Anonymous wrote:In-home Daycare in Arlington County ($350/week)
Preschool in Falls Church City - $1200/month

Both of these include 2 snacks and lunch. For baby, we provided wipes and diapers.

In-home Daycare in Arlington County ($350/week)
Preschool in Falls Church City - $1200/month

The 4 will be in kindergarten soon, so whatever you pay is a one-time cost for the most part unless you do private Kindergarten.

$2600/month for 4 month old in NW DC. Formula, food, diapers, and wipes are all included in tuition.

$1800/month in downtown DC for an infant (daycare run by a Federal government agency)

Once baby stops formula, food is included in the cost. Enrichment is included too.

I had two kids and we were paying almost $3k in daycare/preschool and I was making $60k it did NOT feel like it was worth it for me to be working sometimes.

Except that whole time I was contributing to my 401(k) and so was my employer. When my DH was briefly unemployed, we had my medical insurance plan to fall back on while he looked for another job.

It was the right choice for us and will give us more financial freedom in the future.

1.5 year old, in NW DC, $2200/month, food included

Our daycare center in Rockville charges $1,800 per month for 0-24 month olds and $1,300 for 3-5 year olds. So for the two it'd be $37,000 per year. A small portion of that can be tax free with an FSA.

Agree with PP that if you are thinking about the financial pros and cons of going back to work, don't just think about the salary vs daycare costs. Think about the long-term benefits of being in the workforce. Not just retirement and social security but also salary growth. Obviously this depends on your field, but in mine at least (government), salary depends a lot on tenure and the sooner you start, the sooner your salary will go up.

Of course, there are other non-financial pros and cons of going back to the workforce, but I'm just referring to financial considerations.

McLean, VA
15 months
1,700

No food provided

7:30 am to 6:30pm

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not about your salary- it's also about retirement, career progress, etc. Unless you earn minimum wage, it's always beneficial to go back to work.

OP here. Unless I find situation like PP in Bowie, it sounds like most arrangements are going to cost $20-25 an hour. The other PP advised 2k for toddler and 1400 for preschooler. That’s $40,800 a year, hardly minimum wage. It’s a tough decision to go back when a significant fraction of your salary will be eaten up by daycare, taxes, etc.

It’s not cheap, but exiting the workforce makes it harder to find a job down the line, and not working also means you are not contributing to social security, getting a 401(k) match, and in my case a pension. A lot of my salary goes to daycare, but it is still worth it for me. And my kid is super social and learning way more when interacting with other kids in a play-based setting than she would be home solo with me or DH.

When did your child start daycare?

Both my kids started daycare after my maternity leave was over — 4 months for one, 5 months for the other

(And I am the PP you asked - I talk about one kid in the post because I only have one in daycare now. The other is in elementary school now.)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not about your salary- it's also about retirement, career progress, etc. Unless you earn minimum wage, it's always beneficial to go back to work.

OP here. Unless I find situation like PP in Bowie, it sounds like most arrangements are going to cost $20-25 an hour. The other PP advised 2k for toddler and 1400 for preschooler. That’s $40,800 a year, hardly minimum wage. It’s a tough decision to go back when a significant fraction of your salary will be eaten up by daycare, taxes, etc.

It’s not cheap, but exiting the workforce makes it harder to find a job down the line, and not working also means you are not contributing to social security, getting a 401(k) match, and in my case a pension. A lot of my salary goes to daycare, but it is still worth it for me. And my kid is super social and learning way more when interacting with other kids in a play-based setting than she would be home solo with me or DH.

When did your child start daycare?

Both my kids started daycare after my maternity leave was over — 4 months for one, 5 months for the other

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not about your salary- it's also about retirement, career progress, etc. Unless you earn minimum wage, it's always beneficial to go back to work.

OP here. Unless I find situation like PP in Bowie, it sounds like most arrangements are going to cost $20-25 an hour. The other PP advised 2k for toddler and 1400 for preschooler. That’s $40,800 a year, hardly minimum wage. It’s a tough decision to go back when a significant fraction of your salary will be eaten up by daycare, taxes, etc.

It’s not cheap, but exiting the workforce makes it harder to find a job down the line, and not working also means you are not contributing to social security, getting a 401(k) match, and in my case a pension. A lot of my salary goes to daycare, but it is still worth it for me. And my kid is super social and learning way more when interacting with other kids in a play-based setting than she would be home solo with me or DH.

When did your child start daycare?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not about your salary- it's also about retirement, career progress, etc. Unless you earn minimum wage, it's always beneficial to go back to work.

OP here. Unless I find situation like PP in Bowie, it sounds like most arrangements are going to cost $20-25 an hour. The other PP advised 2k for toddler and 1400 for preschooler. That’s $40,800 a year, hardly minimum wage. It’s a tough decision to go back when a significant fraction of your salary will be eaten up by daycare, taxes, etc.

It’s not cheap, but exiting the workforce makes it harder to find a job down the line, and not working also means you are not contributing to social security, getting a 401(k) match, and in my case a pension. A lot of my salary goes to daycare, but it is still worth it for me. And my kid is super social and learning way more when interacting with other kids in a play-based setting than she would be home solo with me or DH.

Downtown Bethesda, 2 yr old, $2100 (full-time daycare). Cheaper for 4 yo but not sure how much.

Loudoun County: Home daycare was ~$1150/month for infant/young toddler. Church-based center for preschooler is ~$1350/month. Both full-time.