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D.C. has the highest cost of infant childcare in the nation, making it difficult for some parents to justify returning to work.
Alex, a consultant and former Marine living in Alexandria, learned she was pregnant with her first child last year. She and her husband had been planning to start a family for some time, making spreadsheets of all the expenses that might come with caring for an infant. But their plans were scuttled at an early doctor's visit.
"It hit the fan the minute he was like, 'Oh, there's two heartbeats,'" says Alex, who asked that WAMU use only her first name as she considers whether to return to her current employer.
Not only was their first family addition now two, the twins were sharing the same amniotic sac — a risky complication to the pregnancy. Alex required regular monitoring. She spent five weeks on bed rest before delivering her daughters at 32 weeks in September. The twins spent their first couple months in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Alex's military-provided healthcare covered her medical expenses, and her employer paid for several months of leave. But her workplace will not pay for child care once Alex returns to work in a few weeks — expenses that could total as much as $4,000 per month, unrelated to any medical issues.
"My net income would be so minimal that it doesn't make a lot of sense to even work anymore," she says.
Alex isn't alone. As D.C.-area parents contend with some of the highest child care costs in the country — annual fees in the District average about $24,000 for infant care and $19,000 for toddler care — some are deciding to opt out of the workforce, forgoing a salary and avoiding high child care costs.
The Cost Of Child Care
Families in the region have several options when it comes to child care, but none come cheap. Lower-cost options include home-based centers (about $17,000 annually) and nanny shares ($20-$25 an hour, divided among participating families). On the higher end are au pairs (about $20,000 per year) and child care centers ($24,243 annually in D.C., $19,632 in Montgomery County and $24,390 in Arlington County). The cost is enough to make some couples rethink having children.
Kimberly Perry, executive director of DC Action for Children, says the cost of care has risen sharply in recent years, due in part to the increasingly recognized need for quality early education.
"This is a relatively newer industry — as more women started to enter the workforce over the last 50 years, the work of caring for young children has essentially moved from the unpaid stay-at-home parents to salaried labor," Perry says. "This period of birth to age 3 is really critical for social, emotional and cognitive development. So the need for credentialed, trained and degreed professionals is really critical."
The cost of childcare in the District exceeds in-state tuition at a four-year public college.
Alex, a consultant and former Marine living in Alexandria, learned she was pregnant with her first child last year. She and her husband had been planning to start a family for some time, making spreadsheets of all the expenses that might come with caring for an infant. But their plans were scuttled at an early doctor's visit.
"It hit the fan the minute he was like, 'Oh, there's two heartbeats,'" says Alex, who asked that WAMU use only her first name as she considers whether to return to her current employer.
Not only was their first family addition now two, the twins were sharing the same amniotic sac — a risky complication to the pregnancy. Alex required regular monitoring. She spent five weeks on bed rest before delivering her daughters at 32 weeks in September. The twins spent their first couple months in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Alex's military-provided healthcare covered her medical expenses, and her employer paid for several months of leave. But her workplace will not pay for child care once Alex returns to work in a few weeks — expenses that could total as much as $4,000 per month, unrelated to any medical issues.
"My net income would be so minimal that it doesn't make a lot of sense to even work anymore," she says.
Alex isn't alone. As D.C.-area parents contend with some of the highest child care costs in the country — annual fees in the District average about $24,000 for infant care and $19,000 for toddler care — some are deciding to opt out of the workforce, forgoing a salary and avoiding high child care costs.
The Cost Of Child Care
Families in the region have several options when it comes to child care, but none come cheap. Lower-cost options include home-based centers (about $17,000 annually) and nanny shares ($20-$25 an hour, divided among participating families). On the higher end are au pairs (about $20,000 per year) and child care centers ($24,243 annually in D.C., $19,632 in Montgomery County and $24,390 in Arlington County). The cost is enough to make some couples rethink having children.
Kimberly Perry, executive director of DC Action for Children, says the cost of care has risen sharply in recent years, due in part to the increasingly recognized need for quality early education.
"This is a relatively newer industry — as more women started to enter the workforce over the last 50 years, the work of caring for young children has essentially moved from the unpaid stay-at-home parents to salaried labor," Perry says. "This period of birth to age 3 is really critical for social, emotional and cognitive development. So the need for credentialed, trained and degreed professionals is really critical."
The cost of childcare in the District exceeds in-state tuition at a four-year public college.
Is how my face looks when my friends tell me how much they pay in childcare. Folks consistently underestimate the costs associated with childcare but I can't really fault them because the costs are not obvious beforehand and discussing economics when it comes to children is somewhat taboo. It goes to show that the costs of being average especially in Tier 1 cities have risen faster than compensation, and that even "doing everything right" won't necessarily protect you as shown by the excerpt:
