AdventureDad

Every day I drop off the kids a day care I feel great.  But I also think about other parents who send their kids to a shitty day care, at a very young age,  and often pay a fortune for that privilege.  And I often think about friends and family in Mexico who pay ridiculous amounts of money for only a few hours of  care each day. The day care system here is superb, straightforward, and simple.  It costs nothing.  Actually, it's less than nothing.

Being forced to leave your child at age 3-6 months at day care is something I consider cruel.  I know many don't have a choice.  Ironically, they're forced to go back to work  with a salary that barely cover the cost of day care. I feel so sorry for people in this situation, I thinks that age is way  too early to leave your child.  That's when one should be at home bonding and creating a relationship that will be last a lifetime.

Kids over here are not allowed at day care before 12 months of age. Many, like our son and daughter, have started at age 18 months (by choice). It's possible to hire a nanny privately but I don't know a single person that has done so.  There's no reason to do so since every person, mother of father, has the right to paternity/maternity leave at almost full pay for about 18 months.  People here are spoiled and don't realize how great of a benefit this is.  I call it parent and family heaven.

Everyone has the right to the same day care, public or private. You can choose any school you like.  Cost is exactly the same and all regulated by government (sounds scary but it's actually fantastic).  You're guaranteed a space for your child by giving  3 months of advance notice. Like any other modern country there are schools with different educational directions.  Our kids go to a school with a  Montessori inspired approach.  Cost for full time care, 7.30-5 pm is $200 per month.  Half for the second child.  Part time care, 30 hours a week like we do, is $140 per child and half for the second. This includes everything you can possibly think of.  Diapers, food, snacks, excursions, and supplies.

Funny thing is every family receives a $200 monthly check (per child) until the child is 18 years of age.  It's  not income dependent.  Those checks may be used for anything, it's up to the parents.  So great day care is basically free, or a profit for us.  We dump the kids $400 into their accounts and the kids will get this little starting capital when they turn 15.  Nice beer or travel money!

I shudder when I think of my friends in Mexico.  My BIL has two kids and pay a fortune for day care.  Close to $1000 per child  which includes nothing.  Another $150 per child in food (must be Kobe beef or lobster at those prices?).  Add another $500 for transportation each month.   And close to $1000 for a full time nanny per month. The funny thing is day care in Mexico is not even 4 hours a day and cost is IMHO ridiculous.  

You do get some other perks in Mexico City (not to be confused with the rest of the country which is totally different). One of the worst pollution levels in the world, crime totally off the chart, efficiency unimaginably low,  corruption which took over the country long ago, kidnappings at number one in the world, and a traffic situation that's so bad it can't even be described.  I generously rate it at a 2 out of 10 for life quality.  Go their to visit, don't ever live there. People are great but they have no idea of real life quality.

Taxes are a little higher here, I do pay about the same income tax as in NYC and a little higher than Mexico City.  Difference is you get nothing for the money in those two other places while  benefits here are amazing.  A few examples are a safe society, no pollution, free high quality day care and schools (all the way through university), and plenty of paternity/maternity leave.

How much does day care/pre-school cost the government?  The total cost for all costs in school up to age 6 is roughly $5 billion a year.  That's including everything.  Converted for the larger population in U.S., the cost would be roughly $150 billion a year. That may sound a lot but after seeing the differences I'm totally convinced the cost absorbed by government is a phenomenal investment.  Kids growing up in a healthy day care/school environment with parents who are at work without worrying about their child's crappy and expensive day care are given a great base to stand on.  I'm sure the benefits are small at a young age but the payback comes as our lovely kids grow up.

What do you get for $150 billion?  It's a large chunk of money, roughly the same as the cost of war in Iraq for only one year. It's not as simple as comparing the two but it's indication of what you get for that kind of money.  And perhaps more importantly, it's also a sign of priorities.  Education nowhere near the top of priorities has very negative long term consequences, something we're starting to see today in U.S.

Categories: Family, Parenting, School
Tags: education, features, mexico, Parenting