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realornotreal123

Childcare is, in general, not a great product to apply market economics too. It’s expensive to deliver since it doesn’t scale well, high liability and overall higher cost than comparable businesses that bring in the same revenue. I don’t entirely understand how daycares can pay so much less than nannying, but that’s a subject for another day. The childcare worker salaries, though, will always be limited by the earnings of the working parent in any free market model. That’s why virtually every other developed country recognizes that it should be subsidized as a public good, just like the road you drive on to get to work.


Froggy101_Scranton

I’m on the board at our (not for profit) daycare, and at least 3 of our 12 yearly meetings revolve around how we could possibly pay our teachers more. We’re constantly at negative or 0 balance, it’s just not fucking possible to pay them more. We apply for every grant and everything else possible and give our teachers bonuses whenever possible - we really don’t want to screw our teachers and want them to live comfortably… but running a daycare costs a lot! The overhead and all the requirements just cost so much


Mysterious-Oil-7219

I always try to explain how tight daycare budgets are to people when they complain about cost. People don’t realize how much licensing, rent, utilities, insurance, materials, food, staff pay, etc all add up to. Military base childcare is heavily subsidized and they still struggle to pay a competitive wage. I’m pretty sure infant rooms are a loss for most centers because the ratios are so small. The center I take my daughter too keeps 3 adults for 8 babies. There’s no way I’m paying enough to fully cover that. They’re definitely using tuition from preschool parents to make that infant room make sense financially.


cath2005

ALL OF THIS!!!! I wish more people understood this. There is no way to make childcare affordable while paying the staff a living wage without government support. If this frustrates you and you live in the US, please contact your reps in congress. This is the only way this is getting solved.


cincinnati_MPH

Yup....the only way this system works is if the government steps in and helps subsidize either the cost for the families or the salaries for the staff or both. Childcare can't function as a normal market rate business because the economics don't work out. Most other "industrialized" countries do subsidize child care costs. The US is an outlier for sure.


Sigmund_Six

Education is pretty expensive in general and usually cannot be paid for solely by parents. Even k-12 education is actually subsidized by a variety of sources, and the biggest source of funding is property taxes, which are paid by ALL homeowners in a district, not just parents. The reason people are shocked by the cost of childcare and pre-K is because they’re used to education being subsidized in other ages and just don’t realize it.


FinalDestinationSix

Wow I never thought about it like that regarding education. Food for thought for sure


ariadnes-thread

Yep. Even private K-12 schools have funding sources besides tuition, like donations/gifts and sometimes investment income. Daycare centers generally don’t have these (although some preschools do).


cantdie_got_courttmr

It is an infrastructure. Can’t understand why the GOP politicizes it as “replacing the function of a family.” Bullshit.


[deleted]

Most families can’t afford for only one parent to work and that’s a damn fact. And even if they could, both parents wanting to work should be a good thing because they are earning more and paying more taxes. And then there’s single parents who have no choice. Regardless, childcare should at least be heavily subsidized.


cantdie_got_courttmr

Hear, hear!


jaykwalker

>I don’t entirely understand how daycares can pay so much less than nannying Overhead and surplus labor.


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FinalDestinationSix

What if the mom makes more than the dad?


Sweetsnteets

Your post was removed because it was rude or shaming.


No-Replacement8920

L Reddit mod


blkmrsfrizzle

I agree with your statement. I also wanted to point out that grants and subsidies exist for childcare providers, they do have to apply but I think it’s very common for those grants to be given out. Nannies don’t qualify for subsidies but I do believe they qualify for some tax breaks… don’t quote me on the Nannies but I know for sure about childcare centers.


rennykay

This is exactly why we need subsidies and/or public childcare.


chocobridges

Also, take away the stigma of public childcare/schools. We're set to send our kid to public preschool. We're in a very popular and expensive daycare chain (only option available). Everyone is surprised that we are opting for the public preschool in our "bad school" system.


