How Much Do You Pay for Childcare?

Do you have a child in a home daycare? Before I go any further, let me clarify the fact that I'm not talking about a babysitter. I'm talking about a care provider. A babysitter does just that; sit with your child. There's minimal interaction and teaching.

A child care provider works day in and day out to ensure the best mental, physical, and emotional well-being of your child. She feeds them well, interacts with them in a way that stimulates their minds, teaches them, and prepares them to be productive, responsible, people. In short, a child care provider is an extension of the parent. A babysitter hangs out with a child until the parent gets off from work.

A good home child care provider:

1. Takes care of your most precious assets when you have to be away from them.
2. Works longer hours than most; typically 50+ hours per week.
3. Spends more waking hours with your children during the week than you do.

Knowing this, why is that:

1. Child care providers are grossly underpaid.
2. Many parents are not willing to follow the policies in place at a home daycare. Even though these policies are in place to protect the children, the parents, and the provider.
3. Many parents go so far as to rip off a provider by neglecting to pay for child care fees, as if it's okay.

What's wrong with our priorities when we think a professional athlete's multi million dollar contract represents an under payment, but a very modest child care payment is a rip-off? No, it's certainly not a glamorous job whatsoever, but without safe, reliable child care, you wouldn't even be able to do your job.

Remember that you get what you pay for. If your provider isn't charging enough to make a decent living, then she will be forced to earn her living on volume. When she has to care for too many children, the quality of care your child receives is compromised. Not because she's a bad person and doesn't mean well, but because parents scoff when she prices her services fairly.

Many people spend more money eating out and shopping than they do on child care. It turns out that these are the same people that complain they can't afford an increase in child care fees, despite the fact that the cost of living is going up every year. In effect, what happens to the provider that never raises her rates is a pay cut. Now you have an overworked, underpaid, frustrated woman caring for your children when you're not around. That's about as safe as having an overworked, underpaid, frustrated surgeon operating on you. Just some food for thought.