Childcare for single parent with seemingly good job

[Anonymous]

Hello,

I was wondering if I am missing something. We are new to DC. Recently divorced, ex H left me with our 2 children (infant and 2.5 yo) and I cannot file for child support as he is not US citizen and resides overseas now.
I am a single mother making low 6 figures. I live in ward 3 and cannot afford childcare. How do you go about finding childcare?
1. There is no availability
2. It would take more than 2/3 of my income based on the prices I have been quoted
3. Nannies are so expensive!

Obviously, not working is not an option so my question is how do I afford childcare, rent and putting food on the table? Maybe this is more of a rant and a lot of middle class families are wondering the same thing but I was supposed to start work 2 weeks ago and cannot start due to lack of childcare. I have 0 family around so absolutely no backup care. This is depressing even to type but I feel like I am missing something! Thanks

[Anonymous]

Can you change your living situation (cheaper housing)

Do you have to be in the DC Metro area, or is there cheaper are you could live in?

Childcare for and infant and toddler in the DC Metro area is expensive, and with your income, you likely are not able to get something subsidized.

[Anonymous]

PP that's my plan for next year but now I already signed a lease 3 weeks ago !

[Anonymous]

I hear you OP, its ridiculous. Have you looked at in-home day cares (vs centers or nannies), they tend to be less expensive.

[Anonymous]

I was a single mom with kids similar ages and no child support (still am! but kids are 1 and 4 now). No family in the area. $100k HHI. As with all things with being a single parent, you just do it. Scrimp, save, cut all non-necessities (no cable, no housecleaning, no eating out (which isn't much fun with kids that age anyway), etc.). I found a center that would take both and give me a (very small) sibling discount. It's more than my mortgage, but it's only for a few years. Nannies were too expensive and in-home daycares didn't offer the hours I needed. Good luck, OP.

[Anonymous]

Lol, sorry but no. In 2015 I took in $19k. You earn so much more than that - you can make it work.

[Anonymous]

So you are paying about $1800 per kid?

Move further out. I live in Springfield and pay less than $1300/month ($291) for an infant.

Or Look into home day cares.

[Anonymous]

DH and I together made low 6 figures when we had our kids a few years ago. (We both work.) This is what we did: Bought a relatively inexpensive house in DC. (400k, Ward 6.) Shared a nanny with another family. Put our kids in free pre-k (one at PK4, the other at PK3) once they were old enough. Kept them in public schools all the way up.

I am lucky that I have a job with flexible, 9-5 hours. This made it doable. It is not easy but it is doable--we've been doing it for 10 years now.

[Anonymous]

Unlicensed home daycare; move out to the burbs/poor neighborhoods where centers are cheaper than Ward 3. Ward 3 is incredibly wealthy, so the services there are bound to be very expensive too. That's what you're missing.

[Anonymous]

OP here... New to the forum so not sure how to respond individually
Obviously, I am not a charity case! Again being new to DC, I probably don't know where the options are. I bring home around 6k net.
My son has allergies and his formula and food cost me more than 500 bucks.
I looked and searched everywhere for in home daycare but there do not have any availability and do not even want to add to their waiting list.
Daycare centers I saw that have availability cost more than 2k a month . For 2 children, that'd be 2/3 of my income so I cannot afford that and pay rent and food and bills.

[Anonymous]

FOLKS, she said she cannot move, she already signed a lease, which she probably cannot afford to break.

OP- did you research the area much before planning to move? And how long will your new job hold your position if keep pushing out the start date?

[Anonymous]

In home daycares FTW. But yeah, it will still take most of your paycheck with two kids. Mine is super cheap at $250 a week, but for you that's $500 a week, 2k a month.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lol, sorry but no. In 2015 I took in $19k. You earn so much more than that - you can make it work.

Umm but how? Most daycares for one kid are more than 19k a year.

[Anonymous]

I researched 'safe' areas in DC and ended up where I am. I live in a big apartment complex so rent is not that expensive (2300 a month for a 2 bedroom).
Where I was clearly not diligent and you can shoot me for that is that I made all the wrong assumptions. We moved from NYC and I was paying a nanny $500 a week to watch my children and I assumed that I would find something similar in DC.
Again, my fault but I really had too much on my plate and yeah.
I cannot break my lease as of now. I tried and the owner wants to charge me extra 2 months rent which I clearly cannot afford right now.
I am not sure how long they will hold my job but they have been very supportive for now but I need to find a solution quick.

[Anonymous]

OP here again... Responding to the single parent above, yeah but no unnecessary spending here... no cable, no shopping, nothing. Trying to make budget for the bare minimum and the numbers don't add up (rent, childcare, food, transport, medical bills)