Random question about daycare

[pam]

Does anyone have their child or know of someone that has their child in daycare full time? What do they pay per week or month for this?

[kapikui]

It depends vastly on the day care. There are significant differences in cost. In general from what I've read, you can count on an average of $18,000 per year for child care alone. If you're taking a job to bring in extra money, you also have to take into account that you're likely to have other costs associated with it, including more convenience food and eating out more. This is likely to raise the over all cost significantly more.

On another note, I've worked in a daycare. It isn't a good environment for children. The school system rapidly turns kids feral. Day care will turn them feral faster. Most of the children I encountered at that day care who grew up there had severe behavioral and emotional problems. Sometimes you have to put a kid in daycare, but if you can avoid it, stay away. It's bad.

Children need someone to bond with. Ideally that should be a parent. When that is not possible, it should be someone with whom the child will have a life long relationship, like a family member or close family friend. Day Care workers are paid crap. They're often people in a first job. Sometimes they're people who can't do anything else. Day cares have a high turn over rate for workers. It's a hard job, so even people who get into it because they want to do it burn out quickly. Heath problems are rampant in the workers, and they often become rapidly unable to do the job. Even people who run day cares themselves often have the business fail. Your child will not have a consistent person being their caregiver. Some kids can do OK with this, others will be devastated every time a worker comes or goes. This could easily (and I believe does, but I have no evidence to prove it) lead to the development of sociopathic disorders.

[Guest]

I ran a small home daycare when I only had 1 child. I was only allowed to have 6 kids total in my house at once, unless I hired someone to help. Six children isn't unmanageable. I'm the youngest of 9, and we're hardly feral. All of us and most of our children are in public school, and manage to come out good, civilized, contributing members of the human race. Good grief.

I'm not a fan of huge daycares, but even those aren't all bad. I think it's really unfair to say that all of them are crazy factories full of people who don't care. I think a good, licensed home daycare run by someone you trust is a good alternative.

[viannqueen3]

My sister has run a small licensed daycare out of her home for the past five years now. I know rates in our area are very low compared to the national average... I want to say she charges about $25/day for kids older than 2 and slightly more for infants (maybe $30) but honestly I can't remember.

Pro's: it's been a legitimate way for her to raise her two small children and bring in some income. She has to maximize the amount of children she watches to make it worth it financially though.

Con's: Very stressful. Often she's up by 6:30 or 7am when people drop their children off, hours before her own kids get up. She can't leave her house until kids go home (usually about 6pm) and there are lots of rules to be licensed. For example even though she has a fully fenced backyard with a playset/sandbox if the kids are in the backyard playing she must physically be out there with them. When she started she had many parents take advantage of her, not pay her etc. She now charges for the month upfront and requires a small deposit.

[kapikui]

I ran a small home daycare when I only had 1 child. I was only allowed to have 6 kids total in my house at once, unless I hired someone to help. Six children isn't unmanageable. I'm the youngest of 9, and we're hardly feral. All of us and most of our children are in public school, and manage to come out good, civilized, contributing members of the human race. Good grief.

I'm not a fan of huge daycares, but even those aren't all bad. I think it's really unfair to say that all of them are crazy factories full of people who don't care. I think a good, licensed home daycare run by someone you trust is a good alternative.

No daycares aren't feral factories, public schools are (but that's a rant for a different thread), the day care just gives the public school a jump start, and I did say that some do care, but a lot don't, and even the ones that do burn out rather rapidly. I've seen working daycare kill people. It doesn't matter how much your day care worker cares about the kid if it kills them(the worker, not the kid), you'll still need to find a new daycare, and you get all of the problems then of breaking and forming attachments. If you find a good long term day care, you're very, very lucky.

Of course I should have pointed out that I worked in a rather large day care center, not an in home business. If you do HAVE to go with day care that is what I would suggest. Different aged children in a care setting is a good thing.

Also be aware that the quality (and cost) of the day care will vary greatly depending on the state laws.

[Guest]

My kids went to a "Daycare" for a time. We don't call it a daycare though. It's a Montessori School. Montessori teaching method starts from age 0 through 18. My kids were ages 0 and 2 at that time. This was when I was still transitioning from the office to work-at-home.

The school charged around the same ballpark as all the other "school type" Daycares in town (Florida) at $560/month. The Montessori incorporates learning with the play so that you're playing with toys that forms a foundation for learning by curiosity. And they get the pets/garden/arts exposure as well.

But, you can find decent home daycares for $125/week. They're usually not educationally structured, though. Basically they would be watching TV, eating a snack/lunch, playing at the playground, taking a nap.

P.S. The Montessori school hours for ages 0-3 are 8-12 only. If you want afternoon care (until 3pm) with it it's $800/month... If you want all the way to 6PM, it's $960/month.

Disclaimer: This was 8 years ago.

Edited December 18, 2012 by anatess

[BenRaines]

If I recall I think Pam is considering having a daycare. No children of her own at home any longer. It would be a way for her to keep from collecting feral cats and keeping them in her house. Feral children instead.

Ben Raines

[dahlia]

I've worked in a daycare. It isn't a good environment for children. The school system rapidly turns kids feral. Day care will turn them feral faster.

Broad brush statement. My son was in a Montessori environment with Italian nuns who made bread for the students and used table clothes and a flower for the kids' lunch tables. It may be more expensive than leaving junior with the old lady down the street, but being from the DC area, I knew of many well-run day cares that catered to the children of professionals. These parents would have pitched a fit if their kids weren't getting top notch care, pre-school prep, and attention - and getting into the 'right' kindergartens (yes, it can be that bad).

[pam]

It depends vastly on the day care. There are significant differences in cost. In general from what I've read, you can count on an average of $18,000 per year for child care alone. If you're taking a job to bring in extra money, you also have to take into account that you're likely to have other costs associated with it, including more convenience food and eating out more. This is likely to raise the over all cost significantly more.

On another note, I've worked in a daycare. It isn't a good environment for children. The school system rapidly turns kids feral. Day care will turn them feral faster. Most of the children I encountered at that day care who grew up there had severe behavioral and emotional problems. Sometimes you have to put a kid in daycare, but if you can avoid it, stay away. It's bad.

Children need someone to bond with. Ideally that should be a parent. When that is not possible, it should be someone with whom the child will have a life long relationship, like a family member or close family friend. Day Care workers are paid crap. They're often people in a first job. Sometimes they're people who can't do anything else. Day cares have a high turn over rate for workers. It's a hard job, so even people who get into it because they want to do it burn out quickly. Heath problems are rampant in the workers, and they often become rapidly unable to do the job. Even people who run day cares themselves often have the business fail. Your child will not have a consistent person being their caregiver. Some kids can do OK with this, others will be devastated every time a worker comes or goes. This could easily (and I believe does, but I have no evidence to prove it) lead to the development of sociopathic disorders.

Well that's really encouraging considering I was really considering doing this thinking I could make a difference in some kids lives. My own children are far from daycare age. They are all in their 20's.

Edited December 19, 2012 by pam

[ViolinGirl]

My 6 week old was in daycare for exactly 5 days. During that time, she wasn't being fed properly/regularly and I'm pretty sure the employees were smoking in the building. They charged $26 per day. I'm now paying someone to come to my house every day instead, which is 1000 times better. Baby is much happier and so is mommy. Cost...$120/week.

[Guest]

Well that's really encouraging considering I was really considering doing this thinking I could make a difference in some kids lives. My own children are far from daycare age. They are all in their 20's.

Pam, I think you should go for it!

There are certain things you need to check to get your house up to "code". Like, for instance, in Florida you have to be able to unlock and open your door with one hand, etc.

In Florida, one licensed adult can take up to 6 children under 3 years old. So, if your area is of the same ballpark rate as Florida, you can expect $125/week per child which comes up to $750/week gross. You can go week by week (payment due the Friday before) or month by month (payment due the last week of the month for the next month). You'll have to set up a vacation and holiday schedule when the daycare is closed (unpaid) and arrange for a substitute for when you are not feeling well. The way the daycare I used for my children worked, I pay monthly and declare my vacations the month before. I don't pay the school for our vacations. I do still pay when my child has to stay home for an illness.

I suggest looking into the Montessori method to get the kids engaged in a self-managed activity for most of the day. Your job is then to facilitate these activities which gives the day a solid structure with a lot more manageable effort on your part - kids can do different activities on their own while you offer help here and there. It will also give you more time to give more of your attention to the babies who need more hands-on help with feedings and naps. Yes, it requires a little investment on Montessori material (toys and such) but the Montessori structure would, I think, be worth the investment to have a more organized daycare environment.

Edited December 19, 2012 by anatess