The Daycare conundrum...

I don’t have children.  Newsflash I know.  But today’s QOTD is about children, and since I don’t have any I suppose my haters will think that I have no right to speak on the subject, but that is the beautiful thing about our country.  I can speak about whatever I want.

My first 6 years of professionally working, I worked for a Fortune 500 company.  If you don’t know what that means it is kind of a big deal.  And knowing what I know now, I believe this company was light years ahead of its time in terms of employee benefits.  I do not know about now, it has been years since I was there, but at that time, not only did they have an employee fitness center, they had an on-site daycare facility.  And it so happened that the head of HR was a woman.  The time off for new mothers AND FATHERS was bar none.  They allowed time for lactating mothers to do that during the day.  In my fitness center we had “nap” rooms, so if an employee didn't feel well, they could lay down.  They felt that a 30 minute break was better for the company then the employee just leaving all together.  You even received time off if you were adopting.  It was the most family, female, forward company ever.  And a lot of the women held big positions within the company, but also top of their class in diversity training and programs.  Looking back, I think they were pioneers.  Nowadays I imagine places like that are hard to find…companies spend less and less on catering to the employee.

All of those services were “payroll deducted” so it came out of their paycheck.  It was also considered part of their benefits package, so in addition to their rate of pay, if you added these benefits, the actual pay an employee received was almost unheard of.  To put it in English…you made pretty decent money working here.

I never remember hearing a parent “complain” about how much daycare cost.  Primarily because they were allowed to bring their children to work and take them home when they were done.  They knew where they were all day.  How do you put a price on that?  And because no money was ever technically exchanged, it didn't present as big a problem as it does when you physically write a check or whatever each week.

Here is my 2 cents…and that is about all it is worth.  I have no idea what the average daycare provider charges.  I imagine a commercial facility charges more than an at home provider.  I also imagine it depends on the age and amount of hours the child stays there.  The # of meals they need feed, etc. etc.  It would appear that there would be a lot of factors and that ONE RATE wouldn't really apply.  Kids love me, I have no idea why, but I don’t believe that I have what it takes to “babysit” multiple children all day.  That being said, people that can and do are quite special.  And if they are at home providers, my best guess is they are UNDER charging, because they want the business, but don’t want to out price themselves.  Well, the saying goes; you get what you pay for.  And if you don’t, you certainly have the right to change that. 

I don’t know how you can answer this question to be honest.  How do you put a price on the time someone else spends with your children?  And sometimes, it can be more hours a day then you yourself do.  I personally like to make things harder then they need to be, so I would want to know, what I am getting for my money.  How many meals, naps, what kind of play time, etc?  I mean I don’t see me dropping off my child and being all like have fun; they like to sit in front of the TV all day.  No way Jose.  I also believe that their “fees” should increase yearly, as does the standard cost of living.  Why should they be different? 

I guess what I most don’t understand are the comments about having to work to afford daycare?  I understand that it can be a large portion of your paycheck but I guess the confusing part for me is did you not consider that?  Like when you decided you wanted to have children?  Raising a child in general isn't cheap and just wait until you see how much it is going to cost you to send them to college.

No, I do not know the right or wrong answer to this again, because I do not have my own…but my answer would be; how do you put a value on your child?  And say what is too much?  If it’s costing you more then you are making, is that really the best job for you? 

I don’t know, I suppose I have pissed a lot of people off, but I am merely asking a question…I don’t know what is too much, but it seems you can decide what you will or will not pay, or what kind of services you expect.  Maybe I am completely wrong.  I sometimes am about these things.