How much do you guys pay for daycare?

[Britts Mom]

I know in TX I paid $50.00 a week full time. and $30.00 a week when she stated school. We moved to MS in Oct 2000 and I became a SAHM so I don't have to worry about it. But my neighbor pays $75.00 a week and that is just part time, that seems so high. I am going to offfer to keep her DD after school next year and her pay me instead. How much should I charge her? Thanks in advance for any ideas.

[Jeff]

$450/month for three days for each child. I think 5 days was $650/month for each preschooler and its about $850/month for babies.

[Amy2]

My kids aren't in day care, but we our old sitter runs a day care, and we pay her nine bucks an hour for two kids. Ouch. Amy

[KarlaB]

My dks aren't in daycare either, but from what I hear I think $50 a week is actually a very good deal. How old is your child and how long ago was s/he in daycare? Like Jeff said many have rates that are based on the age of the child. And, sometimes the rate is higher if it's for part-time care. Or there is a guaranteed rate where the provider is paid even if the child misses a day.

[JAK]

I think the $50 a week is cheap. I don't have my dks in day care but when I did home day care in 1994, I watched a baby and charged $65 a week and that even at the time was VERY cheap. Usually is it was around $100 a week for an infant. I know here in AK you can easily pay over $100 a week now for an older child.

[angie r]

I earn $20 a day when I keep my nephew. I can't remember how much daycare was when my son was there? I am thinking about $100/week though.

[kat]

No wonder most of you are SAHMs. I can't believe those rates. I paid $30.00 per week for my kids. One was in a Christian Day Care (during the age of the dinosaurs apparently) and youngest stayed with the wife of one of our deacons.

[Lynda/WA]

When it was just DS I paid $80 a week. That was in 95 until DD was born. When I had both with my home daycare provider it was 150$ a week. That was until I got out of the service in 96 and became a SAHM. That was the going rate for home-daycares. If I had gone to the base daycare it would have been based on what DH and I made combined and costed more.

In 97 I babysat a 3rd grade boy. It was 300$ straight. He was on an all year schedule and there were so many half days and days off during the year. It was easier to just go with a straight rate regardless if he was full time or part.

[MaryL]

Our family daycare provider gives us great rates...$2.50/hour for one child....and for the times when my older ds is there it is $3.50/hour for the two kids. Very reasonable here.

[TXmom]

I use a MDO about 11 hours a week that costs $135 a month. So, that's about $3 per hour, but I haven't found anything else remotely close to that price around here. I occasionally use a drop in playcare center that's $6.50 an hour, and I was supposed to meet with a home provider that wanted $35 a day.