Daycare/Preschool Costs

For some reason, it really just hit me yesterday how much we will be paying yearly for preschool/daycare once Sophia begins in January-$12,000. And that's for PART-TIME! 3 days a week!

Of course I was fully aware of the monthly cost we will be working into our budget, but looking at the annual amount just gives it a completely different feel. We will be getting a 10% sibling discount, Max's cost will go down once he hits 2.5 in October, and a 3rd discount will arrive once he's fully potty trained (and I hope that occurs by January), because the $12,000 amount is actually considering all 3 discounts.

This isn't even an uber-expensive care option-more of a middle of the range for our area. We like it and believe it's well worth the cost. Max loves attending, and I'm sure Sophie will be no different. We feel like they're safe, well-cared for, and receiving a good foundational education, and unless our perception changes, we plan on sending them both there until they begin Kindergarten.

If you had asked me a couple of years ago if we could afford that, I would have said, "No way", but somehow we adjust and make it work. It's definitely a matter of budgeting though! And is it worth it for both of us to work? The answer is a resounding YES! Both of us make well over $12,000 a year, even adding in the expense of clothing, gas, and work related expenses. And the chance for each of us to maintain our sanity and sense of work selves really is priceless. I work 3.5 days a week, so I get plenty of kid time, and it's a nice balance for me. I would truly go a little batty if I were to be a full-time stay at home mom.

With the extra money (what little there is after daycare, diapers, Alex's sport's equipment, feeding 2 boys, etc.) allows us to live in a nice home and provide things for the kids that we would not be able to do on a single income.

When Charly and I were discussing the cost last night, we were joking around about fact that maybe we really could afford private school after all, which is something we previously thought would not be feasible. In Kalamazoo, there are several good private schools, none of which are cheap by any means, but they do provide an option to the less than desirable public schools.

However, we decided we are going to stick to our plan of moving just a couple of miles to the south to live in Portage for even better public schools, with lower property taxes, and we'll save all that extra money that was once spent on daycare, and that could have been spent on private school, and travel with the kids. It seems like a win-win.