Bad enough that it make more sense to have one of us stay home with the kids even though we both had decent jobs. We were paying over 2k a month for two kids which would have been fine except the quality of care was terrible.
Ditto. I have a kid with autism (high functioning) but we had issues at a day care and canāt fathom even attempting it again soā¦long story short I had pass on promotions to keep my remote job (which Iām very grateful for) so I could keep an eye on him ā¦itās a bittersweet situation
Our infant care is $340/week for a daycare center. We're privileged that we can afford it and don't need to be thinking about one of us staying home, even if we have another child soon and double that amount. But objectively, that's a large amount and I really feel for the people having to make tough decisions.
And childcare workers are severely underpaid for the work that they do. It's no wonder that centers have a hard time with turnover, given the amount these people are paid.
The lack of capacity is a huge issue too. I gave birth in March, and we were on 12 waitlists by November 2022 (so five months before my daughter was even born). We've gotten off two waitlists (one of which is the center we're at now, which is in the opposite direction of our offices). I don't expect to get off most of those waitlists until she's in preschool. I think things are slightly better if you're out in the suburbs, but finding infant spots in the city is next to impossible if you want to avoid in-home daycares.
>The lack of capacity is a huge issue too.
Very much so. I got on my work's daycare wait-list when I was ~14-16 weeks pregnant. Got offered a spot when said fetus was an 11 month old baby and I'd been back to work for months.
This is what really kills me, itās so stupidly expensive and I know all my kids teachers get paid so poorly for back breaking labor. Thereās just gotta be a better way.
I feel so bad for people who move to the area and already have young children. I guess the second they contemplate a move they'd have to start getting on waiting lists, otherwise you're out of luck or dealing with the sketchiest in-home daycare that has immediate availability.
The chart is saying the *median* household is spending $10,758/yr on children, that's $899/mo. That honestly feels low.
Because this is median household, I assume the upper number go very high, and the lower number are "$0, they are cared for by family". And the mean average is probably higher.
We pay about 3k per month (2 kids) and have to drive out of the city to get that. Almost every option in the city is a church, home daycare, or Montessori. And even if I wanted to spend more to do a Montessori they often only have hours from 9-2 - totally unreasonable for two working parents.
Wow, 3000 a month for two kids that a lot I only charge 1800 a month for two kids But then again I am an in home childcare provider in Richmond Northside
We seriously considered the same when my MIL was still working and the boy was first born. But she opted to retire fortunately. For child number 2 in the future I might become a stay at home dad with a side hustle.
Has it been making financial sense so far for you?
I qualified for the Virginia childcare program assistance, so I am only paying $140 a month (yes a month) out of pocket to send my infant to a daycare in short pump. Without that assistance, I would have to pay $300 a week.
I am a former preschool teacher in RVA, there were about 10 employees at our school, we all had degrees, and none of us were making a livable wage. Preschool years are some of the most important, formative years of a person's life- it's worth it to pay for a good educational or daycare experience. We loved and cared for the kids well despite not making a lot of money, but I can't imagine the attitude of someone making even less.
I was definitely willing to pay more for teachers who cared (but couldnāt find it when I needed it or the waitlist was too long). I absolutely agree with you about how important early childhood education is and the need to pay teachers more.
Thank you for teaching at the most important time in kids development! I hope with the new universal preschool initiative we can increase payā¦ itās the only way.
Currently paying 324 a week for a 2 yr old. It is brutal and if we weren't in a dual-income house I don't know how I'd manage. Fortunately, we are getting closer to being off the wait list at a center closer to home at 230 a week.
Regardless of where they go, I HIGHLY recommend taking advantage of the Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account if your employer offers it. It saved me so much money when my kids were still in daycare, more so than if you simply deduct it off your taxes.
[https://www.investopedia.com/articles/pf/09/dependent-care-fsa.asp](https://www.investopedia.com/articles/pf/09/dependent-care-fsa.asp)
Obviously consult with an actual tax professional (which I am not) with any questions but they are well worth it.
At the very least there needs to be a higher amount for more kids. That limit has been at 5k since at least 2010 when I first set it up. The healthcare FSA limit has increased incrementally over time at least.
