Childcare in the US costs just as much as rent.

It's a sad state of affairs when you have to choose between childcare and paying your rent. This is the reality of many families across the United States. According to care.com, the average monthly cost for childcare in the United States is $1,385. This average for childcare is almost as much as the US average for monthly rent, which is $1,500.

The staggering amount for childcare has parents working multiple jobs just to afford childcare alone, let alone rent/mortgage. In some states, childcare for one year can cost up to $20,000!
With how expensive childcare can be, financial planners recommend the following solutions:

1. Talk to your employer about working from home a few days a week (if you have infants, this can be hard. I have a 3-month-old and working from home can be extremely hard).
2. "Nanny share." Basically, you can team up with another family and share a nanny, splitting the costs. Financial planners do warn that if you pay your nanny 'under the table,' you could get into trouble with the IRS.
3. Have one parent be a stay-at-home parent if the other makes enough to provide for the family (it's not a horrible idea. It worked pretty well back in the day).

My Two Cents
For the past two months, I been desperate to get an outside job and to find adequate care for my infant son. With the unbelievable amount being charged for childcare, and the horror stories I've heard about abuse/neglect/leaving kids in cars, I'm thinking I should stay home with him and kick butt working from home.
For the families out there, it isn't fair that parents have to practically kill themselves just to have childcare so they can work to provide for their family. It doesn't make sense! When you have time to spend with those babies, you're too tired to do anything with them. I really hope this changes. People shouldn't have to kill themselves working just to pay for daycare and rent. Our babies need us healthy. They want to spend time with us. We shouldn't be too tired to play with them. 

Readers: How much childcare do you pay in your state? Do you struggle to pay your rent/mortgage and childcare costs? Let me know in the comments below.

#Childcare #Rent #Finance #Economy #Family Children #Nanny

source:
www.cnbc.com/2018/08/28/forget-college-tuition-annual-childcare-costs-exceed-20000-here.html

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