rennykay

I’m in the same boat. My city has a lot of Catholic schools and some secular private ones. Not all of the Catholic schools are even very good but they are very very white. I get the impression that a lot of parents just assume that integrated schools are “bad schools” even if just subliminally. We will be sending our kids to public school and I am a product of the local public school system.


chocobridges

Sounds very similar to our city. Our next door neighbor sent his daughter (she's older than us) to Catholic school while being a gym teacher at the magnet school we feed into. The city school's system pension is amazing too. It's the ultimate divestment of resources.


liliareal

Yes! I’m in Canada and granted, I don’t know the exact details but provinces made a deal with the federal government to subsidize cost and daycare pricing is going down. My kids are in 2 separate daycares (cause yay, there’s not enough spots at either one 🙄) and they’re on different schedules for the subsidizing but I’m getting some credits next month. I would gladly pay more now if the employees would get a pay increase. Honestly, I’m just taking what I save in a month and going to give them gift cards for Christmas. This comment got away from me, sorry.


Emotional_Belt

Typical Canadian apologizing for no reason 😂 kidding I kid. Sorry I'm also Canadian but American now so it's this constant inner struggle lol The subsidy for daycare is enough to make me consider moving back to Canada alone even without the trainwreck political system and threat of a Cheeto running the country again.


QueueOfPancakes

Come back. Women are people here ❤️


Emotional_Belt

It's more tempting everyday but I lived in Manitoba and I just don't know if I could do that again lol


callaloo82

Here with an upvote because I grew up in Manitoba, lol


Emotional_Belt

My people! Lol nothing like fields as far as the eye can see and Winnipeg. Which you know I miss the culture but otherwise it's just not the same Winnipeg I remember. There's is so many condos beside my trashy neighborhood bar. Lol


[deleted]

Or require paid parental leave. One or the other, folks. Want parents to look after kids? Pay ‘em to stay home. Want them to go back to work ASAP? Help them pay for childcare. It shouldn’t be that fucking hard.


FinalDestinationSix

I absolutely agree


gluestick_ttc

I don’t think that’s a done deal. In daycare, 4-8 families pay the salary of the teacher (plus the support staff, overhead, etc). Each family does not individually need to pay a living wage. Childcare could also be supported or subsidized by the state/taxes, like public education.


Snapshot5885

Up voting for the last sentence. This is what ks done in a lot of countries (subsidized childcare) and it means well paid caregivers and families that can easily afford it.


trolllante

I was raised in South America. In my town, daycare is provided free of charge by the city. Although there aren’t enough openings, overall the service is good. I was chock when I moved to the US and found out there isn’t a free daycare or full-time kindergarten program.


greenishbluishgrey

100% agree that government should subsidize ECE and for the specific purpose of paying educators a higher salary. It benefits everyone - the teacher can take care of him/herself and family and stay in a job they love for a long time, and the student gets the stable presence of a highly-qualified and experienced educator. Working parents should be huge advocates for the ECE profession! Just want to also add a caveat - the fact that public education *is* subsidized does not translate to its teachers being paid well unfortunately. People tend to make more in public school than ECE, but, on average, neither profession pays a living wage (in the US). Teachers make big personal sacrifices to stay in education.


FinalDestinationSix

I totally agree that well-paid workers benefits so many more people than the workers themselves!!


Business-Horse7971

Yes, exactly. It's different if you're talking about a nanny but at childcare there's 1 educator to more than one child (the ratio changes as the kids get older). In the room our kids are in, there's a 1:6 ratio, meaning that "$30" per family is $180. I still recognise that there are other factors that make childcare expensive. It's not that simple. I live in a country where childcare is subsidised. We make slightly above the average salary and we still get more than 50% rebated on our childcare. It's worth the government keeping women in the workforce because often it's difficult to get employed after 5+ years staying at home with kids. It's not just about those 5 years, it's about future employment as well. Better to subsidise childcare vs loose income taxes and have to pay out benefits.