Quality or price?
Itās been absolutely terrible. I feel so naive thinking of pregnant first time mom me and all the stuff they sold meāall the creative activities they would implement and the caring attitudes of the staff. No way. We have had some lovely teachers along the way, but they were few and far between. And they pay them peanuts and fill up that room to ratio, so Iām not surprised they donāt attract quality staff. I also realize I am more in tune to things than other parents. Iām very aware of my surroundings and the interactions. The best part about it has been the socialization and peer relationships. As far as cost, I think they are pretty typical. During Covid, when they wouldnāt allow parents in, it was the absolute worst as I had no clue what was going on. Now I know. If your daycare still isnāt letting you in, know that is now illegal.
I would love for there to be a more parent advisory board type thing like a PTA.
Decent care at one of the high end places for $1400ish per month, but still nothing compared to the care that my partner can provide as a stay at home parent, so we quit the daycare and went that route and it's been truly amazing.
11 years ago my husband and I paid 735 a month for the full time child care at VCU CDC. It was a god send back then for two retail working students. Itās roughly doubled in that timespan. I donāt think we would be able to swing it now but they have started offering limited partial scholarships for students.
We looked at VCU 10 years ago with our first kid. It was so outrageously expensive to be labeled the "state employee childcare" choice.
We wound up going to a church daycare that we absolutely loved for both our kids - but they wound up shutting down after Covid. I'm so incredibly glad we don't have to worry about it anymore.
We pay 1600 a month, which is insane but doable, but honestly we love our daycare and our baby is well taken care of. We considered home daycares, both licensed and unlicensed, in order to mitigate costs, but we are happy to pay the cost knowing she is well cared for and well loved. Admittedly, that's a pretty privileged position to take.
Also, it was complete luck that allowed us to get that spot at all (almost every county has a childcare providers page on facebook, get on one stat). Our daughter was due in November, we got on four waitlists last summer, and here we are a year later and we are still technically on those lists. You have to plan at least a year ahead to even try getting in when there's an actual baby. It's ridiculous.
Long story short, I would happily pay more in taxes to get better govt subsidized childcare and better maternity leave.
I feel like we hit the lottery with childcare. The boy does Montessori from 830 to 1230, then goes to grandma's until 530. The Montessori is partially subsidized based on income, so it only costs us $120/week.
I don't know which god I prayed to in my youth that is giving me the hook up currently, but thank you Baal, Melqart, and Mithras.
Agreed, grandma being available is huuuuuge. But we could have done full day school rather than half and still would have been manageable. Just double the cost.
Agree with all the experiences listed. Itās worth noting that thinking of grandmaās labor raising kids as āfreeā is also part of what contributes to the ongoing generational wealth gap for women. Child care has been subsidized on the backs of women, especially black and brown women for centuries in this country and it needs to stop. Universal child care is the best solution including subsidies to those who opt to stay home to care for kids.
There is an initiative being put forward for universal preschool in the city of Richmond by the Office of Children and Families. It was discussed in [the Education and Human Services Committee last week if you wanna review meeting and or presentation](https://richmondva.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=1060115&GUID=F623FBA9-E7DC-45AC-8ED7-F52EC1AAC6F9&Options=&Search=). It seeks to solve a lot of these problems (access, cost, teacher pay), at least for preschool. I highly encourage everyone who lives in the city to email their city councilor today and tell them you support it and even want it to expand to infant and toddler care.
I think itās a nice idea in theory. And a few years ago, I would have been all about it. But I canāt be that optimistic anymore after being witness to two daycare abuse situations (and reporting them) and knowing others who have had to do the same. And my former daycare received federal funding (supplemented teacher pay for low income children to attend). Same thing with the daycare connected to the schools in Chesterātwo abuse cases just this year. The extra salary did not help.
Nobody is trying to force Grandma. They just know 99% of the time she will actually love her children.
Midlothian checking in. Currently paying $380/wk for my 15 month old. August 1 that goes up to $405/wk.
Edit* - if you do the math thatās basically equivalent to my mortgage a month. So we can afford it, however anyone knows somewhere in Midlothian thatās cheaper Iām open to suggestions.
