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Infant Care Average Costs by State

bluehende

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I remember that conversation. My wife had an in home daycare. It figures as soon as she leaves the industry prices go through the roof. The DE average is well over twice what she charged about 10 yrs ago. Inflation has probably been about 20% in that period. She stayed a little below average.
 

am1

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One parent staying at home may be the best option. Cost wise, for the kids and for the parents, environment and much more.
 

Steve Fatula

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One parent staying at home may be the best option. Cost wise, for the kids and for the parents, environment and much more.

While I do not disagree, it appears in some states it's not that expensive.
 

am1

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While I do not disagree, it appears in some states it's not that expensive.

Are those subsidized prices? I would rather that same subsidy or any subsidies be provided to people who look after their own children as well. Children are our future and even people without children for whatever reason should contribute. At least for the first so many of each family.
 

VacationForever

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Are those subsidized prices? I would rather that same subsidy or any subsidies be provided to people who look after their own children as well. Children are our future and even people without children for whatever reason should contribute. At least for the first so many of each family.
Isn't that called tax deductions for children/dependents?
 

rapmarks

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The tax credit iis topped at two thousand per child, with a total limit.


The best my daughter did was the year she had a nanny for the three boys, she paid her three hundred a week plus room and board. The nanny also had a part time job weekends and some evenings. Then the nanny had her boyfriend move in for four months and left after that. The food bills were Hugh. I think the nanny had more disposable income than my daughter
 
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SmithOp

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The new tax bill doubled the child tax credit but the exemption credit has been eliminated with the higher standard deduction. This is going to hurt families with a lot of kids.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
 

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I have strong feelings on this.
1) I don't believe any of these #s. They are artificially low or taken from the most rural location in every state.
2) Any metro or suburban area childcare costs are much, much higher. I have working friends all over the country and we pay from $18,000/year (for unlicensed home daycare to live-in Au Pair) to $60,000/year (for full-time nanny for 2+ kids)
3) Gov't subsidies are a joke. $5000 tax deduction or credit is the max. It amounts to double taxation by the gov't when I pay my nanny's taxes and then my own taxes.
4) Every other 1st world industrialized country has high quality, government subsidized childcare.

and finally, is it better for 1 parent (usually mom) to stay at home? Studies say no.
https://money.cnn.com/2015/06/15/news/economy/working-moms-kids-better-off-harvard-study/
http://time.com/money/5272659/working-moms-better-kids/

Sorry, but it's a long held myth that a Stay at home parent is always best for the family.
Each family has to determine what works best for them and their situation.
 
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needvaca

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also, for taxes, child deductions, exemptions and tax credits all phase out completely once you are hit by AMT tax.
I don't get 1 penny from the gov't for my kids. but man, I sure pay plenty extra- $20K property taxes to be in a "good" school district, 10+% tax on my kids clothes and necessities (we try to buy resale).

Honestly, I don't know how truly middle class ($50K-$60K income) families afford even 1 child these days.
Maybe that's why the fertility rate has fallen to 1.8 births/woman (a 30 year low)
It has fallen below replacement rate.
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo...ar-low-sending-fertility-rate-to-a-record-low

America better be careful or it will end up like Japan that doesn't have enough children or workforce to fund their social security and retirement system.
 

WinniWoman

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Leaving outside child care out of it, it is not expensive to raise a child. People make too much of it. Yes- you need health insurance for the whole family and you have to feed and clothe the child. The kid can pay for his/her/own college when the time comes, IF he/she even wants or really needs to go to college. Then, there is always home schooling and self learning in the earlier years- good options for many more then you may think. Parents can say "no" you can't have or do this or that. You need to get a job at 16. Etc.

In fact, yeah- maybe parents also might have to sacrifice a lot of things if they truly want a child. That's life.

Sure- maybe you won't be able to afford 3 or 5 or 10 kids, but 1 or 2 is doable. Government shouldn't be involved in raising children. Parents should.

And these high property taxes linked to so called great schools...well- I won't go there as this will become too political.
 