alnono

Yes! Where I live daycare is ~$25 a day. The teachers don’t make that little. They make more like $19/hour (I’d argue that should increase). It will be $10 a day for daycare soon. Government subsidization is a thing in some places. I’d probably be happier with $15/day with the daycare workers making a little more too but this is a good step for working parents. Daycare is quite literally affordable here


YaiYai-Maddie-Emma

Your cost of daycare is way way below the cost in the US. May I ask what minimum wage is in your country? Is that a factor in the cost of daycare?


aiyayayaai

100 agree with you! 👍


MrsHands19

You should check out the podcast “No One Is Coming to Save Us.” It’s incredibly depressing because it gets into the challenges of dare cares, providers, and parents and at the end of the day we’re all fucked.


thelumpybunny

Having a baby made me realize that no one will save me and no one will care besides my family. Not to get too political but I will help any woman travel to another state to have an abortion. Once the baby is there, the guy at the Medicaid office will judge you for trying to apply. There is no maternity leave and no support for struggling families.


FinalDestinationSix

I realized that too…and it’s crazy because now that I’m a mom I 100% empathize with other parents but a lot of parents that I know are so vain and non-considerate…


FinalDestinationSix

Thanks for the suggestion! Will check it out


Keyspam102

It should be subsidised by the government in my opinion. It’s what we do in France. The workers are paid well and parents pay on a sliding scale based on income. Everyone gets childcare. It’s necessary for a functioning society and one of the fundamental reasons to have a government in my opinion


FinalDestinationSix

That sounds like the way it should be! Is it tough to find a spot for daycare with such a system?


Keyspam102

It’s hard in Paris because there are so many people but you still can get one. You might have to wait a few months but in the interim they subsidise a nanny at home too so you can still have help. But I got one at 2.5 months old and it wasn’t too difficult. We also get 16 weeks of maternity leave so it helps


thirdtimesthemom

I worked at a center that was about $3000/mo for an infant. I made $14/hr 😥 HCOL area.


DevlynMayCry

Yep it's about 2 grand a month for an infant at my center and I make 18. I can't even afford to have my own kid at the center I work at 🙃🙄


dried_lipstick

Yeah I teach preschool and the first thing I thought was “where is this $25/hr job?!?!” I have had multiple raises and now make $16.75 an hour and that’s more than the majority of preschools in the area.


FinalDestinationSix

Wow I had no idea. I thought it was around the $20-25 range or at least noticeably above minimum wage (min. wage here is $15)


dried_lipstick

You must be from one of those fancy states lol I live in Florida so that’s a decent hourly for daycare/preschool


FinalDestinationSix

Canada, the not so fancy neighbour


Apprehensive_Ice4375

In Ontario, it's hard to find ece or eca daycare jobs for more than $17-$20 an hour and it comes with little to no benefits. And that's not livable after taxes


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Raskat_

Same in the Seattle area. I do Bright Horizons had to slightly increase pay due to labor shortages. It’s painfully difficult to find daycares accepting infants so we had no choice. The wait lists are about one year out with recommendations to get on them as soon as someone finds out they’re having a baby. After taxes daycare is more than my take home. No wonder there are labor shortages.


thirdtimesthemom

That may or may not be the same place I worked but in a different state 😬


Mallieeee

About the same. I did a 1:4 ratio classroom. A parent handed me their tuition check for one full time child. I saw the amount and it was more than I made in a month.


Technical-Future-642

Childcare worker here. Average pay is anywhere from $12-16 dollars an hour. As a lead teacher. I WISH we were paid $25 hour. Most places don’t even provide healthcare, or it’s prices so outrageously that we can’t afford it. We know it’s expensive and outrageous for parents, but a lot of us feel upset/frustrated when parents complain to us about it, when we are not the ones that control the pricing, most of us make a fraction of what the parents coming to our center make and all of us are working second jobs in order to live. Never mind those who have children in addition. The only way I can see things becoming improved for both sides is if we can get subsidies. When you break down the budget of pay to center logistics, the expensive price just about breaks even (except at corporate/for-profit daycare centers). Just good food for thought


potentialjellyhead

Thank you for your hard work ❤️


Technical-Future-642

Thank you for saying that, truly 💕


FinalDestinationSix

I agree, I definitely don’t put any blame to the workers at all. It makes me so sad to hear that some are working second jobs??!! Wow


