Daycare costs

Hi All,
I just thought I would post an interesting thing Mum told me about NZ last night. My sister is currently over from Japan for 6-8 weeks, and is putting her 2 1/2 year old into daycare a couple of days a week to give herself some time to work for my mother in the shop.
Anyway - childcare costs!

In NZ, daycare costs on average $7.00/hr!!!!!!! There is a $2.60 (approx) rebate available from the govt, but I think only if you are under a certain threshold.
Keep in mind the minimum wage in NZ is about $8.50 for an adult. If you work in retail/supermarket/maccas etc, the normal adult gets about $10-11/hr wage.

How about that!!! Reckon it makes sense to go back to work in NZ??? I think not!
Fi

We are just looking into it at the moment Fi and for Matilda in the nursery the day care cost of an all day centre with nothing included (we provide food/bedding/nappies etc) costs $46, there is a rebate but it depends on how much is earned etc...

Family day care costs $35 for 8 hours of care.

I think its more if its broken down on an hourly basis, but the centre that we are looking at is $46/day for the hours between 6.15am-6.15pm and it doesn't matter if they are there for 4 hours or 10.

Shall I scare you all?

It costs $275 per week for Alex to be in family day care. We get a rebate of about $25 per week, so it costs us $250 per week.

This is two thirds of DH's take home wage.

It also works out to $12,500 per year, which is a private school education for a not even two year old!

Imagine having another one! $25,000 (after tax) per year for child care. It's just ridiculous. It's just not worth working.

And we have to supply food, nappies, clothing etc, or else it's another $7 per day for that! Forget it.

Although it was cheaper when we were living in Shepparton, it was $180 per week for fulltime care there (8am until 6pm).

In Melbourne it's just ridiculously expensive and you get charged $10 for each 10 mins that you are late!

It's just crazy. The government needs to do more about childcare.

I pay $16 for Kimberley to go once a week. I did put her in for two days bit it was then costing $45 so we went back to one day.

oh my god!!
i would rather be staying at home then putting the child into care at those costs, i like michelles one day a week for $16 :)

take care
Lesley

My child care used to cos about $60 a week for 2 days. That was what I paid AFTER child care benefit aswell. Now because i study i pay $2 a day. JET childcare through centrelink pays the rest :D If anyone is studying while their kids are in daycare call centrelink and ask to speak with someone about JET child care assistance. Certainly makes it a little easier for me!

OMG - I am so glad I read this !!!! I start Uni again this month and while mum has offered to have caitlin for the 8 hours a week I have lectures, I was thinking about child care for one day a week. Thats if I can get her in anywhere around here that I like !! The creche at the Uni has a one year waiting list and is about $60 a day. ug.

Do you work as well Dee ? does that entitle you to the cheap rate ? I work 18 hours a week at night so that might rule us out for that. Will be on the phone though, first thing in the morning.

As for full time child care - why have a child and have someone else raise them for 40 odd hours a week ?

Barb.

hey barbie, work shouldnt effect it as it is soley about studying. When i first applied I was working part time and they said we cant pay for her child care while you are at work but definately while you are studying. I study 2 days pw, and she is in care two days pw. Perfect!!
What they do when you call centrlink is make an appointment for you to see/speak with a JET rep. Mine as all done over the phone, i sent in a copy of enrollement fees etc and they said i had been accepted.
I am a single mum and on centrelink benifits so i get child care beinifit aswell, but now as long as i am studying, JET pays majority of my childcare. Such a relief as im not working atm and couldnt afford the child care without this help.

I thought I'd just update here....Matilda is going into day care in two weeks for one day a week...this was the place that was $46 before the rebate, and with the rebate we actually will be paying $19 a day. So thats not so bad, if we did family day care it works out to around $14 a day...

Barb;

I find it offensive that you say I've had a child to have him "raised by someone else".

When DH and I decided to have children, we wanted one of us to stay home and look after the child. We made the decision that I would go back to work full time and DH would stay home and work part time. We cannot afford for one of us to stay at home full time. I earn significantly more than DH and it makes financial sense for me to be the one working full time.

Unfortunately DH was unable to find part time work in law in Shepparton, where we were living at the time. It was not an option at that stage for me to go back part time. So we had to move to Melbourne. DH was unable to find work part time at all, and neither was I. This is why we both work full time.

This is not a matter of choice. If we had the choice, one of us would be at home with Alex, but it is not financially possible, nor is it possible career wise.

I did not have my son to have him "raised" as you put it, by someone else. We have chosen our two carers very carefully. One is a thirty-something mother of two, and the other is an Iranian grandmother. They both love our son, and I see it as "the more people who love your child, the better adjusted they will be".

It is not as if we "dumped" him in full time care because we wanted to. A lot of people are in the same situation as we are. He is in care because we have no other option (my parents and DH's mother work full time and DH's father isn't really capable of caring for a child).

