Released: October 30, 2008

Cutting the cost of child care

Source: Lisa Belkin, N.Y.Times (Free Registration)

After the mortgage, child care is the biggest expense in most family budgets. And in the face of job losses, belt tightening and economic uncertainty, parents are looking for ways to reduce what they spend on the people who watch their children. It is a painful cut, because there is a person we know and trust on the other end of the decision — one who needs what we pay her (women still overwhelmingly outnumber men in these jobs) to support her own family. And because we hesitate to use the word “cheap” when talking about who is with our kids when we’re at work.

Yet cheaper is increasingly necessary. Some of us are eliminating child care completely. But for working families (or even families in which mom or dad are aggressively looking for work) this is a requirement not a luxury, and we’re finding creative ways to reduce the costs but still have the coverage we need.

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