Have you been looking for a San Diego daycare for your child, and you’ve realized the costs seem to be surprisingly high? Today, many child care centers are costing parents as much as yearly as in-state college tuition. No one bank account can take (or should have to handle) that kind of pressure when it comes to paying for their kid’s child care. Many mothers leave their jobs to raise their children, but that is not an option for many women. Single mothers or couples who can’t afford to be reduced to only one income or moms who don’t want to leave their jobs need other alternatives to make child care affordable. Here are five ways to save money on daycare, caregivers and babysitters.
A Nanny Share
While you may not be able to afford to have a nanny of your own, you could use a nanny share that could help both you and another family save some cash. Maybe you and your best neighborhood gal pal could hire a nanny to watch both of your kids for a salary higher than they would just for one child. The costs would still be less than if you both hired your own nannies, and the price is usually equal to the cost of daycare. Other pros of doing a nanny share include one-one-attention for your child and socialization with other kids. In addition to splitting the cost of the nanny with as many families as you want, which will help in managing your cost of child care. If you decide to go this route, make sure to go through a thorough screening process, follow all nanny tax laws, and set firm schedules and salary terms in writing.
A Babysitting Co-op
Another option is to form a babysitting co-op. The way a co-op is usually formed is by a group of six or more parents who take care of each other’s kids on a rotating basis. This works because sitters earn points for their caregiving hours, which they can then use to obtain child care hours for their own children. A babysitting co-op works best for those parents who work part-time hours and is an excellent alternative to paying an hourly rate for the occasional babysitter.
A mom from Akron, Ohio, developed the app Komae after starting a babysitting co-op with ten of her friends. Now numerous babysitting co-ops all across the country, including San Diego, are using the app to manage the exchange.
How to use the Komae App:
• Download the app and fill in your profile.
• Invite friends to join your personal village.
• Post sit requests and offer to help your friends they need it
• The app will automatically banks points to keep everything balanced
Also, through the app, moms can list their child’s allergies, favorite foods, and napping schedules. The company states that all information on the app is kept 100% secure and will only be visible to view by people on your approved friend’s list.
Seek out Family Child Care Programs
Home-based daycare is not like your tradition center-based daycare facility. In a home-based setting the caregiver looks after children in their own home, often time with the help of an assistant. In-home daycare are usually easier on a parent’s wallet and has a smaller group of children in attendance, which ensures that your kid will get enough one-on-one attention from an adult that will take care of their unique needs. Plus, some home-based situations caters to a wide age group, so if you have children of different ages, this will make it easier for siblings to be together.
If you’re considering home-based child care, you should check out TOOTRiS. This local San Diego company helps parents access high-quality childcare based on their unique needs, such as their schedules, family income, and workplace location.
If you don’t think family child care is for your family, TOORiS can also assist in finding a center-based program that can meet you and your child’s requirements.
Negotiate Child Care Assistance With Your Employer
Child care assistance from an employer comes in a few different forms:
• On-site child care
• Subsidizing the cost of child care
• Corporate group discounts
• Pre-taxed flexible spending accounts for your dependents
Schedule a meeting to speak with a human resources representative for your company and see if your employer would be willing to negotiate any of the above options to assist you with child care. You are probably not the only parent who’d be interested in the company offering up a group discount to a local child care center—or at the very least subsidizing the cost. This will save employees money, plus it will totally make the company more attractive to potential new hires. That would be great point to bring up during your pitch.
The Well Community for Woman
While onsite daycare isn’t a new concept, the way the Well Community for Woman is approaching it definitely is. The Wells is a cooperative and affordable workspace that provides women a safe and quiet co-working space to work remotely or start a new remote business in the company of other like-minded women that support and encourage their goals. They also offer mothers onsite childcare consisting of a play-based curriculum for children from 2 to 5 years old.
Did You Know:
The average monthly cost of infant care in San Diego is $1,214 (infants in California are classified as between 0 to 24 months)
The average monthly cost of preschool in San Diego is $1,056 (preschool in California is classified as between 2 to 6 years)
The average monthly cost of afterschool care in San Diego is $727 (afterschool or school-aged care in California are classified as between 6 to 12 years)
*According to TOOTRiS.com