If someone would offer me part time work at a pro rata rate to what I am earning now, I would jump at the opportunity to spend more time with my son. As it is, it is simply impossible.

I love my son dearly. He is happy and well adjusted, and learning at a better rate than most children his age.

If you or others see him as being "raised" by someone else, I'll just say that "it takes a village to raise a child".

Please understand my point of view. I understand yours. I literally don't have any other option.

Barb,
I must agree with Divvy. When I fell preg with my DD I was living & partying O/S. Children were never part of my future plans as I only ever wanted to travel & see the world. But living in the village environment that I have in Bali & now married to my DH whom is Balinese, we only stay in the village as I hate wasting money at a Hotel when we have a perfectly loving family that we can stay with, I prefer to have the remoter style life too. I have noticed it has taught my DD alot about material items. All babies born in Bali are brought up by the entire village, something I can see works perfectly!

My Dh has only been living in Australia for just over a year, I worked F/T for the lat 4 years & prior to that I was at home all day with my DD, as I had the same thoughts about not wanting to put her in Child Care, but then I was offered this job & the rather decent salary that I am on. So my DD went to a good friend whom took her then to Kinder etc with her daily as her kids were the same ages, then to school all of last year, I paid her a minimum but she was happy to help. I have to honestly admit even though it was not Child Care as such, she learnt alot more there than being home with me every day without money to do anything, as a Sole pension is very little having to pay rent bills etc. She was fairly clingy & soon after I started working F/T her hair begun falling out behind both ears, it was due to seperation anxiety as we were & still are VERY close!
When DH arrived he spent his days with her until he found work, we boughta house in Oct & we bought a house infront of a unit my parents had just bought, so every morning I take Maddy into my parents & Mum drives her to school & picks her up again.
Now that we are expecting again & my Mum works part time & my Dad has MS, we won't be able to leave a new born with them. I ccannot leave my job as I earn more than my DH, but without his wage either it will make things too tight to pay off this house, sop we know we have no choice, once my annual leave & Maternity leave is used up I will come back to work & our baby will go into Family Day Care. I have no problem at all with this decision, bafter seeing many already, at each place the children are loved & cared for... They even seem to adjust better to starting pre school, etc.. Maddy now is always going to friends houses after school, I believe bbeing away from me has given her that extra bit of confidence to stand up for herself.
I will miss my baby like hell, but we have to have a roof over our heads & be able to put food on our table.
Maybe when you are in a different situation & have commitments like a house etc to pay off you will understand that we simply don't have a choice...

Most of my friends have their kids in a day or two or even full time care & they all cope.

Thanks!

Hi all,

I am glad that we can all discuss the child care issue honestly and in a civilised fashion, becasue it is a sensitive issue to all parents!

Olivia has been in child care for a few days, and has also done a stint of full time due to circumstances beyond our control (I was summoned for jury duty and we have no family where we live and DH is in a job where he is not able to take time off.)

I noticed that Olivia was more verbal as a result and also that she was very happy to be left at child care for the day, and also very happy to see my face at the end of the day!

I guess we are in a country where most people live in communities where childcare and day centres are a neccessity & it is great that we as parents all have the option to utlise them if circumstances require it.

I honestly believe that there is no right or wrong approach to child care: each family circumstance is different, & as we know, we all have different opinions on this, so I am glad we can all respect each others choices in this issue.

hello again, its been interesting to read everyone opinion here, and i agree that its good that this can all be openly discussed. Going back 4 or 5 years, i worked in the nursery at a child care centre where we would have 6 week old babies coming in from 7.30 am to 6pm, up to five days a week. although this situation was not ideal for some parents, they had no choice. On mothers husband had an accident while she was pregnant with her second child and he couldnt work, so she was back at work full time and the children, youngest 6 weeks, were in child care. The father could not physically look after the kids alone. The thing that upset me was that you could see how hard it was for her to do this, but she had no choice. On the other hand, we had a mother that happily put her kids in also 5 days a week from 6 weeks old, but didn't work or study. She just liked to have the days to herself and had no concern about wanting to be with her kids. This is the kind of situation where i dont think its right. Once again, this is my personal opinion, and im sure nearly all parents would love to be able to stay at home all the time, but its just not always possible.

Hi - we'll just have to agree to disagree on this.

I used to earn a lot more than my partner at my old job, but I made it clear when Caitlin was born that I would not return to work full time in the city. I used to travel 2.5 hours a day to and from work. I did work two days a week for a short period, but leaving home at 6am and getting back at 7pm for those days was too much. I guess I should have more respect for women who can keep this up. No amount of money could keep me away in these first few years of her life, this is my fulltime *job* for at least five/six years and if we are unable to have any more children, it will be the first and last time I will be able to do it.

I now work 18 hours a week at night in a completely different field and about five minutes from home. I don't like it too much, but its convenient and while I go back to Uni part time, I know i have to make it work. Between us, Nick and I earn about the 'average' wage that they quote in the papers for one worker !!

