Paying for Child Care
Paying for child care can often be as difficult as finding the right day care option for your family
. Depending on where you live, the annual cost of paying for a 4-year-old in a child care center ranges from $4,050 in Mississippi to $13,150 in Massachusetts, according to the most recent study by Child Care Resource and Referral. The monthly cost for two children of any age placed in child care exceeds the median cost of rent. This cost may be as high as, if not higher than the average mortgage payment. These reports show not only that the cost of child care is exceedingly high, but also that it is rising. So what happens when the costs for child care exceed any amount you can afford?Luckily there are a few options available to struggling families. Some day care facilities offer a scholarship program to a select number of children each year. Chosen families will have one year where they do not have the burden of high child care costs. Since not every child can win this metaphorical lottery, the government also has assistance programs in place. TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) and CCDBG (Child Care and Development Block Grant) are two examples of such programs. Both TANF and CCDBG have income eligibility limits which vary from state to state, meaning they are based on how much you make versus the poverty level. These income eligibility limits may take into account multiple children or marital status. Child care costs have become such a burden to working families that some states have waiting lists to receive subsidies, so it is important to check with your individual state office for specific details and eligibly.
Extra aid is sometimes offered to military families. The burden of military life makes raising children and keeping jobs as a military spouse very difficult. All four branches offer their own programs to help with the burdens of child care. The Air Force, for example, offers child care aid to families of servicemen who are deployed to certain areas or operations especially war-time operations. There is also a fund for aiding the child care burden of servicemen or women who have been seriously injured, such as wounded veterans or active duty members who are hospitalized or affected by other serious injuries. A more common fund also exists for active duty members as well. All of these details can be found at the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies' website.
There may not be an assistance program for everyone, but there are options available to struggling or needy families. Speak to your local government offices about assistance or grants, and also check for daycares that offer scholarship programs. Affording child care is a burden borne by many young families today. Many times couples will work split shifts or depend on family to aid in the child care burden. Creativity has become a necessity in the world of child care affordability. Luckily, some aid is available to the neediest families.
Paying for Child Care
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