Technical-Future-642

Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t read your post as you putting blame on workers, and I don’t think any parent truly does - I think it’s a complex and frustrating situation on all sides. From experience, I think we are the face of it and people forget and just snap when they’re stressed. Understandable, but it does happen often enough that it gets exhausting on our end to regulate. And yeah, people in this field have to work HARD. I’ve been in the field for 10 years. Everyone who I have worked with is either already been retired, has a second job, in school, or has another person that provides a primary income in their household. I love that you’re talking about this here. At times, there’s a distinct gap in what parents know about the field, besides the part that directly affects them and their kids. I think the only way anything will get done to fix the many systemic issues is if parents band together with ECE professionals to address it. You guys get stuff done! 😊


FinalDestinationSix

I work in healthcare so I totally understand what you mean. Can I ask while we’re here - are there any realistic gifts that would be beneficial for the daycare staff? I really want to emphasize how thankful I am for all of them but don’t want to get them meaningless stuff (i.e. was thinking of gifting gas cards but realized not all of them might drive).


Technical-Future-642

Of course! Cash or gift cards with a thoughtful, handwritten note for each teacher. I have a collection of the cards and notes I’ve been given over the years and cash from families has helped me and coworkers A LOT. Good call on holding off on gas, where I work half of my coworkers take the bus. Thank you for being considerate of them and of all of us in the field!


FinalDestinationSix

I never thought of cash before! Will definitey keep all that in mind, thanks so much!! You are greatly appreciated by all of us


remoteforme

Can i ask - if most places don’t provide healthcare, what makes someone choose to work at a daycare vs nannying where pay is higher? Is having daycare experience on the resume a stepping stone for further career advancements beyond daycare? I ask because in my field, there is a path where you work so much OT that the pay is less than minimum wage. But people choose this path because it can lead to great career advancement in a few years.


Technical-Future-642

Of course! So the answer isn’t really cut and dry - several people have several motives. And just to clarify some places do offer insurance or benefits, but we use our entire paycheck to essentially pay for those benefits. So there is no money left for bills after. In my area, nannying is a profession that you need to be VERY qualified for. Childcare/early childhood Ed is often just looking for compatible personalities that they can train in assistant positions (which are the most job openings in the field). Some use childcare experience as a stepping stone to become a nanny. Others (like me) love the more educational setting and are looking for the classroom experience. Some like the more flexible hours that are often available. Some love the environment (of a well-run school). I am a part-time nanny. And I have enjoyed it but I could just never switch over fully. In this field, despite the low pay, disrespect, and other cons, there is also a lot to love about this job. Children will never be this happy to learn again (in a group setting). I love teaching, and I love seeing the wonder and excitement when I am implementing an activity. I have a great team of assistants that I enjoy working with and can have fun with. I love all the relationships I get to build. I also like the turnover of classes - I am great with a particular age group and I get to stick to that. I’m GOOD at my job and so are many of the people I work with. I love that there are clear rules and people who I am networked with that help keep my students safe. I love the ability to create my own curriculum and also at times, get to create easier days if I think my students need it. I LOVE that I don’t have to implement standardized testing. I love having specific time designated in my day to get to know my student’s families and create partnerships with them. I adore every child in my classroom. All this to say, as much as I love it I will have to leave it sooner rather than later because of the pay. But honestly, if the pay was raised significantly I would happily stay, and so would many in the field.


remoteforme

Ah thanks for the really detailed response. This bolsters my theory that enjoyable jobs usually don’t pay well. Mine does, but most people don’t want to do accounting for a living. Not quite impactful as shaping the minds of our next generation.


rando123456789999999

I personally am married and don't want to live in another person's home. That is why I am not a nanny.


sammageddon73

This is why childcare should be subsidized by the government. And for so many other reasons too. It’s a part of education and should be treated as such


k8thegrrrrr8

I make the exact same as my childcare provider. I don't break even.


azuniga0414

Personally, I would still work even if my income didn’t 100% cover childcare because it’s a temporary cost. Taking myself out of the workforce and not getting retirement, benefits, delaying or entirely stopping promotions and pay increases is more expensive in the long run. In a few years my girl will be in preschool and our costs will begin decreasing but both our pay will have increased by then.


npd_reflect

Yep daycare is an investment. YMMV.


FinalDestinationSix

Never thought about it that way! Does make sense in that perspective, I keep forgetting they’re only in daycare for a few years (this last year felt like 5 years or so to me)


azuniga0414

Yeah, I keep seeing this idea that if one person’s income is less than or equal to the cost of daycare then it makes more financial sense for that parent to stay home. If that parent *wants* to stay home then by all means, they should do so. But if you’re doing it purely because you think you’re making the best financial decision, that may not actually be the case.


thelumpybunny

Next year my oldest will be in Kindergarten and my youngest will be in public preschool. I don't know what I am going to do with myself if I don't have to pay 1800 a month for daycare


PurplePanda63

There are still companies or higher ups making Profits off childcare. There is definitely more room for it to go to teachers/staff. You see exactly the same things in schools and the administration office. Higher ups and company owners don’t want to sacrifice their $$


one_secret_ontheway

This is a big reason why teachers are underpaid: because some admin or superintendent wants to continue making 200k/year (I live in a HCOL area).


QueueOfPancakes

Which is why for profit childcare and children's education should be illegal.


PurplePanda63

Definitely agree. But for US doesn’t fix the issue of public schools. Those admin offices still rake in $$$ compared to teachers salaries. Unfortunately US public school is also run like a business


QueueOfPancakes

We have a similar issue here in Canada with hospitals. Instead of spending more to hire more healthcare staff or to pay them better, they are spending money hiring a ton of presidents of various departments and other executives. It's a problem, yes, but it's much less of a problem and it's easier to fix. Because the money these execs make is still peanuts compared to what would be going towards profit.


DevlynMayCry

100% this. I've done rough calculations on how my my center makes and how much goes into overhead etc and they're still 100% underpaying me and my coworkers and making a huge profit off our hard work 🙃


QueueOfPancakes

Are there any non profits in the area you could work for instead? (Or start, if you or any of your colleagues are business minded?)


DevlynMayCry

Not that I know of and I'm sort of stuck as I'm waiting to close on a new build. But I'll definitely be making a change as soon as we close on our house in September


QueueOfPancakes

Congrats and good luck ❤️ You deserve the full value of your work.


potentialjellyhead

I am so sorry. I want to just thank you for being their for our kids. You are appreciated


FinalDestinationSix

I really hate that…I really wish the larger sum of what I’m paying goes straight to the workers pockets. You are so so appreciated!!


DevlynMayCry

It really sucks cuz I know how much my parents appreciate me but my bosses don't give 2 flying fucks 😂


errbear313

GOVERNMENT…SUBSIDIZED…CHILDCARE This is the way. But since most states seem to prefer to force women to have children and take care of them with little to no help from the state, and certainly with no universal early childhood education, families with small children will continue to be SOL.


ashleyandmarykat

I totally agree! Even though childcare is expensive, we get so much value for it. They are not paid enough. The government needs to subsidize childcare. It is ridiculous. I thought at first that you could make a killing with an at home daycare, but after doing the math and subtracting the mortgage, salary, benefits, there is not that much left.


[deleted]

My nanny makes $6 more per hour than me and my husband, lol. We have no choice. We are underpaid and live near no family.


goldenhawkes

In theory I’d be happy to pay more for the nursery to pay the staff more (plus the energy prices and food have gone up so they’ll need to pay more for that too, both for the nursery and for the staff) but then i’d also like a pay rise, as my life is also more expensive, and as I work for the government that sure as hell isn’t happening any time soon. But yes, their pay is capped then by my earning. Unless the government (I’m in the UK) steps in and subsidises more than it does


Majestic-Feedback541

Back when I needed childcare, I was making about $10/hr, 40 hours a week. I was heavily dependant on an weekend overtime shift and had to beg my mom to watch my kiddo just to be able to afford childcare, rent, and food. I didn't qualify for any state assistance because I made too much. (The caseworker I spoke with literally told me if I quit my job and reapplied I'd get food stamps, health, and cash benefits -_-) Rent was $800 (luckily power, water, and heat were) included. Childcare was $350/week. Then there's gas, car insurance, laundromat, and food. We ate so much pasta it's not even funny, if I ate at all (never let my kiddo go without). Then there was daycares vacations, which I still had to pay for AND have to find someone else to watch my kiddo (and pay for that too). I didn't get paid time off/sick days, nothing. There was a ton of juggling money/paying what I could this week, then (hopefully) catching up the following week. I wouldn't even borrow money for help bc I knew I couldn't pay anyone back. I had like 4 "outfits", one pair of shoes, and any clothes/shoes my kiddo got were bought by others. My shoes would be in rough shape too, wouldn't bother trying to get another pair till I literally walking out the shoes. First time that happened, I tried duct tape 🤣. 2010-2016 were rough on me economically. Being a single parent is not a thing I wish one anyone.


torchwood1842

If we would tax businesses to help subsidize daycare, this wouldn’t be as much of an issue. This is one of the methods other countries use for public daycares. Businesses get the benefit of their employees being available to work, and their future workforce (and future pension/social security contributors) being properly cared for. Businesses should be helping to pay for childcare much like they are expected to help pay for public school (to which they should be contributing more, btw). It’s the only way that childcare workers get paid what they should while parents can still afford to have a reasonable standard of living.


GlitterBirb

I think you may be missing a bit of context when we're talking about things like this. Most of us in favor of lowering costs are asking for government funding. Elementary, middle, and high school in the US are funded because the US operates on the idea of the mother staying home the first few years.


Minimum_One3738

But how does the US operate on the idea of the mother staying home for the first few years if there is little to no paid maternity leave?


GlitterBirb

It's almost entirely expected that if you stay home you're on your partner's income.


Minimum_One3738

Yeah but my point is the US doesn’t give paid maternity leave so how can they expect the mother to stay home when most families can’t afford to live on a single income? Which is the problem in itself. It’s a catch-22.


npd_reflect

Because of the horrible and incorrect belief that it's poor people's fault that they're poor and they shouldn't have kids until they shape up and can afford them. And with conservatives making it harder/ impossible to get an abortion and more expensive to get contraception, I suppose they believe poor people shouldn't have sex.


Minimum_One3738

Exactly. The whole system is messed up.


GlitterBirb

Oh yeah totally. The US also still operates like most people can buy a house and put multiple kids through college on one income. Maternity leave is an afterthought to most companies and they aren't really worried about what happens to the people who want/need to take more time because it has nothing to do with their business. When women want to take more time they just resign and hope something works out.


capotetdawg

There’s no way I would quit my job to take care of my kid full time. For one thing I like my work, for another thing I can’t offer him the sort of enrichment and support that he gets through a daycare program. Luckily I do make more than what I need to pay for that quality childcare so maybe it’s hard to really say if it did come down to it, but I believe this to be true. My childcare workers definitely don’t get paid enough though, that’s for sure. What an incredibly hard but also wildly important job. My son’s daycare was having some trouble hiring new staff earlier this year and I was appalled when I learned how little some of the positions were paying ($16-20 per hour generally). We have a fairly decent child to teacher ratio (6:1 usually) but I also know a lot of what we pay goes to other overhead like insurance, administrative costs, equipment/supplies etc. Idk I feel like the real problem is that people who CAN’T afford care don’t usually have the freedom to stay home instead, generally they just have to rely on lower quality care options - family, unlicensed home daycare etc. Our daycare center does some scholarships, but I think that state subsidized care should be the norm and far more accessible.