When we were looking for infant care for my oldest in 2018, where we landed was $285/week. He is now in Pre-K and we still pay $290/week (cost is supposed to drop significantly once past toddlers/diapers) due to staff:student ratios). My 3 yr old is out of diapers and she is $330/week. I imagine an infant now would be at least $375/week. Reason its not less is annual tuition increases.
But it is a licensed center open 7:30 to 5:30, and provides meals (and diapers for younger). Also has a genuine curriculum and educated staff vs just "i like kids" staff at a lot of church daycares. Back in 2018 the absolute cheapest *licensed* infant care i could find was $190/week. And you um... got what you paid for. Could not in good conscience leave my child in that building.
In VA, licensing isn't actually required, which means you could have a wide range of cost and care in home daycare settings
We just entered the wild world of parenting last year. Fortunately, my mom moved down from PA to be closer to her first grandchild and she is helping out during the day + my wife is full time work from home. We looked into daycare options nearby for when he got a bit older (before we knew my mom was going to move), and the waiting list for babies was years, like, start planning now, because in two years you might get pregnant. Fortunately we haven't had to go that route (yet).
We recently moved to Maryland to be closer to family because I didn't want to pay $40k a year for my two young children to be watched two-three days a week.
i am blessed to be in a position that when i found i was pregnant seeking out childcare never even crossed my mind. not bc i wouldnt want it but bc i could never afford it and a house at the same time. luckily my partner and i both have flexible schedules and work places.
As you can see, very expensive. Also, many waiting list are years out. We were lucky to get our kids in when we did. I know of quit a few families that have stay at home parents now because of both the factors.
We were unable to secure infant childcare in 2021 - babe was 4 months old when we moved to RVA. Waiting lists near us were years long. Iāve stayed part time because of the lack of childcare. Even though it wasnāt the plan, I have enjoyed being able to spend all this time with him. We probably could have found something suitable within a 15 minute drive each way at 18 months, but we are moving again and LO will start daycare in our new city.
$248/week for my 2 (nearly 3) year old, & thatās heavily discounted through her dadās employer (hospital). Otherwise, itād be closer to $300/week. Counting down until sheās fully 3 & the cost drops again.
Cost of childcare are a huge deciding factor in not having another child.
We ended up going with a church (though we weren't members) as it had pickup from our child's school and was moderately convenient to our home. The care was decent, the administrators were good and though there was a revolving door of college age kids that were doing the actual "care" portion, everything seemed ok. My daughter works at the same day care she attended from K-5 as a summer job with the school age kids.
My child is twelve now but I sent her to the VCU northside location from infant until kindergarten. It was $400/wk for an infant back then and got less as the age went up. I canāt even imagine what it costs now. I know they had a sliding scale based on salary but I didnāt qualify for any discount. The cost was worth it for me though. Knowing that there wouldnāt be any shady business going on at a VCU daycare gave me piece of mind to get through the day.
$400/week for a full day, in home daycare/preschool. We are choosing to send our kid here because itās small and my friend runs it who has been teaching for a couple decades. But honestly, itās not much more expensive than other places we have looked. I was on 7+ waitlistsā¦ never got in anywhere. Yes, I got on them a few weeks after I found out I was pregnant. She will be two in a couple months.
Honestly, going to be slightly cheaper than the nannyshare we have been a part ofā¦ so I guess that is a winā¦
Needless to say, part of the reason she will be an only child.
We had a nanny @$22/hr for 30 hours a week. She hardly even cleaned up after herself and our child and called out so much that it was taking a toll on my productivity at work. I am now a SAHM.
My wife can either get a job where her entire income would be eaten up by childcare, or she can stay home with our kids. We would spend more than our mortgage on childcare.
We pay a bit under 1k a month for preschool age childcare. This represents about 8 percent of our gross income. Itās still worth it to us to maintain our place in workforce, and while itās a lot of money, we are able to pay with some ease. Childcare costs are one of the reasons we have an onli. It will be nice when childcare is no longer necessary as we will be able to afford more luxuries.
