Comparing Childcare Options

07/30/2013

I received a great article in my email today that I wanted to share with you. I don’t know you follow BabyCenter but if you sign up for their emails, they send you one monthly for each kid! They are always linked to great articles relative to your child’s age. Anyhow, I got a chart comparing childcare today and found it very useful, I left out the averages prices as I didn’t find them relative to where we live, so here it is:

Daycare Center

Advantages:

• More affordable than nanny care
• Reliable (won’t call in sick)
• Ample supervision
• Kids socialize with other children of same or other age groups
• Staff members are trained in early childhood education
• Licensed and regulated

Disadvantages:

• Caregivers care for more than one child; recommended ratios are typically 1 to 3 for babies, 1 to 4 for toddlers, but requirements vary from state to state
• Centers that care for infants can be hard to find — or full
• Kids get sick more often in group care
• Most centers won’t provide care for sick children
• Closed during most holidays
• Rigid pickup and drop-off times

Dayhome

ADVANTAGES:

• Nurturing, homelike atmosphere
• Smaller groups of children than at large daycare centers
• Less expensive than most other childcare
• Kids socialize with children in the same and other age group
• Usually more flexible pickup and drop-off times than a center

DISADVANTAGES:

• May not have backup if provider gets sick
• Kids get sick more often in group care
• Many providers don’t have formal schooling in early childhood education
• No caregiver supervision
• Less stringent licensing requirements
• Closed for holidays and vacations

Nanny

Advantages

• More personalized attention
• In-home care is more convenient than out-of-home care
• More flexible than daycare and home daycare center
• Children stay in familiar surroundings

Disadvantages

• Most expensive childcare option
• No nanny supervision
• Playtime with other children must be specially arranged, either by you or the nanny
• Extensive paperwork and taxes
• Can leave you in the lurch if she quits, becomes sick, or is otherwise unavailable

Relative

ADVANTAGES

• More personalized attention
• Caregiver has personal interest in your child
• You may share the same values
• Very inexpensive (many relatives refuse payment)

DISADVANTAGES

• Employee-employer relationship is hard to establish with a relative
• Your childcare philosophies may conflict
• Playtime with other children must be specially arranged, either by you or your relative
• No caregiver supervision or regulation
• Older relatives may have a hard time handling active toddlers

Stay-at-home parent

ADVANTAGES

• No one truly replaces Mom or Dad
• You get to be there for your child’s developmental milestones
• You control the quality of the care
• You don’t have to explain your rules or parenting philosophy to others
• You avoid the work-family tug-of-war

DISADVANTAGES

• Possible isolation and loneliness, especially if you give up a job you cherished or don’t know many other stay-at-home parents
• Physical and emotional strain on you
• Playtime with other children usually must be specially arranged
• Taking time off from a career can hurt your future employment options and lifetime earning potential
• Loss of income and benefits — you may need to make big lifestyle changes

Preschool

ADVANTAGES

• Structured environment
• Well regulated
• Reliable (won’t quit on you or call in sick)
• Developmentally appropriate learning curriculum
• Teachers are trained in early childhood education
• Built-in time for your child to socialize with other kids
• More educational activities and outings

DISADVANTAGES

• Teachers have to care for more than one child; minimum ratio is 1 to 8
• Kids get sick more often — and schools don’t let sick kids attend
• Closed during most holidays
• Rigid pickup and drop-off times

Read the full article with links to helping find childcare, how to legally hire a Nanny, etc here