Child care costs...

[Seeker]

Some very interesting numbers here:

Million Dollar Babies - TIME

Specifically:

the average annual price for an infant in a child care center is greater than a year's tuition at a public college

Is this true across 43 states as claimed? I had hoped that other states were a little more affordable.... but maybe not?

According to its latest estimate, a child born in 2007 costs $204,060 to watch over, feed, cart around, educate and house from birth to the age of 18. This amounts to a ten-fold increase in less than 50 years. According to the USDA, child-rearing costs have soared since the department began its annual study in 1960, when raising a kid cost a mere $25,229.

What do you think of this?

[jIM_Ohio]

Well I can report that my twins (born March 27) will not have daycare anywhere near as expensive... 13k per year for two kids.

[Seeker]

Just out of comparison, I looked at the California State's college / tuition costs. Unfortunately "tuition" is mixed in with "fees"....

CSU | Student Academic Support | Campus Costs of Attendance for 2006-2007

But I have no idea of child-care costs in this state. Pretty sure that you cannot find child-care costs less than $3500 per year here (for a single child).

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Jim -- from what I see in your state college system (below) tuition is a whopping 4.5k or so (depending on which university). For two children (tuition alone) that would be 9k... so your future child-care costs are above what they stated in the otiginal article.

http://www.cspohio.org/csp/Downloads...s%202007-8.pdf

By the way -- congratulations.

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I guess the article is pretty conservative then. It certainly looks it.

[Spud]

Originally Posted by jIM_Ohio

Well I can report that my twins (born March 27) will not have daycare anywhere near as expensive... 13k per year for two kids.

Congratulations, Papa Jim! I was wondering if that's where you were!

[sweeps]

Congrats, Jim! Hope everyone is doing well....

[PrincessPerky]

Congrats on the Twins!

[jIM_Ohio]

Originally Posted by sweeps

Congrats, Jim! Hope everyone is doing well....

Thank you.

The boys were born 12 weeks early, they are stable in the ICU, and will be there for a while.

Wife is finally out of hospital (she had been there from Feb 5 to Saturday). She is going back to see them everyday.

[jIM_Ohio]

Originally Posted by Seeker

Just out of comparison, I looked at the California State's college / tuition costs. Unfortunately "tuition" is mixed in with "fees"....

CSU | Student Academic Support | Campus Costs of Attendance for 2006-2007

But I have no idea of child-care costs in this state. Pretty sure that you cannot find child-care costs less than $3500 per year here (for a single child).

---------------

Jim -- from what I see in your state college system (below) tuition is a whopping 4.5k or so (depending on which university). For two children (tuition alone) that would be 9k... so your future child-care costs are above what they stated in the otiginal article.

http://www.cspohio.org/csp/Downloads...s%202007-8.pdf

By the way -- congratulations.

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I guess the article is pretty conservative then. It certainly looks it.

where is college tuition 4.5k?

[Broken Arrow]

Belated congrats, Jim.

[LuxLiving]

Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. jIM_Ohio!! Doubled your pleasure.

[MonkeyMama]

Congrats Jim!

Yes, in Cali, public school is very affordable ($3.5k sounds right) and daycare isn't ($12k/year for infant care is pretty average).

However, it seems very apples/oranges comparison. Daycare is constant attention at $5/hour (what $12k equates to, full-time). Someone to tend to that baby's every need. Education is VERY different. So I am not quite sure what the point of the comparison is. (Likewise, education is so affordable here because it is largely government subsidized).

Likewise, when it comes to preschool, the "care" aspect is the expensive part. Not the "education" part - generally. But I don't know who else will watch your kids for less than $5/hour??? Nor would you want them to?

My kids can go to school for just about free, or up to $150/month if we go with them or participate in a co-op, or make it only a couple of hours a week.

Likewise, daycare ideally buys you time to work a second wage. If you can't go out and make money while your kid is in daycare, well, you wouldn't use it. So another thing that makes it very apples/oranges.

I paid under $10k for my entire college education. I'll spend $7500 this year to send my kids to daycare and enjoy a little break, while expanding their horizons. Money WELL spent. I'd gladly pay more if it enabled my spouse to go out and make some money. Yes, I will pay far more for daycare than my college education. But I don't know. The thought hadn't crossed my mind and doesn't bug me. I honestly think they're daycare provider is UNDER paid. Grossly underpaid. (I pay $3.50/hour, per kid, on average, for care that is as good/better than the care we provide for our own children). & I know I got a pretty awesome deal on my education.