Cost of Daycare in Area

An Au Pair is another option. i cangive you information about that. call me at ###-###-####. P. (The cost averages out to approx. $275.00/week)

Hi A.,
I pay $370 a week for 2 children. I know for one child it $200 a week. It also depends on the age. My children are 3 & 5.

A., we've been at Kidwatch Plus (kidwatchplus.com) (off of Irving Park Road, just before the Kennedy) for the last 1 1/2 years. It's a wonderful daycare. Their weekly infant rate (6 weeks - 23 months) is $275/week. I would highly recommend a call to them and a tour. The sooner you can get on the waiting list, the better -- it can be quite a wait.

Did you know that Northside Parents Network has a nannyshare program? They have all kinds of resources for people in the city. They have a web site at northsideparents.org.

For home care there used to be a government agency that gave referrals. I don't seem to have an up to date number on them. I always found home care the most family like for my son. I always found professional moms on leave staying home with their children and only took one or two more. My son didn't like being over stimulated and yet he got to socialize. The price was right too.

Hope this is a help. If you need anything else check out BirthLink.com. You'll be glad you did.
J. L.

$395.00 per week is average. I had a nanny for the first year (just personal preference) and that cost me more per week. However, he was not subject to all the illness that are passed around daycare centers, so I did not miss any work due to a sick baby. Now that he is past the first year he is in daycare and loves it. I would take some tours of centers you are considering and get on the waitlist as I had to wait quite awhile to get into the daycare center of my choice. Good luck!

In home daycare (usually where another mother with a similar aged baby takes care of your child in their home) can cost much less - upwards of $250 a week.

Becky (also British)

You can try Tutor Time. I pay $228.00 weekly. My baby went there at 2 1/2 months. The staff is frendly and it is going well so far.

I looked around for a while too. Unfortunately, your quote is about avg for the city. I take my child to Kindercare in the South Loop and they charge 340.00/wk. I would look into nanny sharing. That was my next choice, but I didn't have the time to really look for the right family/nanny.

Hi A.,
Your quote sounds about right. Unfortunately quality childcare in Chicago is VERY expensive. I pay approximately $15,000/year each for my two kids for full-time care. For the same price I could easily hire a full-time nanny, but I don't trust anyone by themselves with my two kids for a full day, and I prefer to have them around other kids in a stimulating environment. Quality childcare is worth every penny if it means you don't worry about your kids all day. We moved from Arizona where equivalent childcare was almost 1/2 the amount it is here. Good luck.

I pay $1200 a month in the south loop. Does your cost include diapers? I know sometimes they charge more if it does. I heard there was a good daycare in the McClurg Court Building but I can't recall the name. YOu are probably paying extra for the Kindercare chain fee. Check out other kindercares. I know the one in the south loop charges less than that.