Why is daycare soooo expensive in Mass? (Boston, Cambridge: daycares, house)

[annitta]

So, we are moving to Belmont next week and I decided to look at daycare, because I am planning to go back to work, and what do I see 1600-1900$/month for an infantWe should have done that research earlier, right?Too late now
A couple of months ago I checked daycare here, around New York City and Northern New Jersey and I found some very good daycare centers for about 1000-1100/month, and I was ready to pay that, but almost twice as much-I'm not sure about that
I, honestly, never expected that daycare would be more expensive in Mass than in NY, but-what a surprise

So, is anyone ready to explain-what is so special about those schools that I have to go into bancrupcy if I want my kid to be able to spend his day with other kids and not just me?Do you think daycare at these prices is affordable?Do most moms stay at home?What do I do if I want to work but I don't earn 150K (just as many other people)

I hate to sound like a cheap girl, but really-that's just too much

[PalmBch]

Daycare is very expensive in the whole U.S... cannot believe how parents could efford having their kids there... you must make a lot of money

[ThinkingThinking]

It's very simple. The cost of daycare is determined by supply and demand.

Find someone who does care out of their home, it will be cheaper, and (this is coming from someone who used to work at a daycare) Probably much better quality.

[haberstroh]

I agree that childcare is way too expensive. But I have to say that I found the same rates around Philadelphia, and Northern NJ - Bergen County (all places we lived with little children).
Coming from Germany where childcare is usually state run I was shocked at first. Then I looked at my options and decided to stay at home. I am very happy with that decision and it works for our family. I know that is not the case for other families and moms/dads have to or want to work. I guess a lot of families use a nanny. Also the most expensive centers are not always the best. A friend of mine just put her kids in a very expensive national chain and she is not happy at all. Of course that is something you just don't know at first.
Belmont is also a considered up-scale (we could not afford to live there and had a pretty good budget) so I am sure that reflects in the prices. Did you look in Cambridge or Sommerville (if I have my geography right)?
Good luck with the move!

[Beachcomber4]

That costs works out to less than $10 per hour based on 9-10 hours per day of care. When you think about the monthly bill it's exorbitant but hourly, it doesn't seem that bad.

[annitta]

Originally Posted by ThinkingThinking

It's very simple. The cost of daycare is determined by supply and demand.

Find someone who does care out of their home, it will be cheaper, and (this is coming from someone who used to work at a daycare) Probably much better quality.

What do you mean-out of their home?

True-the most expensive are not always the best ones, I just hope I find something nice at a reasonable price when I go there.
And thank you guys for the support-I expected that everyone would start explaining how Mass daycare is much better than anywhere else bla-bla, but everyone is so understanding, thank you!

[brightdoglover]

I think "out of home" means a private provider as opposed to a school setting. Private providers (usually an individual running a daycare out of her home, usually along with her own kids) should be licenses, but a lot of people operate without licenses, more like informal babysitters.
I actually don't see how daycare, especially for an infant, could be cheaper. Infants have very low staffing ratio requirements, and basically are being cared for in a full normal workweek, right? Forty hours or so?
A lot of my co-workers, men and women, work shift work so their kids aren't in daycare, partly because they couldn't afford it anyway. I think a lot of in-laws are pressed into service- where I live, 20 miles west of Belmont, I see a lot of people who are clearly grandparents out with strollers every day. And I do think a lot of people (mothers) do stay home.
I don't have kids, so...
My job has a daycare. Don't know what it costs, because it's structured really for the "business hours" people, not the shift workers. My nursing school at a hospital had a daycare for students and staff which ran from 6a-6p, which is a little better for day shift workers, anyway (shift starting at 7a). I doubt it cost as much as you describe.

[ThinkingThinking]

Yes I mean a private provider. For school aged children, that could mean a friends mom, or for younger kids, a stay at home mother who will care for your child along with her own. Churches and playgroups are a great place to find people who do child care like this. I myself cared for the children of a single mom who was a neighbor of mine for a few years, I charged her a reasonable rate, and she enjoyed the flexibility of my hours and the fact that her kids had a home like environment, and much more one-on-one interaction.

[Cato the Elder]

It is supply and demand. Make sure you're doing an apples to apples comparison. I find it difficult to believe that comparable daycares cost nearly double in Boston compared to NY. I think the most expensive daycares would have to be in LA. The best daycares are on the west side and I would not consider them exceptional by national standards - good to very good and some are just acceptable. All the very good ones have a waiting list of several years and cost around $2k/month. The acceptable ones also have a waiting list around a year or two and still cost over $1500/month. The worst part is that there is much less supply because who wants to slug it out in traffic for an hour to drive to any alternative more than five miles away? If you have the time or money, you can find an excellent daycare but it will cost you over $2k/month and likely take over an hour to get there. You'll then find your kid surrounded by trust fund babies.

You can easily find very good daycares in the Boston area in the $1200-1500/month sweetspot. If you are near Arlington, look at one of the A Place to Grow locations. I think the Cambridge YMCA is under $1500/month. I don't know of any major metro in the US that has very good daycares for less than $1000/month unless it's heavily subsidized by a company or university - hello Google.

[ThinkingThinking]

Case in point: My aunt ran a very successful private childcare for about 15 years, just blocks from the capital building in Olympia WA. She had converted part of her house and hired a small staff, and only took a limited number of children. She was so popular her waiting list often included children who had not even been born yet.
The parents would put down reservation payments around a thousand dollars to secure a place for their child who wouldn't even be attending for a year or two! She charged about 2000/m for a potty trained child who attended 9/5 m-f. More for babies or diapered children. She was in demand and people were willing to pay what she asked!

Also, don't take the initial phone or website posting as the final price. Call and ask to speak with the school director and be very clear as to what your hours and needs are... and if they are even enrolling. The more popular schools are usually full by this time. Oftentimes, calling and explaing your needs can either raise or lower your price. For example, they may tell you it will be 1000/month, but this means a child who is at the center from 7am to 7pm Monday through Friday. If your child only needs to go Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, from 9 to 3, this can affect the price.