Price of Childcare in So Cal

Jamie, Great question! I have a home-based daycare/preschool. I live in Mission Viejo, CA (South Orange County). My rates are: Part-time up to 4 hours per day: $25 per day, Full-time is more than 4 hours per day: $40 per day. Children here 5 days a week, full-time hours, $185 per week (discounted price). Now, my rates include all food (breakfast, lunch, 2 snacks), all art & workbook supplies, diapers & wipes if the child is still in diapers. If the family pays monthly, there is an additional 5% discount each month. my website is: www.thebrighteststars.net Check it out and see what I offer, and then you can compare to other places. You are right that people don't usually pick up the phone during the day unless they recognize the number or it is naptime, but they should call you back in the evening. Good luck in your search. If you have any questions about the places you visit, feel free to email me. Remember to trust your instincts when you meet the care provider and how you feel about being in her home. Also, there should be a department of children's services that will have a directory of daycare providers in your area & they might also have the rates for those providers. Peace, B.

I would call the local state office that provides people with food stamps, child care assistance, medical health care cards, etc...and ask if the have a number for your local licensing agency for child care centers. Then call and talk to a licensing worker. There may be a list on their website.

In Oklahoma the state has a regulations book for providers. It has an addendum in the back that shows how much the state will pay for each age child, in what level of care, such as special needs care VS. a regular child care. It is also a different pay scale based on the counties. Counties that have mostly rural areas pay less for child care and those counties that have major cities, like OKC, get more since cost of living is more. But that is just the pay scale from the state to the provider when they pay for an individual to have affordable child care.

$175 - $200 per week is what I've found in North Orange county. YW ♥

I am not in your state, but here in MN, we home childcare providers do a yearly "rate survey" and they publish the averages for different areas (cities or zip codes) on the Resource and Referral site for parents to get an idea.

Here is what I found for your state....looks like it breaks it down to other areas...maybe you can find similar info?

Good luck.

http://www.rrnetwork.org/resources-and-links/california-m...

I pay 488 a month for 5 days, the hours are 7 to 5:30. I provide lunch, they provide the snacks. I have also paid around between $200-$300 a month for 3 days/ 9-12:30. If you would like PM me, I live in Fallbrook and can give you some recommedations and non-recommendations for preschools.

Do you know of any daycares in your area? Maybe stop by one day and visit and ask quetions. That way you get an idea of how they handle visitors, & strangers, and being asked without any prior warning or time to prepare.

I pay 650 a month for center based care, they provide lunch 4 days a week. I have to provide diapers and wipes. They have a preschool curriculum. The center is open for 11 hours. We pay extra for some extra curricular activities, but all academics and arts and crafts are included.