Cassidy Weyel grew up with a stay-at-home mom but knew shed want to continue working after having a baby.
What she didnt realize was just how much shed be paying for child care.
I practically gave birth right there when I saw the rates.
Weyel spends more than two hours a day driving between home, day care provider and work. Tina Russell/The Penny Hoarder
She works from home for two hours in the late afternoons to avoid being stuck in rush-hour traffic.
Though the commute is exhausting, the detour to Aurelius child care provider is worth it.
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He loves it there, and hes thriving, Weyel says.
Another advantage to an in-home facility over a traditional center is the cost.
Paying center rates comes at a premium.
Hiring a nanny is even more expensive.
Still, paying for child care eats up about a quarter of Weyels paycheck.
Money Disappears Fast
Weyel pays for child care by writing out personal checks each week.
It does get tight at the end of a pay period where I have overdrafted checks, she says.
There have also been times when she has had to make tough decisions about which bills to pay.
With child care costs, Money disappears fast, Weyel says.
Theres no room to set aside money each month.
Thats just a drop in the bucket, she says.
What really takes up a huge chunk of change is day care.
After the mortgage, child care is her households highest expense.
The Cost of Child Care in America
Weyels situation isnt unique.
Parents across America are burdened by the cost of child care.
However, 82% of the parents we surveyed spent $500 or more a month on child care.
A little over a third 35.5% spent $1,000 or more monthly.
Half the parents we surveyed spent at least 15% of their income on child care.
Thats about 85% of the typical annual cost of rent.
Its $179 more than the average cost of a year of in-state college tuition.
And theres significantly less time to save up for day care than for college.
Its no wonder parents arewaiting longerto have children and havingfewer kids.
Eighty-five percent of parents said they didnt save up for child care costs prior to having a baby.
If it seems like the problem is getting worse over time, it is.
Increases in household income are not keeping pace with the rise in child care spending.
To afford child care, parents have to make significant financial sacrifices in their lives.
Nearly three out of 10 parents have gone into debt to pay for child care.
When she had her first child, Nava was a single mom waiting tables at Red Robin.
Money was tight and unpredictable.
It wasnt a stable income, she says.
I might find myself with two shifts making $200 a week.
Nava sought out a management position so shed have a higher, more reliable income.
Still, it was hard to make ends meet.
When the couple had their youngest child, that daily rate jumped to $80.
The financial burden wasnt the only problem.
The kids spending long hours away from home also put a strain on the family.
Her husband also worked in the restaurant industry.
She now works as a contract administrator for a local plumbing company.
The Navas are able to significantly cut back on child care expenses by being strategic about their work schedules.
Their current child care solution also benefits the kids directly.
More than anything, I think our children have thrived with the sense of stability, Jessica Nava says.
They have only two nights a week off together.
Nava says she wishes there were more support for working parents when it comes to child care.
Thats not where were at now financially, but for a while, I mean, it was.
Data journalist Alex Mahadevan contributed to this post.
Nicole Dow is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder.
She is a single mother of a daughter whos in preschool.
About 15% of her monthly take-home pay goes to child care.
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