Back to School, Back to School

The past few weeks Geno and I have been scouting out daycare/"school" options for Mateo to start in September.  I knew it would be expensive, but I had no idea that even our cheapest option would cost the same as college.  (Funny that you pay the same amount for an educational experience that helps form brain connections as one that generally tends to destroy them, but I digress...)

We have been ridiculously lucky to have Geno's mother take care of Mateo this year, and I have always been appreciative, but never more so than after our first visit to a daycare.  It was middle-of-the-road in terms of expense, but had me in tears by the time we reached the parking lot.  For many reasons, including seeing a baby left alone in a swing in a corner, it was clearly not the place for us. 

Thankfully, however, we finally did find a place that we can envision Mateo spending his days.  It has beautiful natural light, a teacher who speaks only in Spanish and a teacher who speaks only in English, and a relatively diverse group of kiddos.  Oh, and a pricetag that is double what I paid in tuition per year in undergrad, but yet remains the average price of our world of options, so it will have to work.

Going through this process, I just can't help but wonder how people afford to have more than one kid in daycare.  I know that many families make the choice to have one parent stay home, but for many of us, that's just not an option at this point in our lives.  (Damn you, Sallie Mae!)  Obviously employers can help by subsidizing childcare costs and allowing for pre-tax savings accounts, but even then, the price is still staggering when you think of paying for more than one kid.  (In our neck of the woods, that would mean approximately $20 - 25,000 per year.) 

Geno and I were brainstorming ideas on how we could ever afford something like that, and besides winning the lottery and Publisher's Clearing House, our other options seem equally unlikely.  Things we've hypothetically said no to include: me practicing corporate law; Mateo becoming a child moviestar and/or model and/or dancer (triple threat, you know); moving into a tent and Geno becoming a moviestar and/or model and/or professional beatboxer. 

Although the beatboxing thing could maybe work... I leave you with the sounds of our daycare funding scheme.  (I can't get enough of this video.)