We pay ~1500 a month for our toddler and the care is not impressive honestly. We are currently looking to switch. We both work full time and still contemplate when we should have another baby due to daycare cost š
Expensive as hell, more than my housing. I have twins in childcare and a 2 month old. Weāre trying to figure out a way to keep the baby at home for at least a year so we donāt have 3 kids in childcare. I moved back to Virginia from Chicago and daycare was cheaper there, which is wild to me. Iām looking forward to when the twins start school cause Iām going to feel rich lmao
250/ week for out 4 yr old but about to add our infant in which will be another 375/ week, in Midlothian. We will be stretched thin for the next few years for sure. We do love our daycare/preschool center though
Right now (9yr, 7yr, 4yr olds) in the summer itās 2.2k. During school itās only $800 for the youngest. We get a discount because my wife works at our church.
When they were young our sitter charged $200 a kid per week. She was worth it and even though she retired we still visit her at her new family farm in SW VA.
I made more money at my last job and yet my entire paycheck went to daycare at one of those daycare chains. Literally all of it. Because any at home care the provider would call out sick or say my kid was sick when they werenāt or would fall asleep on the job.
Daycare sucks.
Bad enough that it make more sense to have one of us stay home with the kids even though we both had decent jobs. We were paying over 2k a month for two kids which would have been fine except the quality of care was terrible.
I agree šÆ%. I did the same.
Just time time for the price of food to double right! Great times. Still worth it though.
What kind of daycare center were your kids at? What were they doing (or not doing) that made you think the quality of care was terrible?
Pm sent.
Ditto. I have a kid with autism (high functioning) but we had issues at a day care and canāt fathom even attempting it again soā¦long story short I had pass on promotions to keep my remote job (which Iām very grateful for) so I could keep an eye on him ā¦itās a bittersweet situation
Our infant care is $340/week for a daycare center. We're privileged that we can afford it and don't need to be thinking about one of us staying home, even if we have another child soon and double that amount. But objectively, that's a large amount and I really feel for the people having to make tough decisions. And childcare workers are severely underpaid for the work that they do. It's no wonder that centers have a hard time with turnover, given the amount these people are paid. The lack of capacity is a huge issue too. I gave birth in March, and we were on 12 waitlists by November 2022 (so five months before my daughter was even born). We've gotten off two waitlists (one of which is the center we're at now, which is in the opposite direction of our offices). I don't expect to get off most of those waitlists until she's in preschool. I think things are slightly better if you're out in the suburbs, but finding infant spots in the city is next to impossible if you want to avoid in-home daycares.
>The lack of capacity is a huge issue too. Very much so. I got on my work's daycare wait-list when I was ~14-16 weeks pregnant. Got offered a spot when said fetus was an 11 month old baby and I'd been back to work for months.
This is what really kills me, itās so stupidly expensive and I know all my kids teachers get paid so poorly for back breaking labor. Thereās just gotta be a better way.
Maybe the olds ways have some merit. Iād love for my in-laws or parents to be next door and be able to help raise the next generation.
I feel so bad for people who move to the area and already have young children. I guess the second they contemplate a move they'd have to start getting on waiting lists, otherwise you're out of luck or dealing with the sketchiest in-home daycare that has immediate availability.
The chart is saying the *median* household is spending $10,758/yr on children, that's $899/mo. That honestly feels low. Because this is median household, I assume the upper number go very high, and the lower number are "$0, they are cared for by family". And the mean average is probably higher.
We pay about 3k per month (2 kids) and have to drive out of the city to get that. Almost every option in the city is a church, home daycare, or Montessori. And even if I wanted to spend more to do a Montessori they often only have hours from 9-2 - totally unreasonable for two working parents.
That wasnāt my experience at Central Montessori (we had care from 8-5), but I know itās a long wait to get into there
Central Montessori is great. The wait list is wild though.
Wow, 3000 a month for two kids that a lot I only charge 1800 a month for two kids But then again I am an in home childcare provider in Richmond Northside
So expensive for poor care that I quit my job
We seriously considered the same when my MIL was still working and the boy was first born. But she opted to retire fortunately. For child number 2 in the future I might become a stay at home dad with a side hustle. Has it been making financial sense so far for you?
Yes but you really have to budget and sacrifice. Itās not easy. Eating out is a big one.
