When it Comes to Childcare You Get What You Pay For

The old saying that you get what you pay for refers to the principle that quality costs money, and anything inexpensive is of inferior quality. That’s probably true more often than not, and when it comes to childcare, it’s no different. Getting the best care available for your child can be an expensive proposition, and few parents like to cut corners. Still, economic realities often force them to look at alternatives. Here are ten reasons why you get what you pay for when it comes to childcare:

1. Training – Caregivers who have formal training command a higher salary than those who don’t. A nanny can be hired for as little as minimum wage, but that won’t get you someone with an education background or even much, if any, experience.
2. Experience – As with any other occupation, experience has value, and value-added translates to a higher salary. The more competent a caregiver is in her job, the more she is worth to the family who hires her to care for their child.
3. Education – College degrees or certification in a child care-related discipline is worth quite a bit. This represents not only extensive training in child care, but a dedication to a career as a caregiver. In other words, a nanny who is well-educated and committed to long-term service.
4. Daycare – There are some very good daycare centers that do an excellent job in child care. Still, as a rule, children are cared for in numbers and by committee. There is rarely time for consistent one-on-one attention.
5. Babysitters – As valuable as they are for minding children temporarily, they are not typically trained in formal child care or prepared to fulfill the role as a nanny. As the name implies, they are hired simply to sit with the child, and perform perfunctory tasks only.
6. Nanny Agencies – Hiring through an agency, a family will benefit from personal one-on-one attention to their needs, and receive candidates who are carefully matched to those needs. They will also be spared a lot of the screening, paperwork, and interviewing needed to vet the candidates.
7. Online Nanny Websites – Parents may get a nanny for less by opting for this method, but they’ll have to do the screening on their own. Online sites typically don’t screen candidates as part of their acceptance for membership.
8. Live-in/Live-out Nanny – Having a caregiver living in the home brings peace of mind to working parents. She’s already on-site each morning to tend to the kids while the parents head out the door. Conversely, their compensation includes room and board, meals and such, so the salary is actually slightly lower in most cases than a live-out equivalent.
9. Au pair – Au pairs are part of the U.S. Department of State visitor exchange program. Au pairs live with a host family to experience American life in exchange for providing childcare. The U.S. program allows au pairs to live and study here for up to two years, working up to 45 hours per week as they study.
10. Under the Table – Parents who endeavor to circumvent the laws in order to get child care at a discount are risking more than they are saving. They may be able to hire at a lower salary or save on taxes, until the law catches up to them. When this happens, they’ll pay a lot more than they bargained for.

When it comes to choosing a nanny, parents should clearly evaluate the skills and experience their nanny candidate has and the duties she’s willing to perform when considering the nanny’s salary. Like with anything, there are ways to cut corners. When it comes to childcare, cutting corners is never a good choice.

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