Its no secret that having children is expensive.
But what shocks many parents is just how costly it is right at the start.
Fortunately, there are more affordable alternatives to traditional child care options.
From left, L.J. Glover, 4, Westley Lieb,4, Destiny Miller, 16, and Sofia Gomez, 4, play a board game together at Countryside High School. Tina Russell/The Penny Hoarder
It just requires looking at things a little differently.
Bring Your Baby to Work
Return to work or stay at home with the baby.
These are the choices many parents weigh when they welcome a new child into their family.
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I thought it would be more difficult than it actually ended up being, Boonstra said.
Like many other prospective parents, Boonstra said shedidnt realize how expensive child care would beuntil she was pregnant.
They range from small businesses to state government agencies.
Several high schools and colleges across the country provide on-site child care staffed by students.
For example, 24 preschoolers spend their days at Countryside High School in Clearwater, Florida.
The parents most of whom are employed by the school district see the benefit in the price.
The weekly tuition covers a full day of care from 6:45 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Monday through Friday.
By comparison, Care.comestimatesother nearby centers charge up to $200 a week.
Her older son, now a first-grader, went through the program two years ago.
Amiot-Priso said she chose to enroll her kids after hearing great recommendations from fellow coworkers.
Kids come out of the program 110% ready for kindergarten.
Amiot-Priso said she never had any concerns about high schoolers providing supervised instruction for her little ones.
She even participated in a similar early childhood education program when she was a high school student.
Check your local school district or nearby colleges to inquire about similar programs, availability and cost of enrollment.
But having a nanny watch over your child does comes with advantages.
Your child gets more one-on-one attention compared to environments with many children.
Your child can remain in the familiar environment of home.
You have more say over how your child is cared for and how your childs day is structured.
Nanny Lane, another nanny sharing agency, breaks it down another way.
Agencies like Nanny Lane and Golden Gate Nanny Shares can help parents find other families to pair up with.
Mast said parents also connect via word of mouth, parenting groups and even Facebook.
Each nanny share is different, she said.
Mast said parents usually have a contract so everyone stays on the same page regarding the arrangement.
Nicole Dow is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder.
She is a single mother of a daughter whos in preschool.
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