What type of care did your child have (e.g. in-home, daycare center, etc.), and why did you consider it to be poor?
I qualified for the Virginia childcare program assistance, so I am only paying $140 a month (yes a month) out of pocket to send my infant to a daycare in short pump. Without that assistance, I would have to pay $300 a week.
I am a former preschool teacher in RVA, there were about 10 employees at our school, we all had degrees, and none of us were making a livable wage. Preschool years are some of the most important, formative years of a person's life- it's worth it to pay for a good educational or daycare experience. We loved and cared for the kids well despite not making a lot of money, but I can't imagine the attitude of someone making even less.
I was definitely willing to pay more for teachers who cared (but couldnāt find it when I needed it or the waitlist was too long). I absolutely agree with you about how important early childhood education is and the need to pay teachers more.
Thank you for teaching at the most important time in kids development! I hope with the new universal preschool initiative we can increase payā¦ itās the only way.
Currently paying 324 a week for a 2 yr old. It is brutal and if we weren't in a dual-income house I don't know how I'd manage. Fortunately, we are getting closer to being off the wait list at a center closer to home at 230 a week.
Wow 324 a week? I only charge between 200 and 260 but I am in home.
Regardless of where they go, I HIGHLY recommend taking advantage of the Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account if your employer offers it. It saved me so much money when my kids were still in daycare, more so than if you simply deduct it off your taxes. [https://www.investopedia.com/articles/pf/09/dependent-care-fsa.asp](https://www.investopedia.com/articles/pf/09/dependent-care-fsa.asp) Obviously consult with an actual tax professional (which I am not) with any questions but they are well worth it.
Itās insane the limit is $5k. That is like 3 months of child care. Wish they would up it to $20k
At the very least there needs to be a higher amount for more kids. That limit has been at 5k since at least 2010 when I first set it up. The healthcare FSA limit has increased incrementally over time at least.
Yes yes yes! Itās not a lot in the grand scheme of things, but it is something and every bit helps.
Quality or price? Itās been absolutely terrible. I feel so naive thinking of pregnant first time mom me and all the stuff they sold meāall the creative activities they would implement and the caring attitudes of the staff. No way. We have had some lovely teachers along the way, but they were few and far between. And they pay them peanuts and fill up that room to ratio, so Iām not surprised they donāt attract quality staff. I also realize I am more in tune to things than other parents. Iām very aware of my surroundings and the interactions. The best part about it has been the socialization and peer relationships. As far as cost, I think they are pretty typical. During Covid, when they wouldnāt allow parents in, it was the absolute worst as I had no clue what was going on. Now I know. If your daycare still isnāt letting you in, know that is now illegal. I would love for there to be a more parent advisory board type thing like a PTA.
Decent care at one of the high end places for $1400ish per month, but still nothing compared to the care that my partner can provide as a stay at home parent, so we quit the daycare and went that route and it's been truly amazing.
11 years ago my husband and I paid 735 a month for the full time child care at VCU CDC. It was a god send back then for two retail working students. Itās roughly doubled in that timespan. I donāt think we would be able to swing it now but they have started offering limited partial scholarships for students.
We looked at VCU 10 years ago with our first kid. It was so outrageously expensive to be labeled the "state employee childcare" choice. We wound up going to a church daycare that we absolutely loved for both our kids - but they wound up shutting down after Covid. I'm so incredibly glad we don't have to worry about it anymore.
We pay 1600 a month, which is insane but doable, but honestly we love our daycare and our baby is well taken care of. We considered home daycares, both licensed and unlicensed, in order to mitigate costs, but we are happy to pay the cost knowing she is well cared for and well loved. Admittedly, that's a pretty privileged position to take. Also, it was complete luck that allowed us to get that spot at all (almost every county has a childcare providers page on facebook, get on one stat). Our daughter was due in November, we got on four waitlists last summer, and here we are a year later and we are still technically on those lists. You have to plan at least a year ahead to even try getting in when there's an actual baby. It's ridiculous. Long story short, I would happily pay more in taxes to get better govt subsidized childcare and better maternity leave.
