Average cost for daycare per week: Average Cost of Daycare Will Surprise You

Child Care Costs vs. Income

Written by Quicken

3 MIN READ
Family Finances

The decision to work or stay at home with the kids has become increasingly complex for families due to the realities of today’s economy. In some cases, the cost of child care not only outweighs the income provided by a second job, but it’s also a household’s largest single expense. It can cost the average family more than college tuition or even housing. Here’s a look at the current state of child care costs and how to manage them.

The Costs of Child Care

A 2015 study reports that the average family pays $18,000 annually for child care in the U.S. Depending on the level of care and using two children as an example, 2015 weekly daycare costs look like this: 

• Nannies — $488 per week
• Au pair — $360 per week
• Daycare centers — $341 per week
• Family daycare — $267 per week
• After-school sitters — $197 per week
   

Budget Guidelines for Daycare

The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services advises that daycare should amount to no more than 10 percent of a household’s budget. By that calculation, a family would need to earn more than $175,000 annually to afford two children in a daycare center at 2015 average costs. 

Comparing child care to rent costs reveals a widening gap, such as in Binghamton, NY, where full-time daycare can cost three times as much as what a family pays in rent. Many advisers use 35 percent of income as the budget target for housing costs.

The Impact of High Child Care Costs

Stay-at-home parenting can be an economically sound strategy when a second job doesn’t bring in much extra income, but it does have its downsides. A woman can expect to lose about 10 percent of her earning potential for each year she’s out of the job market.

Couples report tightening their budgets and going into debt to cover child care costs, and day care arrangements at work cause many employees to change jobs due to daycare decisions.

Strategies for Coping with Daycare Costs

Even if you’re not one of the 28 percent of families that pay more than $20,000 on childcare annually, there are ways to plan, save and budget for the childcare years.

• If your workplace administers a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) program, you can invest up to $5,000 per family annually. Also called a “dependent account,” it could result in tax savings of $2,000 and could cover over one-third of the annual daycare costs for two children.
• There is also tax relief available through Form 2441, the Child and Dependent Care tax credit. You can itemize childcare costs up to $3,000 per child — creating up to a maximum of $1,200 in tax savings.
• State daycare assistance varies, with different levels of care and payment arrangements. Nevada for instance, counts family members as qualifying daycare and may subsidize payment.
• Some employers provide additional childcare assistance. Check with your employer to see if you qualify for benefits or assistance.

Average childcare costs | MoneyHelper

How much does childcare cost?

In the UK, the average cost of sending a child under the age of two to nursery is:

• £137.69 a week part-time (25 hours)
• £263.81 a week full-time (50 hours).

The average cost for families using an after-school club for five days is £62 a week.

But there is help you can get with childcare costs. For example with tax-free childcare, you can get up to £2,000.

Source: Childminder and nursery costs from Family and Childcase Trust 2021Opens in a new window

The tables below give you an idea of how much different childcare might cost if your children are too young to qualify for free early years education (England only).

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Part-time childcare costs

Source: Childminder and nursery costs from Family and Childcare Trust, 2021 part-time nanny guideline wages from Nannyplus. co.uk and au pair pocket money rates at GOV.UKOpens in a new window

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Full-time childcare costs

Source: Childminder and nursery costs from and part-time nanny guideline wages from Nannyplus

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Informal or free childcare

Source: Netmums playgroup/pre-school costs

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Average price of an after-school club

The average cost is £62.13 a week in the UK, which is nearly £2,423 a year during term time (49 weeks).

The table below shows the weekly price for an after-school club and a childminder for five to 11-year-olds during term time.

Source: Childminder and nursery costs from Family and Childcare Trust 2021Opens in a new window

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Holiday childcare costs

In 2019 the average price of holiday childcare was £138 per week in the UK.

Source: Childminder and nursery costs from Family and Childcare Trust holiday survey 2019Opens in a new window

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Stay-at-home parent

Whether you choose to work full-time or part-time – or be a stay-at-home parent – is a very personal decision.

There are many things to consider. One is the impact on your income and career, and childcare costs both now and in the future.

To find out how childcare costs affect your income, try our free and easy-to-use Budget Planner.

There’s help available when you have a baby – including benefits and grants from the government and your employer.

Taking time off from a career can affect your future employment options and earning potential.

Here are some sites that could help you debate the pros and cons:

• Netmums
• Babycentre
• Mumsnet

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State Budgetary Preschool Educational Institution Kindergarten No. 123 of the Nevsky District of St. Petersburg

Rules for payment for supervision and care in GBDOU

Payment for supervision and care of a child in a state institution, replacing them , by receipt through any bank. When calculating the amount for the current month, the actual time spent by the child in kindergarten for the previous month is taken into account (there is a recalculation and the amount is reduced). The recalculation of the parental fee is done when the child does not attend a preschool institution for 3 days in a row or more.

Dear parents!

Based on the DECISION of the Government of St. Petersburg dated December 23, 2021 N 1043 “On the amount of fees charged from parents (legal representatives) of underage students for the supervision and care of children in State educational institutions implementing educational programs for preschool entities under the jurisdiction of the executive bodies of state power of St. Petersburg, for 2022:

from 01.01.2022, the amount of the monthly parental fee for childcare and care in state educational institutions that implement educational programs of preschool education, which are administered by the executive authorities of St. Petersburg, has changed:

Payment for kindergarten in 2022 (since 01.01.2022)

COMPENSATION

0003

– on paper to a state educational institution implementing educational programs for preschool education;

– on paper to the St. Petersburg state institution “Multifunctional center for the provision of state
and municipal services”;

– in the form of an electronic document through the federal state information system “Unified portal of state and municipal services” and the portal “State and municipal services (functions)
in St. Petersburg. who replace them, whose children attend kindergarten in the amount of:

In accordance with Chapter 18 of the Social Code of St. Petersburg, the following additional social support measures are provided to provide compensation and reimbursement of part of the parental fee:0003

Parental fee is NOT charged for the supervision and care of children in state preschool and other state educational institutions engaged in educational activities for the implementation of educational programs of preschool education (hereinafter referred to as the parental fee), related to the following categories of children: