Child care costs on Central Coast is among highest in the State

More and more families on the Central Coast are opting to put their children in unlicensed day cares just to save a buck. According to the latest numbers from The California Child Care Resource and Referral Network, the cost of childcare here on the Central Coast is among the highest in the entire State.

The average monthly cost to put one baby in a day care center full time in 2014 was around $1,110 a month. That State average is actually lower than what families are paying in both Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties, according to the report.

Maria Ortiz, with the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation, helps find affordable care for families. Ortiz believes the price is closer to $8,500 a year for one infant, but many families still don’t even have that. She said often times because the price is too high, families compromise on the type of care they get for their kids.

“We find that families either leave their children with an unlicensed provider, a friend, neighbor, a relative, which is fine. But our concern is that they don’t meet the basic health and safety requirements and they haven’t gone through the fingerprint process. A lot of the parents are forced to leave their children, and not thinking in a way that it’s a safety issue,” said Maria Ortiz.

In Santa Cruz County, putting one infant in a center could cost you $15,045, which drops to $9,419 for in-home child care. In Monterey County, the same thing, $14,135 for a center, or $8,400.

Ortiz said the main demographic reaching out for help is Hispanics between the ages of 20- 45, but they do help everyone.