AidensMum
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8 Tips to Save on Child Care Costs
8 Tips To Save On Child Care Costs
by: Jeffrey Strain
Child care costs are are one of the most expensive costs associated with going back to work. Finding ways to cut down on child care costs without sacrificing quality child care is a top priority for all working parents. Here are a few ideas that can help trim your child care costs without sacrificing child care quality:
See if your employer has a child care flexible spending account. This is a special account that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - http://www.irs.gov/faqs/faq-kw87.html - created that allows you to set aside money for child care expenses with pre-tax dollars. You ask your employer to take out a certain amount of money each month from your paycheck and you can use this money tax free for child care related expenses.
Inquire if your company has partnerships or offers discounts for certain child care provider services. some larger companies will sometimes negotiate discount plans with local child care providers to help offset child care costs.
See if your public school district offers a half day pre-kindergarten program for 4-year-olds. These programs are usually free and by signing-up your child, it will reduce your child care needs to a half day from a full day.
Check to see if your employer would be open to flex hours, job sharing or telecommuting. If so, you may be able to use these to juggle your schedule and cut your child care costs.
If both you and your spouse work, see if it's possible to arrange your work schedules so they overlap as little as possible. This will allow you to reduce the number of hours your child has to spend at child care.
See if there is a relative or good friend that can help with child care.
Consider hiring a nanny and sharing the cost of child care with a few good friends. This will allow you to pay less individually for child care costs and the nanny will make more money overall.
For a list of child care resource and referral agencies, you can visit the Child Care Aware website - http://www.childcareaware.org - which is a nonprofit organization that helps parents find quality child care in their communities.
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2/10/2005, 9:04 pm
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StrawBerryGirl
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Re: 8 Tips to Save on Child Care Costs
the only reason I still stay home is because of the costs of daycare around here where I live
next year when Chloe starts kindergarten I will start looking for work again though 
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*Karen*
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2/11/2005, 1:52 pm
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Addi
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Re: 8 Tips to Save on Child Care Costs
I have to say, we did the staggered work schedule for a little over a year, and it was awful. Yes, it saves on daycare, but the non-financial costs aren't worth it. You end exhausted all the time, with no energy for each other or for really having fun with the kids, and the kids rarely get both parents together at once. And believe me, they don't like that. When my youngest started saying "yay" when we were both in the room together and trying to "hold in" the one who had to leave, we realized it was time to change that schedule. We use daycare and both work days now, and it is sooo much better.
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2/11/2005, 2:23 pm
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AidensMum
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Re: 8 Tips to Save on Child Care Costs
Awww...that's sad Addi. I'm glad you guys got that taken care of. Aiden goes to daycare three days a week and is home w/ me the other days. DH takes him to daycare though since it's in his industrial park and I work in the city and take the train in. When he was away this past week I took Aiden to daycare and drove to work. It stunk! I left my house at 6:30 and got to work at 9:30 and had to leave work at 3:30 to pick him up by 5:30 and with one stop at the grocery store I was home at 7! What a terrible day! I'm looking for a nanny to care for him in our home...but that's been nonproductive for the time being.
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2/11/2005, 3:08 pm
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Addi
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Re: 8 Tips to Save on Child Care Costs
That's a shame that it's so far for you. In our case, hubby drops him off in the morning and I pick him up on the afternoon - the daycare center is on the way for both of us.
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2/11/2005, 3:11 pm
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JANT99
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Re: 8 Tips to Save on Child Care Costs
When I was working, DH worked night shift and I worked during the day so Aidan stayed with him while I was at work. We didn't put him into daycare until he about 2.5 years old and he stayed in daycare for about a year then he went to stay with my mom until November of last year.
The cost of daycare is one of the main reasons we decided that I wouldn't work after having Sophia. The day care Aidan was going to, we were paying $600 a month just for him (that was with a discount) and I think it would've cost about $875 a month for Sophia to go. I really loved that daycare and I didn't want to move Aidan from there. So our day care costs would've been more than our mortgage  . So here I am at home now. I am hoping to stay home until she is at least 5 years old (when she starts Kindergarten) and then I want to work part time while the kiddos are in school.
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Nicole
DS, Jake~13yo
DS, Aidan~4yo
DD, Sophia~Born 11/23/04
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2/13/2005, 12:58 pm
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Addi
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Re: 8 Tips to Save on Child Care Costs
lol - our daycare costs are more than our mortgage, actually.
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2/13/2005, 2:31 pm
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