Child Care

Every parent knows that having a child isn't cheap. The average cost of raising a family has grown higher than ever, and parents are making some sacrifices to pay it. Here are some of the common tradeoffs new mothers and fathers are making.

You can't clip coupons or bargain shop for many of your biggest household expenses -- but what if there was a way to get a discount? There is: You can often take pretax deductions from your paycheck and allocate it for basic expenses like child care, transportation and tuition.

It's certainly not easy, but for those who can do it, calculating expenses jointly helps clarify points in the negotiation that should be acceptable to both parties. And any post-divorce expenses will need to consider all manner of child care costs.

These payments fell in 2009 for first time in the U.S. in more than three decades, and while the official government report for fiscal 2010 won't be out for months, it's likely that it, too, saw that downward trend continue. Stubbornly high unemployment is the primary culprit.

The nation's largest private employee assistance program reported this week that for the first time in several decades, housing overtook child care as the top reason thousands of workers called asking for help. ComPsych reported that queries related to moving rose 14% in the first half of this...

This is just one of the Innovative Ways to Stimulate the Economy suggested by DailyFinance contributors. See them all. During a recession, public policy officials have to get creative. Certainly they've done just that during the current financial crisis and economic slowdown. Still, despite a...

I wrote earlier this week about how child care is becoming a luxury that many families can't afford; and in the post I predicted that, in a prolonged downturn, "full-time child care will be a perk that only the wealthiest two-income families even consider." In yesterday's Wall Street Journal, news...

My best knitting buddy can meet for play dates on Tuesdays and Fridays; those are the days she doesn't work, because she has her three-year-old son. Her husband has him on Wednesdays and Sundays; her mom takes care of him (in exchange for her board in a fancy tiny house they built for her) Mondays,...

Taxpayers can receive a direct reduction in their income taxes with the Child Care Credit. The credit may be up to $3,000 for one child or up to $6,000 for two or more children, and is given for qualified daycare or child care expenses. To claim the credit, you must fill out Form 2441, which...