Paying for Daycare

The cost of daycare can be expensive. If you find that daycare costs are using up most of your income, you may qualify for government help or subsidies. Subsidies are specially designed for those whose daycare costs are more than half of their salaries making it difficult to pay bills or meet other financial obligations.

Grants

When most people think of grants, they think of some sort of government financial reward for a project, schooling or a new business start-up. But there are also grants available to help low-income earners pay for daycare expenses.

The availability of grants to pay for daycare varies from state to state in the US and also in different countries. They tend to be distributed by city governments, communities, the local town or city, or city governments.

To qualify, you must make under a certain amount of money annually. The children requiring care must be under 12 years old, although exceptions can be made if the child is special needs. In most cases you must also have the preschool child in a licensed child care program or a recognized recreation program.

The availability of grants varies from place to place. To find out specifics, contact your local Department of Human Services (or a comparable organization in your country) and they will be able to provide you with information about available grants and what you need to do to apply for this type of childcare assistance.

Federally Funded Daycares

Some places have federally funded daycares. They're a great option for low-income earners or single-parent families, but the demand is high and there's often a waiting list.

In the United States, older government daycare assistance programs like Head Start and Early Head Start offer full-time and part-time childcare services at a significantly discounted rate or completely free. Some elementary schools also offer a preschool or pre-kindergarten program which is also a type of government supported daycare for three- and four-year-olds.

Many federally funded daycares offer some sort of government assistance. Government assistance is not available in daycares that are private or public with no federal funding. If you're on a tight budget and need to save costs on childcare, make sure you send your child to only federally funded daycares to take advantage of potentially reduced costs based on income, discounts or scholarships. Send in your applications as early as possible since spots are limited and they tend to fill up quickly.