm starting to look for preschools and I'm having trouble locating them.  A lot of places that say "preschool" are really daycares, which is not what I'm looking for. 

It varies on how long the sessions are, but I see what you are saying. I know we had people pay full price for full day full year head start who didn't meet income guidelines to get a sliding fee. I tried to find info on the Sanford head start, but didn't see if they were FDFY or part day part year (PDPY).

I don't think we had any in the PDPY program who were not income eligible, so I am not 100% sure you can, but it would be worth looking into. Our PDPY program was 4 hours and ran with the Bangor school calendar (i.e. school vacations, school snow days) even though it was not affiliated with the school. AM session 7:30-11:30; PM session 12:00-4:00.

Another place I have found short day programs is with colleges that have ECE degrees. I found on the Sanford website that the high school has a regional technical center affiliated that had an early childhood program for high school kids that runs a center and lets the students work there 2 days a week in the second year. I couldn't find info to enroll your child, so maybe it is just a center for teen moms...

You have been to my favorite website to call and ask about what you are looking for... right? You can call the nice people at your county Resource Development Center if you haven't already.

http://www.carelinkrdc.com/referral1.htm#CareLink%20now%20offers%20online%20referrals. 

grahamsm3

jgreg29:

grahamsm3:

KatieLG04:

Yikes!  If I had to pay $100 a day I might as well not work.

I make $66.70/day before tax and retirement, so yeah, I would need to find an extra $33.30 to send to daycare in VA. I would have to SAHM, couldn't afford to work!

 

Well, on the "positive" side, your salary probably would be higher because salaries are higher here.  So $100 isn't directly comparable.  And once you get into the outer suburbs you can find care for $60ish.  Still, it's expensive to live here.  So far, it's been well worth it but I may change my tune when we have two kids! Paying for child care for two seems impossible but being a SAHM on one salary in this area is also scary!  :-P

I thought about COL, but I wanted to be dramatic and ignore it . I like my LCOL area and DH's decent paying job to balance my crappy paying one.

KatieLG04

jgreg29:

grahamsm3:

KatieLG04:

Yikes!  If I had to pay $100 a day I might as well not work.

I make $66.70/day before tax and retirement, so yeah, I would need to find an extra $33.30 to send to daycare in VA. I would have to SAHM, couldn't afford to work!

 

Well, on the "positive" side, your salary probably would be higher because salaries are higher here.  So $100 isn't directly comparable.  And once you get into the outer suburbs you can find care for $60ish.  Still, it's expensive to live here.  So far, it's been well worth it but I may change my tune when we have two kids! Paying for child care for two seems impossible but being a SAHM on one salary in this area is also scary!  :-P

I get that, but because I'm a social worker I wouldn't make double no matter where I lived.  Sometimes a masters degree doesn't make much difference *sigh*

meganmarieCA

grahamsm3:

P.S. does anyone else read Ms. New Megan's name too fast and think it is MeganMarie and wonder why she needs to know how much daycare is if she already has a child in care? Can't have too many Megans on here!

Me!  Sometimes I see a post and think, "hey I don't remember posting something", and then I look closer.  

CopperDog39

mrscjwatts:

We pay $130 a week for 745 am to 445 pm, 5 days a week. I'm in central maine and formula, foods and diapers are provided. We cloh diaper but if I forget them or dont paack enough, dcp provides. Cost will go down once she turns 1

 

May I ask where this is? Just for future reference !:)

shuga_23

I'm  late to this post but Abe goes to a center in central Maine. 5 days of care is $150. They are open 6:30-5:30 and we provide everything. I feel really confident in our choice.