Lowering the Cost of Child Care in St. Mary's County - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages... The average salary for a child care assistant is also higher than the average in the country. St. Mary’s needs to lower the cost of child care so that more parents could afford the service. At the moment the costs are prohibitive and beyond the means of the average family in this county. If the executive board members of St. Mary’s discuss the issue with the county authorities, perhaps a solution could be arrived at to the benefit of all the stakeholders to the issue. For instance, the number of care centers in Maryland is much less than the demand that the county has. The authorities could consider setting up more centers at budget costs. The group size could be increased and the number of children per care workers could be increased without compromising on quality. For equipments and materials, donations could be sought which would help the care centers reduce their annual expenditure budgets. They could even seek sponsorships for their regular programs and events. In addition, differential pricing strategy could be applied. Those who require tutoring could be charged a higher price than those who simply require care services. The federal and the state governments are also responsible to ensure that people are able to meet the rising costs. Hence, these authorities should consider revising the tax structure based on income levels as well as for families with infants and children. Meet rising costs The cost of child care is on the rise, as inflation and population go up the cost continues to follow it. About 90% of the funding for child care comes directly from parents (NACCRRA 2012). Child care is labor intensive and hence the high cost of the service. The child care centers also provide for insurance for toys and equipments, they need to pay for mortgage and the tax consultants’ fees. With all these expenses, they just about manage to make up for the costs incurred. However, in the best interest of all the parties concerned, action needs to be taken to meet these costs by the people of St Mary’s county. A. The child care fees include meals and many times even dinners. In addition they include essential supplies like diapers, toilet papers, wipes and first aid equipments (Alexander, n.d.). If essentials like food, blankets and disposables could be supplied from home, the care centers could reduce burden of fees. B. Another way to reduce the costs would be to pay monthly or annual fees to the child care center as most centers offer discounts for advance payments (Alexander). As of now most parents pay weekly. This could reduce the overall costs to a large extent. C. Parents could benefit from the federal and state tax programs including the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Child Tax Credit, the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, and Dependent Care Assistance Programs (NACCRRA 2012). This could, to some extent help them meet the rising expenses. The middle class struggles with the cost of living A. The parents could consider lowering their monthly expenses by opting for cheaper rentals and trying to save the tax money. Luxury items of personal consumption could be given up to provide for the child. They could even consider giving up the cable connection for some time till they can afford such luxuries. In addition, parents could focus on weekend entertainment at places that do not require ...Download file to see next pagesRead More