Range of Daycare costs in NY/NJ metro area

[janinegirly]

Can anyone share what the range is for daycare for a 6 month old? Let''s say 3 days a week vs. 5?

We live in Manhattan now, but plan on moving to NJ at some point (but will still be within 1hr of the City). I have a feeling the prices are going to be astronomical.

Also what is a typical waiting list wait? I''m really hoping to work from home 2 days a week, but that''s a big IF right now. We also have FSA for childcare but only up to $5K.

 

[curlygirl]

Ah, my friend, the dreaded daycare question!! I can only tell you of my experience so here it goes!

I work in Rock Center. There just happens to be a daycare center in the basement of my building so I got on the waiting list when I was about 4 months pregnant. I gave birth in May and wanted a spot in early August when my 12 weeks would be up. They called me in June and had a spot available for the 2nd week of July and then they didn't know when they'd be able to get me in after that. So I took the spot and kind of used those 2 weeks as a transition. I didn't take her in every day or all day. I used them as a babysitter so I could get a mani/pedi, hair cut, go to the gym, etc. All the stuff I didn't get to do for 3 months! Anyway, it's a big chain center and I would guess that it's probably one of the most expensive in the city based on the location. It's $2310/month for a full time infant (you pay for 9 hours/day whether or not you actually use the 9 hours)which equals a little over $575/week.

SUPER EXPENSIVE. You also have to provide diapers and food, they are kind enough to supply the wipes.

A nanny is definitely cheaper but I wanted her to have that social experience and didn't love the idea of having someone in my small apartment all day alone. And for me, it was all about peace of mind. We come to and from work together and for the first 9 months, I went and visited her every day during my lunch. I had to stop because she developed severe separation anxiety which made it really hard for both of us in the middle of the day! But the cost is astronomical and as you mentioned the dependent care FSA only covers up to $5000--that's 2 months! I found out that the price is so high because of the location and the rent that the center has to pay. It's something like $50,000/month. So it's not like they're wiping my kid's butt with golden wipes and putting her in a diamond encrusted crib! It's just the price for the location. It does get cheaper as they move into the toddler and pre-school rooms but it's still expensive. The infant rooms start at 6 weeks and go to about 16-17 months (which is too long if you ask me--they should move them at 12 months and claim that they would but there's never a space available at that time

). And they do not really offer part time spots unless you find another parent who wants to split the week with you.

Now that I have #2 coming along, I was so looking forward to having both of them here with me until I found out there was no sibling discount!

So to have an infant and toddler in the center would be around $4300/month!!!!! That's more than my mortgage. After crying and panicking for a while, we considered a nanny again but DH and I are both still not into the idea so we started the research for other daycares. We found one close to our apartment in Murray Hill and it is SIGNIFICANTLY less expensive. Like less than $1800/month for an infant and around $1350/month for a toddler. The big pros of this place are that they DO offer a 10% sibling discount, they provide breakfast, lunch and 2 snacks for the toddlers and it's close to home so DH can share the pick up/drop off responsibility with me. When I asked around, these prices seem to be more in line with the norm for NYC. I've just been letting myself get ripped off because of the convenience factor (which plays a HUGE role) and because I don't feel like you can scrimp on child care! So it will be tough for me to not have my girls right in my office building but other than getting a nanny, we really have no other local options. We put Lily on the waiting list in March and they will have a spot in the Toddler room for her in September.

I'm not sure where you live but there are lots of places all over the city. You should check on the website for the NYC Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene for a list of places and the results of their inspections. I didn't find one place that didn't have violations but they correct them all pretty quickly and there was nothing that was a serious red flag to me at the places I looked at. I would imagine prices are significantly less in NJ and probably everywhere else in the country but you know how it is here! Good luck and let me know if I can help you at all...

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 7/2/2008 5:21:46 PM
Author: curlygirl
A nanny is definitely cheaper but I wanted her to have that social experience and didn''t love the idea of having someone in my small apartment all day alone.

