Just suffering a little sticker shock, here! My oldest daugther will start kindergarten in the fall, but I will need full time daycare for the two little ones. Looks like I’ll be spending somewhere between $900 and $1200 a month on daycare!!! I have been home for the most part with my kids until now, so I am really wondering how in the world people pay for this? Even if I put all of my “extra” student loan toward daycare, I would not be able to cover the costs. I can get $100 a month through some kind of childcare assistance through school, but that is not even close… does anyone else know of resources to help out with this?
I know at my school if you bring in a letter from the daycare stating how much your childcare is then the school will increase your approved loan amount by enough to cover the day care. Is this an option with your school?
I already gave a statement about my costs and they did not increase my amount. There is only so much they can give each year.
Childcare is phenomenally expensive! We are paying >$600/month for 2 days/wk! Works out to $8.50/hr…I think I am in the wrong racket…should own a chain of childcare facilities!
Hi!, well, depending on your “circumstances” if single and living on students grants and loans and part time work to get through school? the social services can help you, they will pay ALL your child care exspence, (you have to maintain a 2.0) and they will also assit in other ways, ins and gas allowance to get to and from school, even help if your car breaks down to an exstint…
they wont pay for your school, but may even send a check to you every month as well, loan and grant amounts, house and car dont count as income to them.
hope that helps,
as for me…i think ill go find some pennies under the soda machine and invest in some coffee stock for all us parents consuming it!
I checked into the childcare subsidy. It is a little frustrating, since it is kind of “all or nothing.” My husband makes $100 a month more than the poverty line for a family of 5, therefore, we do not qualify, so we have to pay $1200/month for childcare. If he made $100/month less, they would pay all, and we would have no extra expenses. They need to put these things on a graduated scale. It is tempting for my husband to take a lower paying job, because we would then actually have more money…this is what makes this system so screwed up. They pay for us to work less.
At this time, I still am working out how we are going to deal with the cost. Of course, I have not yet found a center that has any openings for fall. I plan to start interviewing in-home providers in a couple of weeks, which are a little less expensive. I have been home with my kids almost exclusively since they were born. I am having a hard time feeling comfortable leaving my baby with a stranger. The oldest is going to kindergarten and the other one to an all-day preschool. The baby will be 13 months when I start school in August, and that is going to be tough! I know we will adjust and it will all work out fine, but it isn’t easy!
Angie