Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Centers are very expensive for babies and toddlers in the DC area, but the price tends to drop quite a bit once they turn 3. There are a number of preschools in the area that only do 3 & 4 year old classes, but far fewer that have infant and toddler classes. So the centers are basically able to charge a ton for those younger classes and still have a wait list. Many people around here use in home or a nanny (or nanny share) and transition to a center-based preschool at age 3.

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.

Yes, infant care is extremely labor intensive. But what other culture sends off their babies to complete strangers so many hours a week? Do American parents not want to make the sacrifice? Even a relative would be better. Little children require stability, competence and love. All there are equally critical.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yep - welcome to DC!

We live in Montgomery County and pay $3600/month for an infant and a 3 yo. Writing that check makes me want to throw up a little.

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.

Decent childcare doesn't have to come with a price tag to put you in a poor house.

My work has an onsite daycare center. The monthly cost of that is $2,200.00 for infants. There is also a waiting list to get in.

I chose to put my daughter in a home daycare near my house that costs about $1,300 a month. That's with only five babies and two caregivers, huge yard, organic food and homey environment. I fail to see what the center has that's so much better than our home daycare that it should be worth a thousand bucks more a month.

My son, who is five, is at a language immersion preschool, which costs $1,200/month. This includes age appropriate instruction in language, reading, math, theater, music, dance, gymnastics, onsite playground, and now in the summer, daily trips to the nature center and the swimming pool. I don't see how preschools that charge 36K a year are so much better than what we're getting.

So it's not the cost, it's the lack of relationship between cost and worth. Good childcare doesn't have to put you in a poorhouse.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yep - welcome to DC!

We live in Montgomery County and pay $3600/month for an infant and a 3 yo. Writing that check makes me want to throw up a little.

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.