Save Thousands on Childcare with a Parenting Coop

Daycare is expensive, sometimes prohibitively so. Parents with more than one young child can find themselves paying $400 a week or more just so they can go to work. For many parents it’s cheaper to stay home than it is to work. 

But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can get together with other parents and arrange a parenting cooperative, sometimes called a child swap, so a different parent cares for the children each day of the week. 

Sarah Turner is a mother who loves her childcare swap. She switches one day per week with another stay-at-home mom. “It's working out well for both of us, giving us both a much needed break and giving our kids a chance to socialize with each other,” says Sarah, “and it doesn't cost a thing! “

There are many versions of a child swap arrangement. It can be good for stay at home parent who just needs one day to himself or herself, or any full-time worker who can arrange for a condensed workweek. Work at home parents can also benefit.  Part time workers can swap two days for two with another mother as well. 

Parenting coops work best in neighborhoods or at least in the same town, but they can be arranged with family members and others who are reasonably nearby. Even taking advantage of a cooperative one day per week can save a family $100 or more every week.

Parents can swap for just one day off with one other parent, or have a group of five parents each taking the children one day per week, as long as each parent only has one child. Parenting cooperatives with more than five young children are not recommended. Remember that the recommended caregiver to child ratio at a daycare center is 5 young children to each caregiver or 3 infants to a caregiver. You should only take on an infant with a small group of children.

How to Arrange for a Child Swap

A child swap is easiest to arrange with a parent you are already friends with, especially if your collective kids are friends with each other as well. Relatives are also excellent choices because you already know and trust them. But just because you do not know anyone to swap with now does not mean you cannot find one.

Sites like DaycareTrade.com help parents find other parents who wish to participate in a cooperative parenting arrangement. Participants are other parents who are also looking to put their children in a safe and affordable daycare arrangement. While the site does not screen the other members, they recommend parents do thorough research, just as if they were hiring a nanny. Ask for references and talk to the other parent’s employer before entrusting your children to someone else. You also need to be ready to you’re your own references to the other parent.

Screening Other Parents

When making arrangements for a parenting coop, make sure you ask some important questions early. Get the other parent’s phone number, address, work phone and at least one other reference you can talk to. Make it clear when you will be available to watch the children and during what time frame. Be certain the other parent can fit into your childcare time schedule as well. Discuss any special needs of the children early so that there are no surprises later on.

If you are still comfortable with the other parent after checking references, meet in a park or for lunch to see how the kids do together. Watch the other person’s parenting skills to see how well it fits in with your own parenting style.

Make the first swap days into play dates, so you can both spend time with the kids and get to know each other and the children. The bonds you form on these days can set the stage for a long friendship that is beneficial to both parents. Remember that the other parent is just as nervous about you as you are about him or her. 

One you are both comfortable with the arrangement, you may be able to consider finding other parents to include in the cooperative. Screen each potential parent carefully and take the same steps you would to check out any caregiver you would be considering for your child. By taking advantage of a cooperative arrangement, you can $10,000 or more per year in childcare expenses!

Jessica Bosari is an Internet copywriter and blogger for various publications and her own blog. You can read more of Jessica's work here.