Plenty of nannies can provide plenty of socialization! How do kids who are raised by SAHMs survive? They do playdates and group activites. Most of the moms I know arrange playdates twice a week. I take my kids to the park nearly daily and they get all the socialization they need, plus more. Early on, great ways to get kids active with other kids is by joining baby groups like Gymboree classes.

I''m not saying there is anything wrong with daycare/preschool as I DID have my kids in that for socialization, BUT, I was only paying $5 an hour per kid (for PT), not hundreds per week. If I did live in NY, I would have found alternatives to those insane prices. . . a nanny would be an excellent option. Most jobs in the paper expect the nanny to provide activities for the child(ren).

 

[LitigatorChick]

I concur with the nanny comment. First, I personally don''t think that babies need socializing. Second, a nanny can provide that. My nanny meets up with other nanny friends and the kids have play dates. They go out almost daily for walks, trips to the mall, the playground, etc., and my little guy gets to hang with other kids.

 

[curlygirl]

Whoa, I don't have anything against nannies and if that's how it came across, I apologize because it wasn't my intention. But I specifically stated that I live in a small apartment. I don't like the idea of having my child home with just one person all day who isn't a family member but that's my choice. I know all about playgroups and Gymboree (which I would have to pay for in addition to paying the nanny), I'm not living in a bubble and clearly I did research before choosing someone to take care of my most prized possession. When I did research the nanny idea, it was very hard for me to find someone that I could feel comfortable with and that's just ME. And I do think babies need socialization, why wouldn't they?? Yes, I guess I would rather spend more money to have my child in a situation that makes ME feel more at ease. Just my opinion and I don't think I made any generalizations about nannies. And since you don't live in NY, maybe you don't know that a good nanny costs $550-600/week off the books so I'm not really spending THAT much more but I'm getting a heck of a lot out of it, most importantly being MY peace of mind and a really happy child. Have I stressed that enough?! Janine was specifically asking about daycare centers and I was sharing my experience with her. If you want to have a nanny, that's great. You have your reasons, I have mine. There is no right or wrong, my story is MINE and I'm standing by it.

 

[LitigatorChick]

Holy cow Curly, was that for me??? The only point of my post was to give another view on nannys, since you expressed some concerns about socialization (we disagree). I know the original post was on NY Daycare, which I have absolutely no information on. If I offended you, I''m very sorry, since that was far from my intention.

 

[curlygirl]

LC, that was for both of you! Maybe I did get offended because I made one small comment about MY feelings and that was the only thing that came out of my detailed post to janine about daycare costs in NYC. I''m hot and pregnant and I guess it just got under my skin this morning. Sorry if I came across as harsh but I guess when I spend so much time trying to make sure I don''t say anything offensive and give out correct information, it kind of pissed me off that one seemingly innocuous comment about my personal choice was the only thing that came out of my whole post. You know we can agree to disagree here and life goes on--no hard feelings!

 

[VegasAngel]

Good gosh!

I need to stop complaining about childcare rates in Vegas, lol.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 7/3/2008 10:36:24 AM
Author: LitigatorChick
Holy cow Curly, was that for me??? The only point of my post was to give another view on nannys, since you expressed some concerns about socialization (we disagree).

Same. I meant to add an alternative view, not offend! I just wanted to add my perspective based on what I''ve learned from other moms and my personal experiences.

 

[janinegirly]

Thanks everyone. Especially to my girl Curly, who of course knows where I''m coming from with living in this crazy City

I appreciate all the perspectives too. I''m amazed at how exensive it is in this area, and also am not a fan of nannies (persoanl preference), but if it is cheaper, I would consider it for convenience. I have a lot of research to do!

On a side note, my SIL asked my DH what our plans were and he mentioend day care at 6mo''s and she went off on him saying that was an awful thing to do. Needless to say we weren''t too happy about that. So it appears this is a sensitive topic! However I have friends who''ve done nannies, ones who''ve done daycare and ones who are SAHMs, and so far, I don''t see a direct correlation between kids and which option their parents chose. In the end it comes down to parenting I suppose, but I do have a lot to learn on this topic before this LO is here!!