BAKERSFIELD, CA.-California ranked number nine in the top ten least affordable states for center-based infant care in 2013, according to a newly-released report by Child Care aware of America. Some families spend 15 percent of their median two-parent household income on child care, and single mothers spend a whopping 44 percent of their income.
In Kern county, the average cost of child care for infants was 9,919 dollars in 2012 according to Kidsdata.org. Compare that to a full year of tuition for an undergraduate at CSUB this year with six or more units, which amounts to 6,790 dollars. That's roughly 3200 dollars less to send a young adult to college than an infant to daycare.
"There's a reason why the child care cost is high," said Cheryl Nelson, Director of Community Connection for Child Care. "You have to look at the overhead costs meaning the salaries, the maintenance, the activities for the children."
CCFCC helps parents solve the puzzle of finding a quality provider without paying top dollar. The agency refers parents to child care providers like Garden Pathways and, if parents qualify, will subsidize the cost.
The CCFCC suggests asking your child care provider if they offer scholarships, whether or not they offer a multiple-sibling discount, and if they'll consider swapping your cooking or maintenence skills with their service as a way to offset costs.
Some families are also eligible for child care tax credits from the state. Filers must have work-related income, live with the dependent for at least half the year, and earn less than $100,000. The state credit varies based on the income of the filer. For more information, visit: taxcreditsforworkingfamilies.com.
In Kern county, the average cost of child care for infants was 9,919 dollars in 2012 according to Kidsdata.org. Compare that to a full year of tuition for an undergraduate at CSUB this year with six or more units, which amounts to 6,790 dollars. That's roughly 3200 dollars less to send a young adult to college than an infant to daycare.
"There's a reason why the child care cost is high," said Cheryl Nelson, Director of Community Connection for Child Care. "You have to look at the overhead costs meaning the salaries, the maintenance, the activities for the children."
CCFCC helps parents solve the puzzle of finding a quality provider without paying top dollar. The agency refers parents to child care providers like Garden Pathways and, if parents qualify, will subsidize the cost.
"As a non-profit we are committed to providing the services and not really making a profit so we keep our costs at bare minimum," said Karen Goh, President & CEO of Garden Pathways. Garden Pathways takes care of children ages six weeks to six years and have parents who pay full cost or have subsidized care.
"The majority of any pre-school's cost would be staffing...its very expensive to run infant care because of the one to four student teacher ratio," said Goh. Salary for full-time staff on average across the us 21,490 according to the report.
The CCFCC suggests asking your child care provider if they offer scholarships, whether or not they offer a multiple-sibling discount, and if they'll consider swapping your cooking or maintenence skills with their service as a way to offset costs.
Some families are also eligible for child care tax credits from the state. Filers must have work-related income, live with the dependent for at least half the year, and earn less than $100,000. The state credit varies based on the income of the filer. For more information, visit: taxcreditsforworkingfamilies.com.