WinniWoman

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I have strong feelings on this.
1) I don't believe any of these #s. They are artificially low or taken from the most rural location in every state.
2) Any metro or suburban area childcare costs are much, much higher. I have working friends all over the country and we pay from $18,000/year (for unlicensed home daycare to live-in Au Pair) to $60,000/year (for full-time nanny for 2+ kids)
3) Gov't subsidies are a joke. $5000 tax deduction or credit is the max. It amounts to double taxation by the gov't when I pay my nanny's taxes and then my own taxes.
4) Every other 1st world industrialized country has high quality, government subsidized childcare.

and finally, is it better for 1 parent (usually mom) to stay at home? Studies say no.
https://money.cnn.com/2015/06/15/news/economy/working-moms-kids-better-off-harvard-study/
http://time.com/money/5272659/working-moms-better-kids/

Sorry, but it's a long held myth that a Stay at home parent is always best for the family.
Each family has to determine what works best for them and their situation.


Your average person could never afford those childcare prices. Most people only take home like $18,000 per year! Which is why they would stay home if they decided to have a child. Up where we are we paid about $30,000 in childcare over the course of the crucial years and it was hard for us to do that- but we did it with help of family pitching in here and there. After the first kid, I decided not to have another because I had to work and didn't want to deal with childcare and the expenses of it and the exhaustion when I got home. We chose to buy a newer, bigger home when I got pregnant and to try to get ahead financially so we could have some nice things and vacations. But that was our choice. I could have decided to stay home at our smaller house and live differently than we planned.
 

pedro47

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How can a family afford daycare, sending their children to school & college,summer camp, vacations and etc.????

These daycare prices are outrageous.
 

pittle

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We chose to work different shifts from the time I went back to work with a 1-year-old and a 3-year old. I worked from 7:30-4:00 and he worked 4:30 to midnight.We worked at the same company. He would be out front when I got off work and I drove his vehicle home with the kids. He drove mine home at midnight. When our oldest was in Kindergarten we both worked the same hours for one year and paid for a sitter near the school to keep the then 3-yr old and the oldest after school. It was not extremely expensive. Other than that one year, we did the 2 shift thing until the oldest was starting 7th grade and the youngest 5th.

When I received a promotion and needed to work later, we were fairly creative in that we joined a small inexpensive ($500 to join and $45 per month for services) country club that we passed to and from work. I think we did this when the boys were in the 2nd & 4th grades. We enrolled the boys in golf lessons, tennis lessons, and there was a nice pool with a lifeguard - so swimming lessons too. The golf pro told all the kids in their lessons that they could play on the course anytime, but if he ever received complaints that they were misbehaving, they would be banned from playing without a parent. We never had an issue. Hubs would drop them off on his way to work and I would pick them up on my way home. They had a blast and could charge one snack per day in the afternoon and lunch if dad had to drop them off early to go to a meeting.

We also had the same gal who kept the kids that one year as a backup until hubs got a promotion and worked days. Since they were getting too old for a sitter, we decided that they would be OK getting themselves on & off the bus that stopped in front of our house. (They were home alone about 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour in the afternoon.) We lived in a neighborhood where everyone had 5-10 acres and 3 moms were always there (one was a busybody and would let us know if the boys were doing something they should not be doing.) In the summer, boys had chores to do each day and we paid them for these - it was nice not to need to do housework and laundry or yard work. :)

I guess the nicest compliment that my youngest has ever given me was just a month or so ago. He called and said he was so glad that we had taught him to be self-reliant and how to do things! He has many friends who cannot do anything without having their parents come do it for them. So, I guess staying home in the summer doing all the things on the list taught him more than we thought. :)
 

bluehende

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Child care is such a tough issue. The biggest problem is salaries are not keeping up with increased costs. When we were young we actually had the option for a Mom to stay home at least until school age. Way too many families do not have that option anymore. One salary means your life may be so stark as to not be a real option. I would certainly think this is a factor in the declining birth rate. I want to collect at least some Social Security.
 

rapmarks

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Leaving outside child care out of it, it is not expensive to raise a child. People make too much of it. Yes- you need health insurance for the whole family and you have to feed and clothe the child. The kid can pay for his/her/own college when the time comes, IF he/she even wants or really needs to go to college. Then, there is always home schooling and self learning in the earlier years- good options for many more then you may think. Parents can say "no" you can't have or do this or that. You need to get a job at 16. Etc.

In fact, yeah- maybe parents also might have to sacrifice a lot of things if they truly want a child. That's life.

Sure- maybe you won't be able to afford 3 or 5 or 10 kids, but 1 or 2 is doable. Government shouldn't be involved in raising children. Parents should.

And these high property taxes linked to so called great schools...well- I won't go there as this will become too political.


Here is where I disagree. Yes you add them to health care, but high deductibles mean a big medical expense. Kids have lots of ear infections, and other reasons to see the doctor. Even the pre school has fund raisers, another expense. My oldest grandson joined cub scouts. I went on the buy sell and trade boards in Wisconsin and Florida to try to buy the uniform, no luck, another $150. Swimming classes add up. Sports are really expensive, school supplies, etc. do you know they keep baby formula locked up.
 

bbodb1

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I have strong feelings on this...... and finally, is it better for 1 parent (usually mom) to stay at home? Studies say no.
https://money.cnn.com/2015/06/15/news/economy/working-moms-kids-better-off-harvard-study/
http://time.com/money/5272659/working-moms-better-kids/

Sorry, but it's a long held myth that a Stay at home parent is always best for the family.
Each family has to determine what works best for them and their situation.

The term you are looking for is fact, not myth and the conclusions being pushed by the two articles must be viewed in light of all the facts - not just selected facts.
Interesting that neither of these "studies" mentioned the myriad of problems caused by a lack of parental involvement in children's lives. Increases in the number of troubled (problem) children in our schools is directly attributable to a decline in the amount AND quality of time parents spend in their children's lives. The fact remains that a push toward a norm of a two job household has benefitted businesses - not families because wages have been driven downward while prices have increased. Lest you believe that is incorrect, two generations ago it was possible for a good number of families to comfortably exist on one income. That ain't happening today.

But the point being pushed by articles like this is a suggestion of how it is so good for women to be in the workplace while forgetting the important role men and women play as care givers and providers in their home. A one job household SHOULD be the norm in this country - whether it is the man or woman who works is up to them - but do NOT try and suggest that everything is happy in the world simply because a woman goes to work. Come spend some time in your local school system and you will find plenty of evidence to refute the agenda being played in these articles.
 

bluehende

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The term you are looking for is fact, not myth and the conclusions being pushed by the two articles must be viewed in light of all the facts - not just selected facts.
Interesting that neither of these "studies" mentioned the myriad of problems caused by a lack of parental involvement in children's lives. Increases in the number of troubled (problem) children in our schools is directly attributable to a decline in the amount AND quality of time parents spend in their children's lives. The fact remains that a push toward a norm of a two job household has benefitted businesses - not families because wages have been driven downward while prices have increased. Lest you believe that is incorrect, two generations ago it was possible for a good number of families to comfortably exist on one income. That ain't happening today.

But the point being pushed by articles like this is a suggestion of how it is so good for women to be in the workplace while forgetting the important role men and women play as care givers and providers in their home. A one job household SHOULD be the norm in this country - whether it is the man or woman who works is up to them - but do NOT try and suggest that everything is happy in the world simply because a woman goes to work. Come spend some time in your local school system and you will find plenty of evidence to refute the agenda being played in these articles.

If by parents not being involved in a kids life this is true. However this is a discussion on daycare. Your implication is that daycare leads to these problems You are not correct then. The science is not settled completely but most recent studies show little correlation between daycare and behavioral or academic problems. Here is a pretty good article that sums it up pretty well.

https://www.consumeraffairs.com/new...or-in-day-care-do-equally-well-in-school.html

here is a peer reviewed article

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2941232/

The article that seems to be the gold standard on this is from Norway

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23311645

Depending on how you define behavioral problems, what age you use, and how you control for socio economic reasons you do get studies that show increase problems. That is why I like the first article. It seems balanced.
 

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I would argue, albeit unscientifically, that interaction with peers is as important as parental influence on young children. My wife is a pre-school Montessori teacher, and the stories she brings home regarding the behavior and expectations of some parents are truly bizarre and, quite honestly, frightening. I feel confident in thinking that the most "normal" portion of many of these kids days is the time spent at school (or daycare) observing the (mostly) normal behavior of their peers. FTR, we're talking primarily of kids from middle to upper class fully functional families, not broken homes or troubled parents.