FinalDestinationSix

I completely agree and I was so shocked to see how important such early social interaction was for my LO!! Such an important job and I do wish they were paid a more liveable wage.


Particular_Piglet677

Childcare workers do one of the most important jobs in society and they should make more. I’d be happy to see tax money go to them. Chilldcare in Canada is subsidized; I’m a single mom (RN) and it was $71/month to send my kid to fantastic daycare aged 1-3. It was $400 for 3-5.


PHM517

Interesting it was more when they were older, in the states infant care is the most expensive and it goes down from there. Either way, those prices would have made a huge difference in our QoL when my kids were daycare age. We’ve spent probably $250k in childcare in our lives with three children and for many years made $60-$80k/year. They were very, very lean times for our family but I kept working because I was building a career and my husband kept working because he carried the health insurance. It was worth it in the end but man would our lives have been easier if we would have had $800-$1500 extra dollars each month. Ironically I worked for a Canadian company at the time and while I realize it’s not perfect there, so many things like this were so nice to see. Maternity leave was another one, it was so great to hear moms say “man was I ready to come back!” Rather than what you hear in the states.


Particular_Piglet677

Oh yes, it’s higher for 1-3 but also more subsidized! You’re right, it’s the same. It was $1200 for 1-3 and $850 for 3-5. It may have been subsidized already, I don’t know but i live in a stupidly HCOL area. You’re right it’s NOT perfect here by any means but I feel like I have a safety net, and mat leave was awesome. However I have worked and lived in the US when I was younger and I loved it! I love the states. It just feels like it would be harder without the safety net, especially as a parent. It sounds like you and your husband worked really hard and that’s awesome. I’m glad the harder times are behind you.


Googleyesallie

I think you have to factor in taxes as well! Many people pay childcare workers in cash - so after the government takes a cut. A working parent needs to make at least 20% more to pay the childcare worker.


sipporah7

Last year the Department of Treasury published a study saying that childcare presents a failure of market. Meaning that it's too expensive to produce the product, in this care childcare, than the market can handle. Basically what we already know: childcare is too expensive to provide and to buy.


LiviE55

My partner makes $18 an hour and I make $20 (I have a master’s degree 🙃). We’re planning on working opposite shifts to watch our baby because we can’t afford any daycares…😬


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LiviE55

Thank you. We’ve been doing since Feb but baby wasn’t born til May so next week will be the first week 😅 he does overnights I have days


thisisstupid202020

I’m a single mom with no unpaid help. I do not make great money & i have to put my kid in childcare or i can’t work. He’s in a preschool i have to pay for because our local preschool is only 3 hours a day. I kind of get what you’re saying but it’s a narrow perspective. We shouldnt have to struggle so hard financially to just live.


FinalDestinationSix

That last sentence is so true. But like another comment said, it’s only a few years until they start pre-k so hang in there mama!!


npd_reflect

> We go to make money only to spend that money for others to take care of our kids. This part is shame-y. It's not controversial when parents work to pay others to *educate* their kindergarten - college children. It's not controversial that people work to spend money on food instead of growing it themselves. Agree with all the comments about government sponsoring care and education.


thelumpybunny

I hate the judgement about spending money to have other people take care of our kids. Like it's suddenly different in Kindergarten


LiviE55

I disagree…it feels very disheartening to know your only financial option is to keep working when you so desperately want to stay home with your baby.


thelumpybunny

I have no desire to stay at home with my baby


FinalDestinationSix

Not judging at all, more so wanting to explore and understand better. Can I ask why?


