It’s widely known that raising children carries a hefty price tag. What often surprises new parents is how steep the costs are right from the beginning.
For many families with infants, child care becomes the largest ongoing bill during the early years. In a July survey of Savinly readers, 82% of the 1,224 parents who replied reported spending at least $500 per month on child care. More than a third (35.5%) said they shell out $1,000 or more monthly for child care.
Luckily, there are less expensive choices than conventional child care setups — you just may need to think creatively.
Bring Your Infant to the Workplace
When a baby arrives, many parents weigh returning to the office against staying home. Those often feel like the only two options.
But what if you could have both? Parents can cut child care costs by thousands by taking their infants to work — even if only temporarily. This can be particularly helpful during a baby’s earliest months, when infant care rates are frequently higher than those for toddlers or preschoolers.
Anna Boonstra, an experience manager at a tech firm in Ann Arbor, Michigan, brought her 7-week-old daughter, Flynn, to the office until she was nearly 6 months old.
The company where Boonstra works, Menlo Innovations, has allowed 22 infants to accompany parents over the last 11 years. The office includes a nursing room and a diaper-changing station, along with space to set up gear like playpens or swings.
“It ended up being easier than I imagined,” Boonstra said. “If I’m on a call and the baby gets upset, someone will pick her up.”
By taking her daughter to work, Boonstra avoided approximately four months of day care. According to Child Care Aware, infant care in Michigan generally runs between $613 and $884 per month.
Like many expecting parents, Boonstra was surprised by the high expense of child care once she was pregnant.
“This is our first child, so my husband and I had to figure out how we were going to cover day care costs,” she said. “Being able to bring her to the office… allowed us to set money aside, plan our budget and get ahead financially.”
Boonstra also noted she could return to work sooner and resume her full-time earnings while still enjoying crucial bonding moments and witnessing her daughter’s early milestones.
While bringing an infant to work isn’t a standard perk at most companies, Menlo Innovations isn’t alone. The Parenting in the Workplace Institute has cataloged more than 200 employers that permit babies at work — from small firms to state agencies.
The institute offers guidance and materials to help organizations create babies-at-work initiatives or support employees who want to propose the idea at their workplaces.
Use a High School or College Child Care Program
Savinly readers know that one way to reduce service costs is to utilize students training in a profession. As cosmetology schools often offer discounted haircuts, so too can education programs provide more affordable child care from students learning to be early childhood professionals.
Numerous high schools and colleges nationwide host on-site child care centers staffed by students. For instance, Countryside High School in Clearwater, Florida cares for 24 preschoolers while high school students studying early childhood education gain practical experience creating lesson plans and overseeing 3- and 4-year-olds. Many parents — particularly district employees — appreciate the savings.
“It’s only $100 a week, so that’s very inexpensive compared with most places,” said Stacy Glover, an English teacher whose 4-year-old son is in his second year in the preschool program.
The weekly fee covers full-day care from 6:45 a.m. to 5:45 p.m., Monday through Friday. By comparison, Care.com estimates that other local centers can charge up to $200 per week.
Glover explored other preschool options but selected the high school program for its affordability and convenience.
Jody Amiot-Priso, a librarian at Countryside High School, also enrolled her 4-year-old son in the on-campus preschool. Her older child attended the program two years earlier. Amiot-Priso said glowing recommendations from colleagues and the lower price convinced her.
“It was an excellent program, and since it was less costly, how could I refuse?” she said. “Children finish the program completely ready for kindergarten.”
Amiot-Priso added she had no reservations about teenagers teaching her youngsters; she herself took a similar early childhood course during high school.
Contact your local school district or nearby colleges to learn about comparable programs, openings and enrollment costs.
Split the Cost of a Nanny
Hiring a nanny can rank among the priciest child care choices. Care.com reports the national average for nanny care is about $580 per week.
Yet nannies provide clear advantages.
They offer more individual attention than group settings. Children stay in their familiar home environment. Parents have greater control over care routines and daily structure.
To reduce the expense, some families pool resources and share a nanny. The nanny may charge a higher rate to look after two or more children, but the per-family cost will generally be lower than each household hiring its own nanny.
Jessica Mast, founder of Golden Gate Nanny Shares in San Francisco, says nanny-sharing can cut costs by roughly $5 to $15 per hour for each family.
Nanny Lane, another nanny-sharing service, offers this example: a family paying $3,000 per month for a private nanny might reduce that to $2,000 per month by sharing with another household.
Agencies such as Nanny Lane and Golden Gate Nanny Shares help parents locate compatible families. Mast noted that families also find each other through referrals, parent groups and social media.
Each nanny-share arrangement is unique, she said. Families jointly decide the host location, required care hours and fee split. Mast recommends formal contracts so expectations are clear and everyone remains aligned.
Nicole Dow is a senior writer at Savinly. She is a single mother of a daughter who’s in preschool.
