Surprising Facts About Childcare Cost

For many people, it is joy in bringing a child into the world and would be a cause for celebration

Does the high cost of day care centers make them rethink about there future decisions?

The cost of daycare centers are increasing day by day, As millions of new parents find out every year, it's not enough to buy the diapers, put together the crib, set up the nursery and start saving for college. That's because across the board -- in single-parent to dual-income households -- the sky-high costs of child care are often overlooked.

Childcare centers can control their costs by implementing effective information technology infrastructure like a childcare management software for managing the childcare center. Online childcare software improves the efficiency of the center and helps them deliver exceptional service to their customers. 

What are the 10 suprising facts about childcare center ?

1. Child Care Costs Are Often Ignored : Only 58 percent of expectant families create a child care budget before their baby is born. And even those who do have a budget don't do a great job of using realistic numbers. In the end, 75 percent of families interviewed said that they were "surprised or overwhelmed" by the cost of child care.2. Ignoring These Huge Costs Is a Big Mistake : According to Childcare Aware of America, the cost of child care for two children in a center-based care facility was the largest family expense per year in every region except for the West .Where household costs were slightly more.3. It's Like Paying for College – Twice : Childcare Aware of America compared the average costs of an infant in a child care center to the average costs of in-state tuition and fees at public colleges throughout the United States. In the states shaded blue below, the costs of child care trump tuition and fees.

4. Costs Vary Dramatically by Type : Care.com broke down the average nationwide costs of four types of child care. Yearly expenses for one infant:

PROGRAM /CENTER	COST
Family child care program	$6,604.00
Day care center	$9,672.00
Au pair	$18,720.00
Nanny	$24,544.00

5. Costs Vary Widely by Location : To control for differences in the costs of living, the graphic below shows how much of the average married couple's median income is spent on infant child care a year.

6. Care is Far, Far Cheaper Outside the City : Like most things, child care is more expensive in cities than in rural areas. Unlike other goods and services, however, the difference between the two is remarkable. For instance, in Oregon and Hawaii, the average cost of care for an infant is more than twice as expensive in urban areas as it is in rural ones. The cost of caring for an infant is 35 percent more in urban areas nationally than rural ones.

7. Your Employer Wants to Help You With Child Care : The Childcare Partnership Project said. And a study by the Childcare Action Campaign found that U.S. companies lost $3 billion annually, as a consequence of child care-related absences.
8. The Help Is Appreciated, but Not Necessarily Well-Used: A whopping 83 percent of parents who use employer-sponsored child care benefits say it helps reduce stress and improve work-life balance. The problem is that only 31 percent of employees take advantage of Flexible Spending Accounts to help defray costs.

9. More Than Half of American Families Get Tax Breaks : More than half of U.S. families take advantage of some sort of tax break. FSAs allow employees to put away up to $5,000 in pre-tax dollars for child care. If your employer doesn't offer an FSA, then you can use the Child Care Tax Credit, which helps offset the costs of up to $3,000 for one child and $6,000 for two or more.10. 'Free' Caregivers Play a Large Role : According to Childcare Aware of America, 32 percent of children under 5 receive at least some supervision from grandparents during a typical week. Ten percent regularly get care from another relative, and 5 percent get care from friends or neighbors.

Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2014/08/25/child-care-costs-facts-figures/