To be clear, I'm not dismissing the importance of parental influence. Just stating that influence isn't always a positive one in terms of developing well-adjusted, normally functioning members of our society.
 

VacationForever

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I had been working since graduation, except for 8 weeks after my son was borned, until I retired 2 years ago. I was a single mother, with an absentee spouse who packed up and left for an overseas job without discussion when my son was not even 1 year old. He came back when my son was 7 and we divorced when my son was 10. My son travelled with me at 10 while I was posted to Beijing for 2 years before being posted to the US. He has a communication learning disability, also known as Autism Spectrum Disorder these days, with his personality resembling someone with autism. I had a live in maid while he was young, and had my mother travel to Beijing to take care of him. When we moved to the US at the age of 12, I found a home that was within a 5-minute walk to a private school which I placed him. He walked himself to school and I paid for an after school program to essentially hold him there until 6pm each day.

He earned his Bachelor degree 7 years ago and he is now pursuing a second Bachelor degree. At 7, his neurologist asked that we put him in an institution for the mentally retarded but our answer was no. If I had not worked, he would have missed out on opportunities that my work and income provided.
 
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WinniWoman

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I had been working since graduation, except for 8 weeks after my son was borned, until I retired 2 years ago. I was a single mother, with an absentee spouse who packed up and left for an overseas job without discussion when my son was not even 1 year old. He came back when my son was 7 and we divorced when my son was 10. My son travelled with me at 10 while I was posted to Beijing for 2 years before being posted to the US. He has a communication learning disability, also known as Autistic Spectrum Disorder these days, with his personality resembling someone with autism. I had a live in maid while he was young, and had my mother travel to Beijing to take care of him. When we moved to the US at the age of 12, I found a home that was within a 5-minute walk to a private school which I placed him. He walked himself to school and I paid for an after school program to essentially hold him there until 6pm each day.

He earned his Bachelor degree 7 years ago and he is now pursuing a second Bachelor degree. At 7, his neurologist asked that we put him in an institution for the mentally retarded but our answer was no. If I had not worked, he would have missed out on opportunities that my work and income provided.


You are incredible I hope you know!
 

Steve Fatula

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I had been working since graduation, except for 8 weeks after my son was borned, until I retired 2 years ago. I was a single mother, with an absentee spouse who packed up and left for an overseas job without discussion when my son was not even 1 year old. He came back when my son was 7 and we divorced when my son was 10. My son travelled with me at 10 while I was posted to Beijing for 2 years before being posted to the US. He has a communication learning disability, also known as Autism Spectrum Disorder these days, with his personality resembling someone with autism. I had a live in maid while he was young, and had my mother travel to Beijing to take care of him. When we moved to the US at the age of 12, I found a home that was within a 5-minute walk to a private school which I placed him. He walked himself to school and I paid for an after school program to essentially hold him there until 6pm each day.

He earned his Bachelor degree 7 years ago and he is now pursuing a second Bachelor degree. At 7, his neurologist asked that we put him in an institution for the mentally retarded but our answer was no. If I had not worked, he would have missed out on opportunities that my work and income provided.

You were an excellent mother indeed! You made the most out of a bad situation and could have easily given in, and instead turned it around.
 

VacationForever

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You were an excellent mother indeed! You made the most out of a bad situation and could have easily given in, and instead turned it around.
It is very difficult and I often not account for the fact that he has Austism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Last week I visited him and we got very mad at each other the last day and we both said things we should not have. He was not being rational over something very small that he was very upset over. But that is the nature of ASD. He is intelligent but then there is alot of limitation in introspection, being able to understand the good intention of others, hate changes etc. I called him a day after I got home to check in with him to make sure he was alright, but he did not answer his phone. He called me the following day and let me know that his grades just came in and that he had As on his subjects for his first term.
 

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Families should get compensated to have a parent stay at home to look after the kids or subsidized day care. Up to a maximum amount of kids.

Some people may not like it or paying school taxes but kids are our future. Countries should strive to at least achieve the replacement rate. Immingration is always an option but replacement rate is better.

Somehow no kids should go hungry either. So simple but has it ever been achieved anywhere?
 
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