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Sunday, February 5, 2012

The Rising Cost of Daycare Forces Alternative Working Arrangements


It’s no secret that like all family expenses daycare costs are rising – causing some families to make the difficult choice of both parents working outside the home or one staying at home. With three children not yet school age, my day care expenses would be so exorbitant that both my husband and I would have to be neurosurgeons, professional athletes, celebrities or independently wealthy for us to be able to afford the costs and have a quality of life.

In the article, 5 Reasons One Parent Should Stay Home, the cost of childcare for one child was estimated be about $4,300 per year. I have no idea what market this figure is based on, but in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area where we live that figure is off -- significantly. Just recently, I figured our daycare costs to be about ($30,000 annually for three kids) $10,000 a year per child not including gas, meals, field trips and other school fees. In fact, that's on the low end compared to some other families I know who spend upwards of 25 percent more per child. 

While the article presents a number of compelling reasons why one parent should stay home, money has always been the driving factor for me. It looks like I’ll be kissing my part-time office job goodbye for the next year or two because it doesn't seem prudent to spend $30,000 on daycare. What I will be doing is finding creative ways to manage my time while working my freelance copywriting business. This way I can still earn some money and avoid the expense of daycare for three kids. I have no doubt this will be a challenge, which is why I’m open to any and all suggestions from other work-at-home moms on how best to maximize my time.  


If you're a mom (or dad) who works from home with kids, how do you maximize your time daily? What suggestions do you have for scheduling time for work alongside other responsibilities at home?

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Post a Comment

Sunday, February 5, 2012

The Rising Cost of Daycare Forces Alternative Working Arrangements


It’s no secret that like all family expenses daycare costs are rising – causing some families to make the difficult choice of both parents working outside the home or one staying at home. With three children not yet school age, my day care expenses would be so exorbitant that both my husband and I would have to be neurosurgeons, professional athletes, celebrities or independently wealthy for us to be able to afford the costs and have a quality of life.

In the article, 5 Reasons One Parent Should Stay Home, the cost of childcare for one child was estimated be about $4,300 per year. I have no idea what market this figure is based on, but in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area where we live that figure is off -- significantly. Just recently, I figured our daycare costs to be about ($30,000 annually for three kids) $10,000 a year per child not including gas, meals, field trips and other school fees. In fact, that's on the low end compared to some other families I know who spend upwards of 25 percent more per child. 

While the article presents a number of compelling reasons why one parent should stay home, money has always been the driving factor for me. It looks like I’ll be kissing my part-time office job goodbye for the next year or two because it doesn't seem prudent to spend $30,000 on daycare. What I will be doing is finding creative ways to manage my time while working my freelance copywriting business. This way I can still earn some money and avoid the expense of daycare for three kids. I have no doubt this will be a challenge, which is why I’m open to any and all suggestions from other work-at-home moms on how best to maximize my time.  


If you're a mom (or dad) who works from home with kids, how do you maximize your time daily? What suggestions do you have for scheduling time for work alongside other responsibilities at home?

No comments:

Post a Comment