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Most people don't think twice about giving an exorbitant amount of money to a teenager that is going to watch tv while the kid sleeps so the parents go go out for a night on the town but wants to barter with the person that is going to spend more waking hours with their child, feed them and maybe even teach them something. Go figure :/
ouf you are a little be rough here ladies!
Some people really are struggling.
I don't know about the subsidy in Ontario yet, but do they only evaluate your need on your income or do they include your debts? Because I have a high income, but I have high debts (coming from a time in my life when I wasn't as smart as today!). I would never be able to afford one of you(or me), for my three kids.
Everybody's situation is different. I agree that we spend on needless objects, but I disagree that EVERYBODY is able to afford childcare
I wasn't saying that the iphone was given to this person by work. I was only mentioning that we don't know everyone's situation and yes, some companies do pay for part of the phone bill and it doesn't have to be a blackberry as my last company paid for part of my phone bill.
I totally agree with you that you shouldn't have to barter your fee.
Times are tough and most people are living beyond their means as most of my friends have more than one in childcare and it breaks the bank. Does that mean that we should lower our rates ~ NO as we work hard in our jobs and worth every penny. Having said that I agree with Sarah that everyone is sounding a little harsh as everyone's situation is different. Yes, there are some out there who would put more value on the material things. There are so many people that live beyond their means and if they changed some of their lifestyle then child care might be more affordable. It's a juggling act for many as their monthly bills are credit. In a perfect world.....
If I remember correctly it is based on 'household income' because they assume based on that income you would have certain 'base expenses' anything else is well 'extra' and not their problem how you figure out to 'afford' it.... in Ontario the cut of for not being 'eligible' for subsidy is a household income of $80,000 a year ... the higher your income the more you have to pay but you would still be 'eligible' for a partial support!Quote:
Originally Posted by Sarah
Personally I think that is RIDICULOUS cut off cause IMO if you are earning $80,000 a year there is NO REASON why you cannot afford childcare unless you are CHOOSING to live beyond your means in other areas aka you choose NOT TO MAKE IT A PRIORITY!
My friend was a single mother not receiving any 'support' from the father because he could not be found - left the country - she managed to pay for her childcare earning less than $20,000 a year ... yes she had to have a room mate to help with her rent - not ideal but you do what you have to, yes she had to refrain from eating out and cook on a budget - but they ate 'nutritionally' and had food in their belly, yes they shopped 'used clothes stores' and sewed her own when she could, yes - they had no cable for their TV but she would buy used 'movies' for their old TV to watch together, yes they had no 'phone' but they had nieghbors who would let them borrow one if truly needed, yes she had to be frugal with 'free' kinds of family entertainment - but they were close and happy, yes they relied on public transport for years before she could save up for a car .... she never claimed not to be able to AFFORD childcare because her daughter was her priority and everything else came 'second' .... the problem today is not only that we think we NEED things we do not but we think we are ENTITLED to them!
You bring up a good example Sarah. I understand that you are using any extra money you earn to pay down your debt and that is great. But why should your daycare provider or hair dresser or bus company take a hit in their pocket book so they dont' have enough money just so you can pay down your debt. If your caregiver doesn't earn her required wages her monthly expenses won't be paid either.
Yes there are newly divorced, changes in custody, lost company shares/pension when a business closes, and yes that can cause it to be very tight to make ends meet. That is what subsidy is for but it can be hard to get in some cities depending on how long to be processed, spaces available etc. With three children you might find it is cheaper to have someone coming into your home or making use of more than one person where one works mornings and one afternoons. While we would all agree it is not an ideal daycare arrangement there will always be a need for this type of care for families that are facing less than ideal income restraints.
I think too there will always be this perception that our husbands work to support the family and that we are home anyways earning a bit of pocket money by taking in other people's children - back in the 40's and 50's that might have been true but not in my lifetime. Parents need to realize that just as they go to the office everyday we go to our work in our basement every day and we need our paycheck just as much if not more in some cases since it is so small.
I have a message that I pass on to Parents that comment on my rates....."we all have budgets, I for one clip coupons... You have to choose what you want to spend your money on".if you don't want to spend it on daycare I may not be the provider for you. In my neighborhood daycare rates go from 32 to 52 dollars a day. The care, and quality varies as well. I tell Parents go and see one in each price range and then choose what services and prices you can live with and then go from there. Almost all of them come back.....
As I have said on my first post "some" parents' and people. I don't care how much they earn and I don't ask parents' more if they earn more. My rates are fixed for parents' who are on high income or low income. And I don't ask more when they're promoted or had bonus from work. But if you come to me and say that you can not afford my fees yet have an Iphone and drive a nice car and live in an expensive area then I have problem with that. I don't have a mobile phone since I moved here and It has been 7 months. In the begining I thought it was difficult not have have mobile but then I thought I don't need it yet as I didn't know anyone who could call me except my husband and he can use our landline to call me anyway. We need to ask ourself this question. Do I need it? Can I afford it? So in my case I don't need it so why should I waste $50 every month(thats £2600 per annum!) so that I can show off to friends and family.
To Sarah, my husband earns decent salary as well but he has so many bills to pay and so many debts! At the end of the month he did not had enough money to spend on himself! After we got married I take care of our finance. He used to drive Audi but not anymore cause right now we can not afford Audi! He has a house on high interest and now we are going to sell the house. So that we can save whatever amount we are paying every month. And right now renting is our best option.
I'm putting some money every month aside so that when we have our child we won't struggle and I can pay or buy best for my child/ren in the future.
Cocoon
And as Playfelt suggested, you are better of with a nanny then day home. Families who has more then 1 child better off hiring a nanny as nannies don't charge per child. But again you have to calculate that carefully too. You need to provide lunch for nanny, and heating will be on whole day. Electricity, water etc. But I'm sure hiring a nanny would be your best option.
I absolutely never said a caregiver should lower her fees to accomodate anybody!Quote:
Originally Posted by playfelt
I just said that the post previous to mine were really harsh. I was giving you my exemple. With a husband that makes about 80 000$ a year. We could NOT afford 3 daycares. Not because he doesn't make anough money, because we have too much accumulated debts. We drive a 10 years old car, don't how cell phones, not even a landline since we are using a internet phone, we don't overheat our house, we don't use the car unless necessary, we budget our food, we do some couponning, we got all our kids clothes from friends until last year, we do not drink AT ALL, do not smoke, do not go out... I could go on and on. I go to the air dresser like once a year max. etc....
Just saying that you cannot judge a person that cannot afford a daycare if you don't know that person's situation. And it's not always a question of priorizing...as in my own exemple.
I was a single Mom of 4 children for many years. I was on subsidy and I don't know how I would have survived without it and I feel very bad for people who are struggling to make ends meet.
However, every single family seems to be struggling to make ends meet no matter how much they make because the more you make the more you spend. If you make $80,000/year then you have a bigger house, better furniture, nicer vehicles, but it's still all loans and credit, so you can't win.
I hate the words 'I can't afford that' because I truly believe you afford what you decide you can afford. So my rates are very reasonable and I feel comfortable with the living I'm making even though some of my clients make $80,000/year and I certainly DO NOT! I try not to think about it. But when I see families paying $1000/month for a couple of children for daycare it just blows my mind. I don't know how they do it.