Ways to save money on child care

NEW YORK — Onsite day care — it’s the serene ideal so many parents pine for.

The reality, of course, is that it’s often not available, and stricter budgets are forcing moms and dads to scramble for new ways to manage child-care costs.

For Jamie Lichtenstein, that means putting her 15-month-old son in a small day care run out of a nearby home. Two days a week costs $140. A traditional day care she looked into charged $2,000 a month for full-time care.

“Financially, it didn’t make sense. I would’ve used my whole paycheck,” said Lichtenstein, a 34-year-old post-doctoral fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health.

The average annual cost for full-time care for a 4-year-old in a Georgia center is $5,700, according to the National Association of Child Care Resources and Referral Agencies. The national average is $6,700.

If such prices have no place in your budget, here are some ways to save.

Consider care alternatives

One alternative is family child care. These are small operations run out of homes by stay-at-home guardians looking to earn extra money.

As with any outside care you employ, ask for references and what credentials or experience the provider has. For family child care, licensing and regulation vary from state to state.

Regardless of where you live, one way to assess a home is to bring your child along for a visit.

“You can tell a lot by that. If the provider is warm and nurturing, the children will just melt into her,” said Linda Geigle, executive director of the National Association for Family Child Care.

In Atlanta, the YMCA uses a sliding fee scale and will attempt to work with families to make their programs accessible, said Lydia Thacker, vice president of child care and diversity for the Metro Atlanta YMCA.

Company benefits

Flex time and telecommuting can help cut back on child care expenses.

Couples might be able to stagger shifts so someone is always home with the kids.

Once you get the green light, don’t let your boss regret the decision.

“It goes both ways; you have to be flexible too so your schedule doesn’t cause a disruption to the organization,” said Steve Williams, director of research at the Society for Human Resource Management, an industry group based in Alexandria, Va.

Many large firms offer tax-free spending accounts to care for a dependent.

Government help

If you’re in a child-care crunch because you lost a job or took a cut in pay, inquire at government social-service agencies about help. President Barack Obama’s stimulus bill includes $2 billion for a Child Care Development Block Grant program intended to bring an additional 150,000 children into subsidized care and keep 200,000 children from being dropped from care.

Mobilize the village

Enlist your network of family and friends. There might be a retired grandparent or stay-at-home mom in your circle willing to watch the kids a couple of days a week. Even paying a small fee is likely to be cheaper than a day care center.

A group of families might want to split the pay for a group nanny. Or parents with flexible schedules might take turns baby-sitting.

Talk to other parents at school functions or sports practice. Check Web sites such as Meetup.com for parent groups in your area.