Toddler and baby in daycare $4k/mo!? This is crazy!
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Anonymous
Why do you want to vomit about the high cost of substitute care of *your* baby and three year old? Are you happier to write a bigger check for your mortgage payment? Do you not understand the (typically) permanent consequences of inadequate care of such little children? Hence, The Hell of American Daycare. Google it and educate yourself a bit. Perhaps you'll then be happy. to. pay. for. decent. childcare. Perhaps not. |
Anonymous
You sound harsh. She obviously cares about her children and that's why she's paying the high price. Some of us on this board don't earn $200K or $300K and childcare costs in DC is the highest in the country. |
Anonymous
We've made the exact same calculus except we're at Wonders. I know we are paying a premium to be able to walk to the day care from our house and then jump on the metro. But we love the care, and I refuse to drive at rush hour in this area. We are lucky to be able to afford it. It means we barely spend any money elsewhere -- haven't taken a vacation in 3 years -- but we knew that going in. |
Anonymous
It's only worth it financially if you have a second kid. We pay $2200 a month for day care for one kid. It will go down next year when he is three. But really it all depends on so many factors that are individual to the family. For instance, both DH and I commute 40 minutes to an hour on the metro, and we find it tough to stagger schedules because we're both fairly high up and need to be in the office during core business hours. So if we had a nanny there'd be a lot more hours. We also prefer day care for various reasons, and a nanny would have to be a significant cost savings for us to consider it -- which it's not, at least with one kid. Also, we don't find it a hassle to pack up the kid and bring him to daycare. The daycare provides food; the only things we send are water (daily) and bedding/diapers (once a week). We walk there and it's on the way to the metro, so DS gets some exercise and time with us, and it's not out of our way. He's in day care from 8:30 to 5:30 and loves it. I'm sure he'd love a nanny too, but we are very happy with the care he gets. Of course, we pay through the nose for that care. Also, we don't have a dishwasher. DH and I both wanted to die every evening when we washed all the bottles and bottle parts by hand. Any nanny who had to do that would probably have quit on us! 
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Anonymous
OF COURSE I think it is worth it. I also think it's just what it costs. I feel very blessed that we can afford it, even though it is a huge number. |
Anonymous
| We're paying a little over $4500 for two kids per month. It's expensive but there weren't other alternatives and its temporary. Once they're in school that's a whole load more disposable income we will have to put back into the savings we are slowly depleting. DC has some of the highest childcare costs in the region. As much as it is ridiculously expensive at least we were able to get spots for both of them at a place we liked which is not the case for everyone with the crazy wait lists. |
Anonymous
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Our kid are at the Shoe, and yes, that's the cost. At least they provide a small discount when you have multiple kids there.
I will say, though, that for our family the cost has been more than worth it. Our kids are loved and happy and challenged appropriately and play a ton. I feel SO lucky to have them there. Worth every penny. |
Anonymous
It's also the case that infant care is the most expensive to provide, mostly because of the higher required ratios. At our center (a non-profit), I think the infant room barely breaks even. |
Anonymous
| The center in my neighborhood charges around 3200 a month PER kid. |
Anonymous
What hours does it have? |
Anonymous
 What other culture? How about the French? Other European countries? LOL. Many send their babies off to daycare and while you may not know the provider like a family member, I wouldn't say they are complete strangers.
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Anonymous
Not the PP, but we pay $3,500 month for our infant and toddler in daycare, and while I very much appreciate that they are well taken care of while my husband and I are at work, I get a pit in my stomach writing that huge check. I want the workers to be well-paid, and I want my children to get quality care, but I do get that slightly nauseous/anxious feeling about how much money we spend for childcare. Oh, and our mortgage payment is about half of our childcare costs. We live in an unfashionable neighborhood in Ward 5. |
Anonymous
We pay $3000/month for one half of a nanny share for one toddler
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Anonymous
What is so great about this nanny that she's making 72k/yr? That seems pretty unbelievable. |
Anonymous
What neighborhood? What center? I am at a pricey center, but $3,200 per kid seems really high. |