How San Diego parents navigate soaring child care costs
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San Diego parents are spending thousands of dollars a month to pay for child care — if they can even find it.
We asked readers and experts for tips on how to manage the rising costs, and they offered some helpful guidance beyond applying for financial support.
Top tips:
💸 Temporary budget change
Reader Rachel S. rerouted income typically put into a 401K to pay for child care, understanding that it's a "temporary expense and we can start investing more again when they start school," she said.
- "The important part is to actually remember to invest that part of your income again when you're no longer using it for child care!" she added.
Take advantage of a Dependent Care FSA if your employer offers one, said Courtney Baltiyskyy, a policy analyst with the San Diego YMCA.
- That allows you to contribute tax-free to an account that can be used for child care, including summer camps and after-school programs.
🧩 Stack child care options and lean on your village
As a single parent, Dianne O. said she put her daughter in a church preschool and then had a private provider cover care for the rest of the afternoon. Still, that combo cost about a third of her salary.
- Now retired, she takes care of a neighbor's child from 6am–8:30am, and then another person takes that kid to elementary school.
- "I understand this single parent's pain and stress," she said, so she generally just charges "perks like an avocado or a small bag of veggies from the farmers market."
The YMCA preschool programs take state subsidy vouchers and offer scholarships, Baltiyskyy said.
- Families who don't qualify for a state voucher or are on the waiting list can still apply for scholarships.
- The same is true for summer camps.
🗣️ Companies can get involved
Kim McDougal, senior vice president of social services at YMCA of San Diego County, encourages parents to talk to their employers about setting up a child care benefit program and flexible scheduling.
- The business community should help solve the local child care crisis as they benefit from reliable, focused and present employees, she said.
- The Trump administration expanded tax credits and reimbursements for businesses' child care expenses, which could also incentivize companies to make on-site facilities.
Case in point: The YMCA helped March and Ash dispensary build a program that gives all staff members $4,500 a year toward the cost of any type of child care, including summer camps, McDougal said.
☎️ Get help finding care
The San Diego YMCA is the county's designated resource and referral provider, which means their website lists all available licensed and home child care providers.
Baltiyskyy said they will also make phone calls to find child care for anyone in the county — for free!
- "It's really a choose-your-own adventure and how we can help you find child care that meets your needs," she told Axios. "The language you'd like your provider to speak, the types of curriculum or methodology that are being used, the geographic distance from home or work and the cost. Our navigators actually take on the responsibility of contacting providers that have an open slot that meet that family's need, and we'll call and see if the family can stop by."
- To get started, call 800-481-2151, Monday through Friday, 8am–5pm.
You can also pull state inspections of any child care provider and sign up for alerts for new inspections here.
💭 Our thought bubble: Get started on the search as soon as you find out you're pregnant, and consider in-home day cares, which are typically more affordable.