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Does anybody have any tips of finding affordable childcare?
I send my little one to a daycare while I'm away at work, but its taking more and more of my take-home pay away that we are having to scale back on basics, like groceries.
I talked to my employer and got my scedule changed a bit so I have only 3 traditonal 9-5 hours, and work evening hours on the days so family can keep an eye on him for free, but it isn't enough and I cannot change my scedule anymore
I've heard that in-home daycares save you money, but I'm skeptical the quality of care won't be sufficent. Are these places regulated? How much do I save versus a traditonal day care center?
If anybody has any tips or new ideas, they would be greatly apperciated!!!
-jayne
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Child care providers have to obtain a licence from their state. You didn't say where you were, PlainJayne and they vary depending on the state you live in. You can use this interactive map to find out what the rules are for your state and the official contact point for checking if a childcare provider has a licence.
It's from the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education.
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Jayne, I'm reading things back to front. I posted this then saw your intro post saying you're in Florida. This is the page that relates to that state. :)
http://nrckids.org/STATES/FL/florida.htm
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I think when it comes to inhome day care, there are some that will just place a classified ad and hope a parent takes them on and they don't get caught. I would ask any provider to give you proof they are licensed. They should have a license number.
This page gives statistics on how your own state defines a licensed family child care home in Florida, staff to child ratios required and so on. It's near the bottom of the page.
nccic.acf.hhs.gov/statedata/statepro/display.cfm
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PlainJayne, you can also see if you qualify for financial assistance from the Department of Health and Human Services. Click on the Show Details for these links.
Financial Assistance
Find information on child support, paying for child care, aid for children with disabilities, Head Start, temporary assistance for needy families (TANF), paying for home heating and cooling, HHS Poverty Guidelines, and eligibility for federal government benefits.
Child Support
* Child Support Enforcement (Administration for Children & Families)
* National Electronic Child Support Resource System (Administration for Children & Families)Paying for Child Care
Finding Help Paying for Child Care (Administration for Children & Families)Benefits for Children with Disabilities
Benefits for Children with Disabilities en español (Social Security Administration)Head Start (Provides educational, health, nutritional, social and other services to economically disadvantaged children)
Head Start Locator (Administration for Children and Families)Statistics on Families
America's Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being (ChildStats.gov)
Find statistics on family and social environment, economic circumstances, health care, physical environment and safety, behavior, education and health.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
* How Do I Apply for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families? (Administration for Children & Families)
* States Informational Links (Administration for Children & Families)Help to Pay for Home Heating and Cooling
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) en español (Administration for Children & Families)Low Cost Health Care
Find a Health Center (Health Resources and Services Administration)Eldercare
Eldercare Locator (Administration on Aging)Adoption Information
Adoption Resources (Child Welfare Information Gateway)HHS Poverty Guidelines
2009 HHS Poverty GuidelinesAll Federal Government Benefits
Take Questionnaire: Check your eligibility for federal government benefits (GovBenefits.gov)
©2009
PlainJayne, sorry I missed your post. You should be able to get a list of registered child care providers from your state's child welfare office if I remember right. Try the tools at Child Care Aware with your zip code.
The best way for a person to have happy thoughts is to count his blessings and not his cash. ~Author Unknown