Day Care Cost

Article updated February 2007

It's 288 a week for infants and my two year old is an additional 257 a week.
Food is included but we send our own as we use organic for the infant and organic dairy and home cooked meals for the toddler.

Three days a week for one child

Includes lunch, snacks, and milk. I recently switched from another center where I paid $20 less but they did not include any food or milk.

My son only goes 3 full days a week!

I babysit 4 days a week 8 hrs a day plus a list of house keeping chores and getting underpaid! Only $130 a week. Parents need to realize us babysitters have bills too and gas isnt CHEAP! The same way Parents are trying to save $$$, were trying to make $$$. Watching babies are way more work than toddlers, feeding, changing diapers, bathing, and to top it all off HOUSE CHORES!! COME ON PEOPLE WE DONT WORK FOR FREE, CANT PAY??? WATCH YOUR OWN CHILDREN!! IT'S FREE OF CHARGE...

$20 a day for 2 meals, snacks, a school-like environment in the morning and fun in the afternoon.

I will be paying $224 per week for 3 days per week for an infant.

I am paying $264 per week for full time 8AM to 6PM. Everything is included in the price:meals, snacks, and drinks.
Excellent school and excellent program!!!!

I watch my 4 yr old nephew and my 10 month old niece in my home. They are here 11 hours a day 5 days a week. I'm a stay at home mother/wife (I lost my job after 5 yrs) and have 3 boys (11,5,2) home with me also. I provide preschool type activities, meals, and out side play games. I'm currently getting paid $200 a week/ $800 a month. Every thing I've researched online says i should make about $1000 a month. Looking for advise and help on this topic.

I have watched children in my home since my own children were little. I had a high paid job before and never could find decent care. Except my mom and I paid her but actually she gave me a gift. Caring for her grandchild and the gift of peace of mind while I was at work.
Over the last 20 plus years of watching other people's children I have had excellent and kindhearted people I work for but I must say 95% do not want to pay what they should. They pay a teen more than I get when they go out.
My wisdom for people working is to realize you want to keep your job for whatever reasons and need peace of mind. Realize you will not always be paying this money. One day your precious gems will be older and would you rather look back and know you had an excellent caregiver who not only cared for your child(ren) but played with them, took them places, taught them wisdom and loved them like you do. At least I fall in love with all the 80 plus kids I have kept. We also offer one special thing parents have a hard time doing. Disciplining and teaching them rules and respect. Most decent caregivers give their employer more than you could ever pay the caregiver.
Be thankful and love your nanny/ caregiver.

I have done childcare for 13 years now. I run a full preschool for 2-5 year olds and I run before and after school programs for 6-12 year olds. I transport all my kids to and from school, I offer all meals and snacks, I take them on field trips some at parents expense, but most at my own. I provide arts & crafts, games, learning, work books, nutritional learning, spelling, spanish, history, reading and so much more. I make all my kids a birthday cake birthday. I even help parents with clothes and extra ordinary things for their kids. But yet I still come across parents always looking for something "Cheaper" vs. "Quality". I even run my rates along side DHS rates due to the crushing ecomony, to still be able to pay my bills and still be a quality childcare/preschool for my parents/kids. Yet I still run across parents trying to find something "Cheaper". It is frustrating, but we can only do what we can do and we will never make everyone happy I guess. I even let my parents pick the day or days to make their payments. Maybe I offer to much for too littl,e that it underminds the quality of my program? However, my program is always full, but I still feel like I need to be on the lookout for new recruits due to parents looking for a "babysitter" versus a "professional childcare provider". I don't think alot of parents know the difference. A babsitter is someone you pay to come to your house so you can have a date night with your significant other. A "professional childcare provider" is trained to be the best influence and have the best interest in your most valuable treasure in the whole world, your child. Anyways, I feel better having vented all that. So to all you over worked, under paid and under appreciated professional child care providers, keep up the good work, because it is the kids who needs us the most while they have us, so give them all you got because they will remember you!

Daycare is $205 per week, the total of about $820-900 per month. 5 days a week, 7am - 5pm, 3 meals included. If the baby is absent all week you pay half price

I was fortunate to have my mother step in to take care of my daughter when I returned back to work. I had the pleasure of staying home with my daughter for 4 months. There is nothing better than having peace of mind!!!

Wonderful preschool. Teachers are well educated, loving and very much a Christian . They all provided wonderful daily learning experiences for the children. Great program! Well worth the money and the drive. It is certainly not daycare! It's so much more. Director is on top of everything at all times.

I take care of my grandson three days a week for 10 hours each of those days. He get his breakfast and lunch and snacks. I have potty trained him. He loves coming here and I love having him. My daughter hates paying me.

I wanted to know how much is a good rate for home daycare for infants and toddlers,school age children.. I was thinking for Infants $40 a day,and for Toddlers $45 a day. What do u think is that to much or is that to cheap.

We pay $600/month for in home child care of our 1 1/2 year old. What should be the cost for our baby on the way?

I am about to raise my rates to $65 per week for anyone here 12 hrs-20 hrs per week. I also am going to be charging $4 per hr for anyone here less than 12 hours per week. My full time rate (over 20 hrs week) is going to be $3 per hr. Does this sound fair?

I am looking to hire a live in nanny part time on the weekends twice a month. I wanted to pay $300 to $350 per weekend if i found one. I found someone and she told me that $350 per weekend was too low. I thought it was fair because there would be a parent here and would assume most of the responsiblities until called into work on those weekends. Someone please let me know a good rate. I believe she is looking for $500 plus. I can not afford $1000.00 plus per month when there are no other reaponsiblities for this position except feed baby, change diapers, and be at the house when parent is called into work for two hours at a time if at all. I only need her 6 days out of the month and feel she could find work on the other 24/25 days. Please let me kmow if i am wrong but $700.00 per month seems fair to me.

This cost is for only 3 days a week- Full time is roughly $1000 a month. This is twice as much as any other day care in the area, but when we went to the other ones and went to this one, there is no comparison. SCDS regularly has 3 QUALIFIED teachers for 9-10 kids in a classroom. They also have a curriculum and wonderfully laid out classroom. I love this place!