Day care for babies - it's costly, if you can find it

So, you are advocating that we "cleanse" the "poverty" out of this country by poor families not having children?

Well, then, I guess we are lucky that so many illegals want to come to this country to do low skilled/low paying jobs, because if you thought we had a problem filling those jobs with Americans now, just wait until all the kids from poor families get exterminated. Hell, I dont know how we will even field a military, since the service is overwhelmingly made up of kids from underpriveledged homes. We will have a bunch of Paris Hiltons running around who wont do work for less then $100 an hour.

First of all, you might have learned a trade, but obviously took a pass on education, or you'd know it is Karl Marx, and likely you have no clue what you are talking about when referring to Marxism, as most people do not.

Second, there would be no sin in being "successful" as defined by "money", if one person's success in this country wasnt at the expense of twelve others being poor. The United States is experiencing wealth disparities in line with third world dictatorships, not modern information age societies. The small class of wealthy is becoming even more wealthy, and they are accomplishing that by squeezing the former middle class of this country in to poverty.

The comments on here about you shouldn't have them if you can't afford to stay home is appalling to me!!! I am a military wife and I spent many years including now without any family in a 500 mile radius and we have suffered because my husband was gone all the time and I wanted to stay home with our kids because they already didn't have their father, why should they also not have their mother?? That was personal choice but at great expense to our family. We had less than nothing when we lived in Hawaii and could not afford a phone or for that matter payless shoes, but we suffered and I stayed. Not just the luxuries but the bare essentials. Its a good thing flip flops are cheap in Hawaii. I do however want to bring a point up that was mentioned but I haven't seen it again, is then should we home school them too as they are at school just as many hours a week as non school age children are in daycare? Just some thoughts.

Melissa...what's right for you, isn't necessarily right for others. Child care isn't a new phenomenon...formal day care centers may be...but, caring for the children of others has been done for uncountable generations.

I have always worked. It's part of who I am...and I have three awesome, intelligent, independent, successful daughters.

I don't judge you for your choices....how about you refrain from passing judgement on others?

Now get the government out of the school business where it does not belong.

You just need to stop now, at this point your foot is starting to come out of your rear.

Picture this...all working mothers Do stay home with our children as so many suggest we do. Now walk into any public school in the nation. Where are all of the teachers? Oh, that's right. At home. Now what?

...who read my earlier comment and has a problem with it: I'm sorry if I offended you. Perhaps I struck a nerve because you know I'm right. I don't think people who can't afford children should have them. "Can't feed 'em, don't breed 'em". Another thing - I was not referring to single parents who do not have a choice of whether or not to place their children in daycare. I was referring to the type of people who place their careers ahead of their children. I put my career on hold when I became a mother. I had that option - many do not. If you have the option, you should stay home and raise your children. After all, you choose to have them, right? I don't think anyone with the financial means to stay home and chooses not to can call herself a "mother". She is merely a part-time caregiver. There are plenty of mothers out there who would love to stay home with their children, but they can't afford to. Thank God if you can stay home. I do every day.

Why would anyone want to start a business where you are responsible for four infants? The parents work 8 hours a day, so their child will be with you 9-10 hours a day. They come and go at various times and you have to hope the parents show up on time to pick them up. Now you’ve grossed $348 to $660 for the week. Now subtract the taxes you need to pay since you are self employed. Then subtract the money you paid for the licenses, extra insurance, and supplies you need to have on hand. Then you just need one loony parent accusing you of abusing their child and having the police and Social Services knocking at your door. Is it worth it? I doubt it.

I totally agree with Suzanne -- the math is wrong! Even with 4 infants, at $125 per week, the person would make less than $26,000 per year, and then there is the overhead, the cost of the building, the insurance (which is HUGE), the diapers (although many places require the parents to bring in the diapers), the wipes, supplies, office expenses. Don't forget employment taxes, which take about 1/4. And this is supposing that you have 4 infants every week all year long (people go on vacations or quit without paying their final bills all the time in day care.)

I hope you don't do the bills for your company! If so, I'd be very afraid!

To Craig: A little lesson for you... there are TWELVE months in a year - not FIFTY TWO. The only way you could have possibly figured out that someone would make $104,000/yr is to have multiplied the $2000/month figure by 52 instead of the correct number of months in a year, which is TWELVE. There are 52 WEEKS in a year - not MONTHS. Heaven help your customers... and Lord FORBID anyone ever leave you in charge of an infant!