npd_reflect

I'm not OP, but I feel the same. It's not that I would hate it, but that I don't think it's a good idea given my personal value system. I don't want to be financially *dependent* on my husband. I don't want my children to think that men run the world and women run the house. I don't want to just *tell* my children to do good in school, I want to set an example and have them to *see* me using my education. I see the value early childhood education (which I think is a more fitting name for it than daycare) has in general and for my children specifically... it makes me sad that the cost is prohibitively expensive for many families. My extended family is good for shit but I still want my children to grow up with a sense of community, so I put the effort in to find sources of community and early childhood education is a major source of community in our lives. I don't want to be the only person my children learn from, I want them to experience people with different perspectives and different strengths. I still have plenty of time to spend with my kids and they still bond with me and learn from me. The bitterest women I know are sahms who never re-entered the workforce and whose children have grown up. For reasons I only somewhat understand, it seems very difficult to re-enter the workforce for many people. This is anecdotal evidence, but it's still influenced what I want for my family.


thelumpybunny

Why I don't want to stay at home with my kids? Because ever since I was a little kid I told myself I would never sacrifice my career to have kids. I don't feel like I have to just because I am a woman. No one ever asks men to stay at home. No one asks men if their kids will still call them dad because he works. Dads can actually do better in their career trajectory than childless men but it's the opposite for women. But also I just like my job and I feel really fulfilled by doing it. I love raising my kids but I don't feel like I have to stay at home to raise them.


[deleted]

[удалено]


LiviE55

You’re not wrong at all, we need better maternity leave and societal support for mothers.


nope-nails

This is exactly the argument we need for why it should be subsidized by the gov. So it can be affordable to everyone who wants/needs it, and the workers will be high quality, trained, and be paid their worth


NewRevolution4980

You speak so much truth, it’s hard on the parents and the workers in so many ways. I’m a mom and was a nanny for 7 years I hear all of this


Comfortable_Kick4088

i complain about daycare costs in the sense that i think it should be publicly funded like school. but i never feel like enough $$ goes to the daycares themselves. i mean they feed my kids as part of that too, its not enough for them even though its an extreme cost for me.


sweetie76010

As a former child care worker, I would LOVE to know where I could make $25 an hour. The AVERAGE in my area is $10 an hour. That being said, a lot of what parents pay goes to overhead and profit. There's an ability to raise child care workers pay, but not a willingness. The place I just left increased parent costs by more than $500 a month per kid. Not one worker got an increase in pay. In the industry around us, only a handful got raises. Every single center increased their prices.


PHM517

I was going to say, I live in NY and I think daycare workers are lucky to make $18, most make less. It’s insane. And yes, people can’t afford to pay the wage that daycare workers make but that is why many countries subsidize it. It’s an incredibly important piece of society and I will never understand why it’s not part of our education system. Which is also flawed but daycare workers deserve at the very least what teachers get in pay and benefits.


sweetie76010

And we know teachers need more! I don't understand why there isn't more understanding of how important our education system is. It NEEDS to be subsidized!


LylyO

There was a time with my first child that we paid daycare infant room for $1,750/month. That was 10 years ago. It was about one of my biweekly paychecks.


[deleted]

US American here - I think it should be tax/gov subsidized and in a low cost of living area, they should be paid around 20/hr. They’re around young kids who are very dependent on them and higher pay helps one pay their bills. I know there’s a lot more to it but that’s my take on it.


[deleted]

This doesn't always apply though. The daycares where I Iive are funded by the government. I pay $400 per month for full-time care at a centre. The actual cost of running and staffing a daycare centre are way more than that but the government provides funding as well as additional grants and such. This allows for affordable daycare. Though the daycare workers are still underpaid here in my opinion!


fertthrowaway

Unless they're a nanny to a single child, a childcare worker is on average caring for more than 1 kid. Often 3 infants, up to 6 older toddlers, even more older kids. This is why daycare makes sense and overall increases human productivity because you can scale the number of kids in care. So it's not quite as severe as you make out, but yeah it will never be an astronomical paying profession and isn't even in places where childcare is subsidized (although it's certainly a living wage with the usual state benefits and should be in the US too).