300/wk for home daycare?!

[Anonymous]

do you think it's a lot? we found a great home daycare for DS for 300/wk. all other home daycare visited charged up to $250, and $300 is slightly above my comfort zone (ie over what I thought we'd pay but we can swing it if belt is tightened somewhere else). we'll most likely go with it, but I just wanted to find out if it was grossly over the market rate ie no other home daycare charging that much.

[Anonymous]

It is high - as it equates to $1300 a month.

Are they providing all food / diapers / wipes with that? Are the hours longer than other places? Adult child ratio extremely low?

[Anonymous]

I don't think it's grossly overpriced but it's definitely on the high side.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for your feedback. The child to adult ratio is low (2 adults for 4 kids under 2); so one person takes care of two little ones. It's nice to have that ratio and the kids will all be around the same age. Parents have to provide food though and I'm assuming diapers and wipes. I'm really torn about it.

[Anonymous]

That ratio is fabulous! If 1 adult needs to change a diaper, prepare a meal, there is still a 2nd adults there observing 3 children.

It is similar to the ratio of a nanny share at a lower cost. If the hours work for you and the location is convienent, I would go for it.

[Anonymous]

OP here. thanks previous PP. The provider is right in my neighborhood--I could actually walk to her place if I were less lazy ;o), she's got a big backyard with a playset, I know all the playgrounds in the neighborhood, she brings the kids to story time at the library, I mean, she's perfect! So I should get over the cost issue and swallow it. And you're right, it's almost like having a nanny for half the price. It's even still cheaper than a nanny share.

[Anonymous]

I've actually been quoted higher for home daycare - if you can believe it. It's on the high side but the convenience factor sounds awesome.

Is this in MD, DC or VA?

[Anonymous]

it's higher than the ones I looked at, BUT the ratios are great, and that's a huge advantage. One note of advice: if you're paying that amount, make absolutely sure the provider plans to keep the assistant and the same # of children. I visited a few inhome providers that had low numbers of kids when I visited, but planned to increase the number of kids to the state maximum. (I felt that 12 kids for 2 providers was WAY too many kids.)

[Anonymous]

How many hours a week for $300?

[Anonymous]

When you say it's out of your comfort zone, does this mean that you can't afford it or that you think the price is too high? Here's how I would judge it if you can afford it. If I visited a lot of places and found one that I felt really good about leaving my child in, I would go for it. When you are talking about the care of your kid, you have to think about what $50 a week means to you. In my area, I was quoted $210 for most places but chose the only one that was $250 because, cost aside, that was where I thought my child would get care that I would feel good about. The extra $40 per week was tight for our family, but we decided that it was worth it because that was the kind of care that we wanted for our baby. The key for us though was that it was tight, not undoable.

[Anonymous]

I think it all depends on where the provider is located, what area. Some are higher priced than others. However as a provider myself, if I were to charge that much, I would be supplying the food (as I do now) along with diapers wipes and longer hours!!

[Anonymous]

Hi everyone. OP here. Thanks for the great feedback.

I've been thinking tonight about the point raised on whether or not she intends to increase the number of kids she takes in (we're in Silver Spring). The sleeping room was set up with only four cribs though so I assumed that she takes only four children at the time. I'll double check with her though. I think it would be a deal breaker if she tells me she'd like to go to the max allowable.

The hours are great (10/day, so we have until 6pm to pick up DS). Most providers I talked to asked kids too be picked up by 5:30pm, and some even 5pm.

The most common quote I got in my area was $250, but I'll have to say that I would never leave DS with the providers who've quoted me less than $250. Financially I'd love to, but if I want to be perfectly honest I think DS deserves better than what they had to offer (clean place to start with). So yes, in the end it is truly a question of a $50/week difference. It's interesting how put that way it doesn't seem much, but $50 bucks is $50 bucks. It would make our budget tight--shaving off ALL the extras--and they are already few, but I think it is doable. What frightens me a bit is how close to the bones it's going to put us, which also underlines how much of a financial burden child care is on middle income families (I'm not talking about the two 6 figures incomes we keep reading about on DCUM ;o) I'm talking 2 non-profit incomes!).

Fortunately, DS' older brother should enter kindergarten next year, so that will put us back in a slightly more comfortable position.

[Anonymous]

What if she raises her rate? If you start at the maximum you cannot adjust upwards.

[Anonymous]

Hi PP. OP here. You raise a good point, but I don't think she can raise her fee midway through a one year contract. After the one year, DS will be 2 and in principle fees slide down as the kids get older, if not, he'll be old enough to join my other DS' daycare center where I know he can stay until pre-K.