I think I can guess how he is going to get 100K out of watching 4 children....I mean it might violate a few child labor laws, but, most children are fairly intelligent during the formative years.. I'm sure they can be taught to install some hardwood flooring.... especially floating floors, fairly simple ..pays great....can get roughly $3 sq ft ..& more if sub-floor needs attention...can probably get them to lay tile, or glue down H/wood too, if you present it to the youngsters as a fun game, with lollipops awarded for the best installation. A crew of 4 can really get the job done quickly. Only problems I can think of is stopping the youngsters from eating the mastic/glue/grout, etc, & keeping the parents from beating you up...lol

UnionMan, what does the Govt bailing people out have to do with the shortage of day cares in this area? No one is asking for the Govt to help. This story is about WORKING people and the struggles they have finding quality daycare. The fact that you started your own business is fantastic, but everyone is not self-employed. So it's not fair to apply your equation of "success" to everyone else and then imply that those who aren't are waiting for a Govt hand out.

How do you get $104K a year on $500 a week? $500 a week for 52 weeks of the year is a weak $26K all for the hassle of taking care of 4 children. And $125 is being underpaid. You could probably earn at least $180 a week for an infant or more. The demand is there, so probably $200 or higher per child per week. Even at that, it's a hard earned $41K.. hardly worth all that hassle hence the lack of supply. I agree with the other poster - you clearly have not taken care of children before or you'd realize installing some flooring, while you drink a casual beer and listen to the radio is pretty stress free in comparsion to 4 crying babies. If you're married, I pity your poor wife.

It's called capitalism and freedom of enterprise. That's why some of us are more well off than others. We didn't sit around crying and waiting for the government to bail us out. We went out and learned a trade, opened our own businesses and became successful. You act like it's a sin to be successful. What you are advocating is nothing but Marxism. Maybe you can get Carl Marx to take care of your children?

What downfall? this country is doing pretty good! and putting kids in a daycare does not lead to bad kids!! mine were in daycare, and they turned out pretty good. Being a parent does not mean you have to be with them 24 hours a day. And to echo the other opinions, who can afford it in today's economy!!

Say what you want to, the downfall of this country started when Mom left home and went to work full time and wasn't home to raise the children or be there when the kids got home from school. Mom's job is the home and the children. It is a good, time honored, honorable, important job. No one can replace mom, at home, taking care of the home and family. This trend started during World War II and some still say that Japan won the war because it caused the downfall of the home in our country.

I have four children. Three were in day care as older children and I'm staying home with the baby (19 months) right now (because I am INDEED fortunate enough to be able to do so -- and I thank God every day for it.) People who really want to be good parents never feel good about dropping the babies off at daycare, but the sad reality is that some have to. However, I believe that MOST don't. My youngest baby came unexpectedly 11 years after the one I thought was my last. I made the hard decision to leave my profession and stay home for a few years. We took a $50,000 a year pay cut, but it worked out. We don't eat out as often, I clip A LOT of coupons, and just don't spend as much. It's very do-able. I realize though that not everyone can do that. I recommend people be creative with work schedules (my husband and I worked "shifts when the other three were babies to avoid babysitters or you could "share" babysitting with a fellow worker and flip flop schedules), call upon family if they are around, move to where they are if not. Churches are also a great source for good, safe, "family" type caregivers. Day care centers are not the only option!!

Clearly you did not excel in math. If you add up the costs of doing daycare for 4 infants at $125/w that is $500/w and $2000/month which equals up to $24000 annually. However, that does NOT include the added costs of taking care of these children and that includes food, diapers etc. I would like to point out that there are times like in TODAY'S economy that a parent might have been able to stay home even if it was tight, but now they can't given rising fuel costs, rising food costs, rising clothing costs. The basic necessities to live have increased significantly over the last couple of years and have forced many people into the job market just to be able to pay for basic necessities. If only the rich had kids then pretty soon all those lovely things they take for granted would be gone because OH....Someone has to work to provide those services to them. When people stop having kids that will mean there is no future for this country.

"Coolguy", your class-warfare conspiracy theory is utterly PATHETIC. If Americans are to compete in this global economy, the "working class" must work smarter – not harder. Any chump in a third-world country can work in a factory. Americans need to adapt and stop squandering the opportunities this great country provides. No one is keeping the working man down. My wife immigrated to this country, learned English, worked her way through college, and now owns her own business; we hope to have our first child soon (we're in our mid 30's). We're not rich by any means, but we strive to be responsible and layout a solid foundation before taking on big life-changing decisions. So should anyone else!

I didn't see in the article where the complaint was the price.... the complaint seems to be the availability, or in this case the unavailability, of childcare for infants. If the care isn't there, it's not there, regardless of cost. People who have their kids on waiting lists for daycare spots are fully aware of the expense, and there doesn't seem to be any problem with that. The point of the article is that the care simply isn't available.

