Daycare cost info needed... PLEASE! (Austin, Round Rock: day care, how much, homes)

[cllane5104]

My husband and I live in Leander. We have recently been discussing starting a family. Our only thing that is holding us back is the thought of what daycare costs and where we are going to come up with the money. We also don't have any family members in the area that we could ask for help from.

This is what we are looking for:
A full time program (we both work 8:30-4:30 M-F)
Obviously a good program with great caregivers

So my questions are:
How much should we budget for childcare on a monthly basis?
Are there any assisstance programs that aid with costs?
Are there any specific programs you would advise to check out or avoid in the Leander/Cedar Park area?


Thanks for your help in advance!

[achtungpv]

Generally $800-$1200/mo. Home based daycare is probably cheaper.

[centralaustinite]

Care is most expensive for infants and generally declines as the child ages. I would avoid for-profit centers if possible.

There are places in Austin (Open Door, Austin Co-op, UMC-CDC) that offer sliding scales or tuition scholarships but I do not know of any in your area. Try church-based centers.

Good luck. Full-time care for an infant does run near $1000 a month in a center, but by one year that can drop to $850, then two years old more like $750, etc. Full-time care for a 4 year old can be around 600.

[texastea]

I know this isn't what you asked about, but I'm gonna put it out here just as another option or for others looking for other choices. I have four teen/young adult daughters and my advice to them is to do whatever it takes to be able to stay home with the kids. Childcare is so expensive, especially if you have more than one. Then add the cost of transportation, work clothes, extra clothes for the kids, convenience meals...really takes a chunk out of the second paycheck.

Its possible to get really creative: starting a home based-business, job-sharing, telecommuting, different shifts, part-time nanny, a job that allows you to bring the baby, etc. One friend of mine is a nurse and works 2-3 long shifts a week, and her husband's job is flexible enough so he can be with the kids when she can't. My husband worked overtime when the kids were little and made more than I could. I helped by working jobs where I could take my child with me. Another friend's husband works a second job while she works very part-time to stay current in the job market. The options are endless and the reward is great.

[fallof09]

Two years ago I paid $780 a month for my infant, in a home daycare.

A center (primrose, bright horizons) back then was going to be 1000-1250 per month for an infant.

Leander might be cheaper, but not by much. Your best bet will be in home daycare or a nanny share to keep costs down.

I will not be returning to teaching b/c of the cost of child care for a toddler+infant. It just wasn't worth it b/c of all of the extra expenses that occur. I totally understand that isn't an option for everyone, but I wish someone would have told me it was possible to live off of one salary before we had our first. We sold our second car, live very frugally to make it work. PM me if you want the gory details :-)

[ImNLetsRoll1]

2012 - What are the current Child Care Cost in NW and West, Austin, TX?
What are the typical "after school care" cost?

Other readers: Texas has ratio laws for how many kids/babies can be per child care worker.
For those of you with babies, there is a law of: 4 babies to 1 worker or 9 babies to 2 workers
This keeps the babies a bit safer but skyrockets the cost. It prevents the child care ctrs or homes from warehousing-babies-for-cash-child-care

The cost goes down as the baby/child gets older. The most expensive cost is 18 months and younger.
18 months is the 1st age cut-off for the child to worker ratios.

[kau1890]

We just finished touring 8-9 daycares in the Cedar Park area. Most of the ones we toured were around $1200. There was one that was less, $950, but it did not have a good reputation. A couple were around $1050-$1100. Primrose was our favorite though and it's just under $1200 for a full-time infant. It's a lot of money to spend but we were very impressed with them and it's nice to have that peace of mind when returning back to work after just 12 weeks. Good luck with finding the perfect fit for your baby!

[XLadylawX]

$260 per week for infants at Primrose School for Children in Forest Creek in Round Rock.

[tibbar]

Don't forget to figure in who is going to care for the child when it is sick and can't go to day care. I used to watch my grandsons once or twice a month because they had a fever and couldn't attend the home based care they were in. I used to say the woman got paid for 5 days care and only provided care 4 days. She also took 3 full weeks off a year and daughter had to find child care for those weeks.

[riaelise]

I guess we were lucky? My eldest attended a top notch at home daycare from infancy to 3 years, that also had a curriculum. She was a stay at home mom of two who wanted to be with her kids while earning money. She was licensed and failed no inspections, whereas the centers had MANY failed inspections and my daughter was hardly sick. And she was only $600 per month. She decided to re-enter the workforce. What a shame.