Back to centerlink - I checked out the website - that JET thing is aimed at single income families and helping getting women back into the workforce. I will call them tomorrow and double check this.

Cheers,
barb.

I agree with Lucy (who made her point in a very Mummy/teacher voice!! LOL). OK - Long post coming!!

I think it is the best thing for a baby to stay at home - if you have that choice. But there are simply some families that financially can't afford to have mum home, or Mum has other things on her plate, such as study, part time work, charity etc.
And when I say the best thing - I dont actually mean just the baby, I think parents get SOOO much out of being parents, that it seems a shame not to take full advantage of it!

I earn alot more than my partner, and if I went back to work and he stopped, we would be in an insanely better world as his child support payments would pretty much drop away. But I just dont want to - I want to be a full time mum, and I'm prepared to make the financial sacrifices for the time being. It doesn't mean my baby wont be socialised, or spend time with other babies older and younger.

My cousins children have always attended daycare3 days a week from about 4months old, and these kids have such a great social, outgoing attitude - they're parents have got the perfect balance! They love daycare, but Mum still gets time with them.

My sisters children have always attended Hoikkuen in Japan from a very young age, pretty much every day for at least 4 hours. They are very sociable with other kids, but terrified of adults. But my sister has been able to continue her masters part time as well as teach english so their family is better off.

Finally my SIL is studying and unexpectedly fell pregnant. She is 33 so its a pretty big deal for her to get through this course and start working. So she's going back to school immediately by correspondence, and will be spending some time on campus where the baby will go into daycare. I don't think she wants to consider other options, and it makes me a little angry. More than that, I dont think she realises how hard is going to be to say goodbye to that little baby!!
Its not right for me, but its her decision, and she has to live with it.

So there are so many reasons why peopl need to use daycare, and it can be a great way to socialise kids and give mum and dad some time off too.
I want to be a full time mum so badly that I dont care about hoe poor we will be - I know we'll survive, but then career wise I'm at the perfect place to take a year off, and it wont cause any problems for me.

It is important to respect different peoples situations, but its more important for the government to realise that all these situations genuinely exist, and they should damn well be doing something about it!!! Why cant we work part time and still be considered equals in the work place? Why cant our kids socialise with other kids for 2-4 hours a day without paying for a full day? And why wont the government give realistic subsidies regardless of what your annual income is??

I'll get off my soap box now - but I think its great that we can all feel comfortable to air our views on BB without getting down each others throats!! Yay to reasonable, rational women! (And half of us have preggie hormones too...... amazing!)
Fi

LOL Whoa...

Well... I'll give our story now. We are coming up to a point where we really have had to make decisions about $$, so far I've been doing outside hours while DH looks after Matilda... so on Wed nights, saturdays and I take her to work for 4 hours with me on Monday. So, we have decided to put her in on Mondays so I can work longer hours and she can get some social interaction. She absolutely loves that social interaction. We go to playgroup on Thursdays and she loves it, comes home utterly exhausted and happy for the whole day... so I decided one day a week could actually be beneficial for her. But thats all I'm happy with doing at this point in Matilda's life, one day is enough. We are pretty desperate for $$ but for the next few months this is all I'm happy with doing. So... where as I have friends who have to work who are single mums etc, this is our compromise and we are happy to make it, and I need some time to myself too. I need somewhere else I can put my brain into action. Thats my need too :) and we decided that was a valid need as well as everything else.. So Dh will take Matilda to daycare in a few weeks starting only Mondays and he will have his lunch break with her & bring her home. I will walk to work & work 5 hours and walk home & basically have two hours to myself after that. Just the same as Matilda having a sleep... so we are happy with this compromise.

Costs me $202 for 4 days a week and I get about $48 back from centrelink but they do supply food nappies and formula. So out of 5 days a week I am basically working a day and a half to pay for daycare.

hey barbie
Sorry i didnt think about the single parent thing with the JET childcare!!
Christy, like i just said, im a single mum. I was working (looking for a new job atm) two days a week before christmas and studying part time. My one thing was that Ashlea will not be in care more than 2 days a week though. Its certainly not easy, but we managed to work it so one day while i was working and one day while i was studying she was in care, and the other day i studied and night i worked she was at dad's. Even though we arent together i think as long as she is with one of her parents its brilliant. For me it was just a matter of choice, esspecially atm when the work im looking for is generally more than one day a week, which with her starting kinder and my study getting more full on thats all i have time for. Money is tight as hell but i'd rather not be working atm than having to give in and work a few days which would mean she was in day care more.
Its all about individually working out whats best for our own kids, family and situations, and what we are each comfortable with.
I know that by the end of the year, my study will be finished, and i can start working the days i was studying, making decent money, and still fitting everything in around Ashlea. There is light at the end of the tunnel!!