Daycare cost info needed... PLEASE! (Leander: prices, rain, Lutheran)

[ImNLetsRoll1]

To: Texasta

You're assuming your daughters will only have low paying jobs.

My former work paid $100,000. per year & I pd $13,000 in child care leaving = $87,000. to live on for my one child and I.

That work isn't likely to be available for me, as I'm now much older than the typical age for it, but I know an unbelievable number of women who don't work extensive hours and make far more than I did.

Also, in Business Development (consulting), you often work from home or scheduled leaving the home which allows you be at home with lower cost child care in the home. I would not leave a teen with my child alone due to decision making ability via the brain not being fully developed but I would hire a teen if I was in the house.

The higher up you get in many job titles, the fewer hours you to tedious work at low pay.
You also get substantially more flexibility in coming & going during the day.

Don't doom your girls to the risk of being a single parent with no job history.
Men die in accidents & for health reasons even if they otherwise would have stayed forever.

Statistics show that a lifetime one marriage is indeed hopeful but ONE person does not make that certain. I can also tell you that the married men on the company trips were ALWAYS cheating & then getting off the plane to kiss & hug their wives. They often were cheating with married women who did the same. It was 99% NOT the Single straight females.

If you do not have an actual job history at an employer or proof of reasonable self-supporting income from W-2's or other legal tax forms it will be extremely difficult to get any job that pays more than low, too low pay in the event of an emergency.

I'm 51. Take it from me. I've seen this happen literally 100's of times to customers and friends.
One home-mom of 5 in a perfect world had a 36 yr old husband drop dead on a golf course. It happens.
Another husband crashed on the way to the hospital - dead too. It happens.

You must work at a job that pays more than the cost of child care and train for those types of jobs in advance of necessity.

[ImNLetsRoll1]

Thanks Riaelise for the specific cost update.

It is about $200. or so more expensive per month in Austin than in Suburbia N. Dallas (Plano, Frisco) from what you've posted ($1,200).

Have you considered an in-your-home caretaker & obviously doing a background-check? Just a thought.
A more mature mom/young grand-mom who is adding to their income vs. it's their total income and their own kids are already in college or further is a very good option when I've checked. Reliable & consistent.

My experience with 3 different infant child cares 7 & 8 yrs ago was that it all depends on the actual worker in the child care room. The workers have very, very high turn-over. They're only paid $7.50 - $8.50 an hour even if they stay a long time with the daycare. That is below poverty level & not enough for them to rent an Austin apt. on...so they do not stay.

It's always about the workers in the actual room with your child.

[roadwarrior101]

Can anyone give me an idea of the current daycare pricing in 2018?

[coachtaylor]

Ours is $1,200 for infants through 18 months, then goes down roughly $100 as they get older, down to $900 for ages 3+.

[roadwarrior101]

Originally Posted by coachtaylor

Ours is $1,200 for infants through 18 months, then goes down roughly $100 as they get older, down to $900 for ages 3+.

Thanks. How about before/after school care for kids in kindergarten/primary grades? Is this offered through the schools in Austin?

[Trainwreck20]

Originally Posted by roadwarrior101

Thanks. How about before/after school care for kids in kindergarten/primary grades? Is this offered through the schools in Austin?

Most elementary schools have after-school programs on site. I assume this one is typical, but don't know:
After School Programs | Joe Dan Mills, Jr. Elementary

[mark311]

YMCA has on site after school care for Leander ISD (Leander ISD covers the very far North part of the city of Austin -Avery Ranch, Steiner Ranch, etc. along with Cedar park, Leander, and a small portion of Round Rock). and it's around $250 per month. My kids get picked up and go to one of the private places that is around $400 per month after school. I think for before school care, you'll have to go to a private place though. The doors to the Elementary school open up about 30 minutes before school starts so around 7:15am I think. You can drop your kids off then and they just hang out in the gym/cafeteria area. I'm just giving you one example at Leander ISD. This will vary between school districts (and maybe individual schools).

For Leander ISD, you must live 2 miles or greater from the school in order to qualify for school bus service. That's a surprise for some people from different areas.

For us, the YMCA is just a little too unstructured on site, but is probably fine for most kids. It's worth a little bit more for us to get them to a more structured place with different activities available for different types of kids.

[Aquitaine]

As I understand it, if you have health care that gives you an HSA or FSA, you can use these pre-tax dollars to pay for childcare.

[Trainwreck20]

Originally Posted by Aquitaine

As I understand it, if you have health care that gives you an HSA or FSA, you can use these pre-tax dollars to pay for childcare.

Yes.

We have used National Elite Gymnastics for some years now, and it is currently $270/month for after school care - they pick up at various schools and are 'open' until 6:30. They have a good hour of gymnastics which does wonders for getting some activity for the kids.

Afterschool

[eirenecat]

The YMCA is like Lord of the Flies wrt after school care. We also fled that after just one week--I went to pick up my kindergarten daughter and they did not know where she was. I found her sitting alone in the elementary school gym surrounded by 5th graders. We now pay not quite $300 for an EXCELLENT after school program at a karate dojo.