Craig, please I can not stop laughing. Do you really think taking care of four babies is easy? I am guessing if you have children, the Mrs. did all the caretaking. There is so much more to do, then just WATCH a baby. So just stick to tiling, you are right on one thing, we should figure out a way to fix the day care issue. The cost is too high, and the care is not the greatest. I feel bad for parents having to make the choice of where/who to watch their baby. The system needs to change, and should be something everyone can afford!!

I think its a rediculous view of the wealthy elite that people of lower incomes/single parent households should not have children at all. This is no more then a veiled form of cleansing to try to eventually rid the country of the complete working class of people. Its also very ironic that nine times out of ten, it is the wealthy elites greed that is keeping the working class in situations where they must have multiple incomes. It is not always the fact that they are living over their means, as wealthy people would like to blame for poor/lower middle class people not being able to afford basic neccessities. Its the fact that the business owners refuse to pay a livable wage for the area.

Vice squabbling amongst yourselves (all you who posted below this one), why not pool your resources together, find out what is required to conduct day care in your own home?
Let's see...insurance, license, first aid courses (like CPR). According to this story, an adult can watch four children. Providing this desired service at $125 a week gets you $500 a week, $2,000 a month, $104,000 a year to watch four young'ns. $100 per child per week equates to $83,200 for four children.
Heck, after crunching these numbers, I may just stop being a self-employed general contractor and do this. Babysitting 4 children has to be easier than laying tile/wood floors or carpet, installing fences, or remodeling bathrooms.

You will pay a lot. In more ways than one.

Some of these comments directed towards moms or parents in general are just downright heartless and very much uncalled for. Bottom line is that childcare is expensive and that is what this article discusses. In no way does this article put down parents who make the decision to use childcare so why do some of you feel that it's necessary to belittle those of us who do have children and use childcare? Regardless of whether a parent chooses to stay at home or work outside of the home, it is that child's parent who is choosing the right option for themselves and their family. For those of you who think that people need to think things through and become more financially responsible before they have children, well, you guys must all be living in a dream world because that is not reality.

I am the mother of two wonderful children. I have a college education and I'm actually a few semesters shy of a Masters in Elementary Education. I was a working mom and became a SAHM one year after the birth of my second child and now I'm currently working full-time again outside of my home (for my husband's business). Both of my children (as infants & toddlers)spent time in childcare.

And we'll have no sympathy for you when, God forbid, some tragedy strikes your family-job loss, disability, or even an unexpected death, and all of a sudden your wife is burdened with the responsibility of caring for your children and supplementing the lost income you once provided. Let's not even talk about military wives whose husbands are in constant danger. Every little detail of your future cannot be perfectly planned--the only thing that is and will always be for certain is that is costs money to raise a family.

This story brings to mind fond memories of my Mother, Elizabeth Wells, when she was director of the Norfolk Day Nursery in the mid 1950's and 60's. The facility, supported primarily by the United Givers' Fund as well as various charity organization, had an enrollment of about 60 children, ages 2 through 5. Mom tried to maintain a balanced enrollment between a few families who paid the full fee and a majority who could not afford any fee.

with unionman but in one respect he is right. Back in the day, mom stayed home and raised the kids while dad brought home the bacon. Crime was 10% of what it is today, the problems in school were nowhere like they are now, juvenile pregnancy was almost un-heard of. Today things are a lot different. It takes a two income family to raise a kid or two and still keep all the bills paid. I know of very few stay at home Moms, actually, sitting here thinking I can't say I know but 1 or 2 and even those couple have the luxury of having a husband that makes big bucks. If folks only had the number of kids they could raise off of one paycheck, America would be the least populated Country in the developed world. 757melissa is in for a rude awakening when her "fortunate" child starts to school, or starts to drive.....get ready Melissa......here comes the train.

Not all people send their children to day care centers simply because they need the income. Some want to work. Have you ever heard of a college educated women who desires a successful career but also wants to raise a family, or do they not exist? Just like many men, some women work for personal satisfaction-they are highly valued and highly valuable at their jobs. The fact that they want careers doesn't mean that they shouldn't be able to have children, also. If you think that only mothers who can and are willing to stay at home should have children, do you also think that they should be responsible for homeschooling their children? School age children are away from their parents for at least 35 hours a week even if the mother chooses to never return to work. Instead of judging others for not staying at home, try securing a career so that you can be a role model to your daughter and teach her that she doesn't have to be dependent on a man to be successful in life.