Guides
Quick answer
Where should I start reading about childcare costs?
Start with how to read a childcare price quote so you know what a facility's number actually includes, then daycare versus nanny cost math if you are weighing care types. The Dependent Care FSA guide covers the one federal tax benefit almost every working parent can use.
- Daycare versus nanny: the real cost math
How to compare a daycare or family child care price against hiring a nanny, including the household-employer costs a nanny rate alone does not show.
- Dependent Care FSA basics
How a Dependent Care FSA actually works, the 2026 contribution limit, who qualifies, and how it differs from other childcare tax benefits, sourced to the IRS.
- How to read a childcare price quote
What a daycare tuition quote actually includes, what it usually excludes, and the questions to ask before you compare two providers' prices.
- Questions to ask a childcare provider before you enroll
A practical list of financial, logistical, and policy questions to ask a daycare center or family child care provider before you sign a contract, beyond the price alone.
- Why childcare costs more than college tuition in many states
A state-by-state look at how full-time center-based infant care compares to in-state public college tuition, using Child Care Aware of America's 2024 data and the College Board's tuition figures.