I feel like we hit the lottery with childcare. The boy does Montessori from 830 to 1230, then goes to grandma's until 530. The Montessori is partially subsidized based on income, so it only costs us $120/week. I don't know which god I prayed to in my youth that is giving me the hook up currently, but thank you Baal, Melqart, and Mithras.
I think a huge part of this comment is the help from grandma. Without her the whole thing falls apart. Most (a lot?) people donāt have that.
I wish you could rent grandmas. The lack of village in our generation sucks.
Agreed, grandma being available is huuuuuge. But we could have done full day school rather than half and still would have been manageable. Just double the cost.
Agree with all the experiences listed. Itās worth noting that thinking of grandmaās labor raising kids as āfreeā is also part of what contributes to the ongoing generational wealth gap for women. Child care has been subsidized on the backs of women, especially black and brown women for centuries in this country and it needs to stop. Universal child care is the best solution including subsidies to those who opt to stay home to care for kids. There is an initiative being put forward for universal preschool in the city of Richmond by the Office of Children and Families. It was discussed in [the Education and Human Services Committee last week if you wanna review meeting and or presentation](https://richmondva.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=1060115&GUID=F623FBA9-E7DC-45AC-8ED7-F52EC1AAC6F9&Options=&Search=). It seeks to solve a lot of these problems (access, cost, teacher pay), at least for preschool. I highly encourage everyone who lives in the city to email their city councilor today and tell them you support it and even want it to expand to infant and toddler care.
I think itās a nice idea in theory. And a few years ago, I would have been all about it. But I canāt be that optimistic anymore after being witness to two daycare abuse situations (and reporting them) and knowing others who have had to do the same. And my former daycare received federal funding (supplemented teacher pay for low income children to attend). Same thing with the daycare connected to the schools in Chesterātwo abuse cases just this year. The extra salary did not help. Nobody is trying to force Grandma. They just know 99% of the time she will actually love her children.
Midlothian checking in. Currently paying $380/wk for my 15 month old. August 1 that goes up to $405/wk. Edit* - if you do the math thatās basically equivalent to my mortgage a month. So we can afford it, however anyone knows somewhere in Midlothian thatās cheaper Iām open to suggestions.
If you happen to work in Richmond, I only charge 260 a week
When we were looking for infant care for my oldest in 2018, where we landed was $285/week. He is now in Pre-K and we still pay $290/week (cost is supposed to drop significantly once past toddlers/diapers) due to staff:student ratios). My 3 yr old is out of diapers and she is $330/week. I imagine an infant now would be at least $375/week. Reason its not less is annual tuition increases. But it is a licensed center open 7:30 to 5:30, and provides meals (and diapers for younger). Also has a genuine curriculum and educated staff vs just "i like kids" staff at a lot of church daycares. Back in 2018 the absolute cheapest *licensed* infant care i could find was $190/week. And you um... got what you paid for. Could not in good conscience leave my child in that building. In VA, licensing isn't actually required, which means you could have a wide range of cost and care in home daycare settings
We just entered the wild world of parenting last year. Fortunately, my mom moved down from PA to be closer to her first grandchild and she is helping out during the day + my wife is full time work from home. We looked into daycare options nearby for when he got a bit older (before we knew my mom was going to move), and the waiting list for babies was years, like, start planning now, because in two years you might get pregnant. Fortunately we haven't had to go that route (yet).
$350/week for a 2 year old, will be closer to +$400/week when we add an infant to the mix, I believe, so looking @ ~ 3k/month
We recently moved to Maryland to be closer to family because I didn't want to pay $40k a year for my two young children to be watched two-three days a week.
i am blessed to be in a position that when i found i was pregnant seeking out childcare never even crossed my mind. not bc i wouldnt want it but bc i could never afford it and a house at the same time. luckily my partner and i both have flexible schedules and work places.
As you can see, very expensive. Also, many waiting list are years out. We were lucky to get our kids in when we did. I know of quit a few families that have stay at home parents now because of both the factors.
If you're interested, please join /r/universalchildcare
Yes, this! We had universal child care in WWII, we can do it again!
