Being a working parent or a single parent can be rough, especially when you have to worry about the prices of childcare encroaching on your way of living. There are many childcare services that can actually cost you most of your paycheck if you aren’t careful! The best way to approach childcare is to not stress about money, but find the best facility or person that can offer both you and the children the care you deserve. With these ten tips you will find that affording childcare is easier than ever and your children might even begin to enjoy going to daycare each day. It is all about finding a balance between the childcare provider’s needs and your own that will leave this aspect of your life stress free.
1. Compare Facilities
Most towns and cities will have a wide variety of daycares to choose from. This will work out greatly to your benefit. Daycares, like all businesses, want to compete to get the most clients so many will increasingly lower prices to draw in more people. When you go looking at daycares you should always keep their fees in mind. Many facilities will actually match their competitors if you mention it doing your meeting. You should also always check the daycare’s hidden fees. Many will offer things that your child will never use, so make sure to draw attention to the issue before you sign any paperwork. You should always have your child’s education in mind too. A lot of daycares will offer early schooling at no extra cost, while others simply have the children play throughout the day. The more services there are to keep your child busy and mentally challenged the better. When you compare facilities you should also keep location in mind. A daycare close to the home or workplace is ideal so you don’t have go too far out of your way. This is perfect for gas prices and might even save you from being late to work a few times.
2. Look into Alternatives
If the daycares aren’t satisfying your for childcare then there are many alternatives available to anyone that is willing to look. Churches are generally one of the best options when it comes to low cost childcare that you can trust. Most churches will offer this service to their members for free or a low cost fee. Of course, you don’t have to be a member in order to receive the benefits as many churches will just charge you a low fee or ask for a donation. Churches tend to be one of the most trusted facilities for children and your child will be fed, looked after and given Bible lessons on morals throughout their stay. Colleges are another great alternative. Many schools will offer free or reduced childcare to their students. If you aren’t a student you will probably pay childcare based on your annual income, but you will still save a lot. Colleges typically offer the daycares in order to help their early childcare students get first hand training. This means your child will be privy to early education techniques that can help further on in life. You might even try local youth groups like the YMCA for daycare services. These services are generally low cost and offered to members. These locations are especially great for older kids who need care after school.
3. Share a Nanny
One simple way to save on money is to share a nanny with another family. This allows both family’s to enjoy professional care without having to pay the full price for it. This is also a great way for children to adapt to the change in routine. A lot of times the nanny will switch off homes so part of the time your child will be able to remain in the comfort of your home. This also allows your child the opportunity to get used to being around other children frequently without having to overwhelm the child like many daycares do. One of the best aspects about this is your child won’t get sick constantly or injured by other children. Sharing a Nanny can be a great way for neighbors to bond, but you will have to make sure to agree on the right nanny for all of the children involved. Many nannys will go the extra mile and bring crafts and other learning techniques that will encourage your children to advance before school begins.
4. Family
If you are feeling a little bit uneasy about sending your child to a daycare facility or having a stranger watching over the child then you might want to consider asking family. Grandparents that are retired or that work from home are usually the best options. Grandparents will generally take in their grandkids for the sheer joy of spending time with them, but you still might want to offer money to help with food and entertainment for the children. If grandparents aren’t an option then you might want to ask any family members that you trust that might already stay home with their own children. This will allow you to work without having to worry about your child as much and will help reduce the amount of money you have to spend on childcare each month. It will also give the child a comfortable environment to help adapt to you not being home.
5. Au Pair
If you’re feeling adventurous and have some extra space in your home then you might want to look into hiring an Au Pair. An Au Pair is a nanny, generally from another country, that comes to live with you in order to take care of the children in the home. There are many programs that train and screen nannys to choose from so you won’t have to worry about who is coming to live with. Au Pairs can offer care to the child at all times, so if you have an unusual work schedule you won’t have to worry about finding another provider. One great thing about having an Au Pair in the house is your children will be exposed to another culture early on in life. This will allow them to adapt better to foreign things and might even allow them to pick up a second language before they begin going to school.
6. Ask For Subsidy
If you have children then your boss might be willing to work with you when it comes to childcare cost. Most bosses would prefer their employees to be stress free when they come into work each day so they can concentrate on the job at hand. So, if you’re having trouble with a babysitter then you might want to ask your boss for a subsidy so you can place your children in a daycare facility. Many companies allot money to this cause, so there is no harm in asking what your companies policy is. If you’ve noticed that there are a lot of parents in the office that struggle with childcare then you might try to bring up the idea of a company hosted daycare service. This would allow parents to have their children in the same building so they could worry less and be more productive with work.
7. Work From Home
Working from home might be the best option for your family. A lot of companies will allow employees to work from home if they have circumstances that require them to. A lot of employers might even encourage trusted employees to try to get the majority of their work accomplished in the home so they don’t miss out on the early stages of life for each child. Talking to your employer is one of the best things you can do when you are having a hard time with childcare as it may results in a more convenient work environment for you. If you are currently unemployed and need to work then you might try to find a job that requires you to work from home. Sometimes travel agents, writers and data entry jobs require the employee to work from home. So, make sure to look around for something that is going to suit your needs.
8. Utilize Your Skills
A lot of daycare services are in need of certain skills to help them run more efficiently. If you are great with accounting then you might offer to help with the books once a month in order to lower your children’s tuition fees. This will help the daycare not spend more money on an accountant while allowing you to pay a lot less on your bill. You might also try to offer to volunteer from time to time. Many facilities need nap time relief, supervisors for field trips and help preparing meals. So, if you can take off your lunch hour to help out your child’s daycare then you might also enjoy the benefit of saving some money on care for your child. The best thing is you will be able to see your child while you volunteer, which will help your child adapt while giving you some extra parenting time that you wouldn’t normally get because of work.
9. Try Government Programs
There are a large number assistance programs available to single parents and low income families. If you’re stressing about coming up with childcare tuition then you might ask your provider for a list of assistance programs that they accept for aid. A lot of these programs can be easily researched and applied to online, so don’t hesitate to try to find a program that works great for your needs. Many programs don’t take a long time for approval so it might be as simple as going down to your local assistance office to get help. Government programs want to encourage you to work, so helping out with cost is their way of keeping people working. You might not see the full tuition disappear, but every little bit will help you make ends meet.
10. Tax Deduction
A lot of families really count on their income tax returns each year. This year when you file make sure you include your daycare cost when you talk to your accountant. In most cases families can receive up to $3000 per child back on their tax returns when they claim day care cost. This is a great way to start up a tuition fund in the bank so that you don’t have to take out every payment from your check. This will give you some extra money to play with while still allowing your children to go to the facility of your choice. Many times, the excess money can pay for most of the year, so you can actually spend your paycheck on more things that you want or need. Some parents will even send their child to a better facility with this money, or will have enough to pay for the expensive pre-school program that all of the other parents are raving about.
Your children are important, so of course you want to give them the education and comfort they need while you are at work. Childcare cost can tighten your family’s budget substantially, so if you’re having trouble making the tuition each month then you might want to consider a change in the game. With these ten tips you can help eliminate some of the expensive cost of childcare while allowing your child to get the most of the care provided.
Author: Chelsey McQuitty