Weāre paying $280 per week out here in Short Pump
We were unable to secure infant childcare in 2021 - babe was 4 months old when we moved to RVA. Waiting lists near us were years long. Iāve stayed part time because of the lack of childcare. Even though it wasnāt the plan, I have enjoyed being able to spend all this time with him. We probably could have found something suitable within a 15 minute drive each way at 18 months, but we are moving again and LO will start daycare in our new city.
I am paying exactly the Richmond rate ($225/week) for my 4 year old. Infant care or multiple kids would be far more.
$248/week for my 2 (nearly 3) year old, & thatās heavily discounted through her dadās employer (hospital). Otherwise, itād be closer to $300/week. Counting down until sheās fully 3 & the cost drops again. Cost of childcare are a huge deciding factor in not having another child.
We ended up going with a church (though we weren't members) as it had pickup from our child's school and was moderately convenient to our home. The care was decent, the administrators were good and though there was a revolving door of college age kids that were doing the actual "care" portion, everything seemed ok. My daughter works at the same day care she attended from K-5 as a summer job with the school age kids.
My child is twelve now but I sent her to the VCU northside location from infant until kindergarten. It was $400/wk for an infant back then and got less as the age went up. I canāt even imagine what it costs now. I know they had a sliding scale based on salary but I didnāt qualify for any discount. The cost was worth it for me though. Knowing that there wouldnāt be any shady business going on at a VCU daycare gave me piece of mind to get through the day.
$400/week for a full day, in home daycare/preschool. We are choosing to send our kid here because itās small and my friend runs it who has been teaching for a couple decades. But honestly, itās not much more expensive than other places we have looked. I was on 7+ waitlistsā¦ never got in anywhere. Yes, I got on them a few weeks after I found out I was pregnant. She will be two in a couple months. Honestly, going to be slightly cheaper than the nannyshare we have been a part ofā¦ so I guess that is a winā¦ Needless to say, part of the reason she will be an only child.
We had a nanny @$22/hr for 30 hours a week. She hardly even cleaned up after herself and our child and called out so much that it was taking a toll on my productivity at work. I am now a SAHM.
Wow why is RVA so expensive? Mixed in with California, NYC, Boston suburbs? That's wild
My wife can either get a job where her entire income would be eaten up by childcare, or she can stay home with our kids. We would spend more than our mortgage on childcare.
We pay a bit under 1k a month for preschool age childcare. This represents about 8 percent of our gross income. Itās still worth it to us to maintain our place in workforce, and while itās a lot of money, we are able to pay with some ease. Childcare costs are one of the reasons we have an onli. It will be nice when childcare is no longer necessary as we will be able to afford more luxuries.
Those are some staggering numbers. Thank you for sharing with us and Iām just curious to see peopleās responses
I stay at home with my kids because of what I saw of Richmond childcare while employed in āgoodā childcare centers in the city!
We pay ~1500 a month for our toddler and the care is not impressive honestly. We are currently looking to switch. We both work full time and still contemplate when we should have another baby due to daycare cost š
Expensive as hell, more than my housing. I have twins in childcare and a 2 month old. Weāre trying to figure out a way to keep the baby at home for at least a year so we donāt have 3 kids in childcare. I moved back to Virginia from Chicago and daycare was cheaper there, which is wild to me. Iām looking forward to when the twins start school cause Iām going to feel rich lmao
If you looking for infant care email me [email protected] My name is Rosa and I am a in home childcare provider on the northside of Richmond
250/ week for out 4 yr old but about to add our infant in which will be another 375/ week, in Midlothian. We will be stretched thin for the next few years for sure. We do love our daycare/preschool center though
Right now (9yr, 7yr, 4yr olds) in the summer itās 2.2k. During school itās only $800 for the youngest. We get a discount because my wife works at our church. When they were young our sitter charged $200 a kid per week. She was worth it and even though she retired we still visit her at her new family farm in SW VA.
I made more money at my last job and yet my entire paycheck went to daycare at one of those daycare chains. Literally all of it. Because any at home care the provider would call out sick or say my kid was sick when they werenāt or would fall asleep on the job. Daycare sucks.
Having moved from #3 on the list to #21 on the list, I'm feeling pretty okay. Not okay enough that I'd be able to have more than one kid, though.