<p>Hello, we are in the process of filling out CSS-profile for my older son, for early action application - due end of this mon Nov.1</p>
<p>we have unusual situation, we have two other children, one in 1st grade, the other in daycare(17 months old). The daycare cost is quire a bit, over $15,000 a year. I do not see a place on the form to enter this cost in CSS_Profile, in the section for other children, it asks you to enter tuition for elementary school, middle school...and so on, no entry for daycare. Probably they don't expect you to have kids this late in life...</p>
<p>I would guess not, based on the definition of tuition as:
1.the charge or fee for instruction, as at a private school or a college or university
2.teaching or instruction, as of pupils. </p>
<p>Day care isn’t teaching or instruction, per se. It’s just supervised care.</p>
<p>The 15 month old is not in school. That is day-care/baby-sitting. You’re really not paying “tuition”. You’re paying for a babysitting service. I think the child has to be in a K-12 kind of setting.</p>
<p>That makes it sound like a discretionary expense, or even a luxury . . . when, in fact, it’s a necessary expenditure if these parents want to be employed. It’s not at all the same as private school tuition, which is a discretionary expense. (No one is obligated to pay for private school - there’s always the choice of public.)</p>
<p>There’s got to be some way to enter this expense on Profile . . .</p>
<p>^^^
That may be true, but the question was if this counts as “tuition” and I don’t think it does…even if it’s a necessity.</p>
<p>If my MIL lived with me as a full-dependent, and I had to pay for “daycare” for her, I wouldn’t count it as “tuition”. As you said, the expense may get noted elsewhere, but I don’t think it counts as “tuition.”</p>
<p>Also, I don’t know what the guideline would be for that. At some point, the amount might be seen as a luxury. Obviously, most people aren’t paying $15k per year for daycare for one child…otherwise few moms would work. I could be wrong, but I don’t think a college is going to take that amount into account “dollar for dollar”.</p>
<p>IIRC at the end of the CSS Profile there is a space to provide additional information. I would include your child care expenses there and perhaps indicate the age of the child (so they will know this will be an ongoing cost for a number of years). Each school will address it differently but certainly it is a cost to allow for the additional income (which they definitely will count).</p>
<p>Look under allowances against income. Of course every school will look at it in their own way - but I would make sure you provide that information somewhere.</p>
<p>Even those schools that do give you some credit for K12 tuition for private schools for siblings do not do so on the amount expended but just some allowance that varies.</p>
<p>nowadays $15K for day care at the licensed center is a reasonable amount for under 24 months baby. So, those who cannot do part-time or use home-based childcare, which usually only offers reduced hours, do pay this amount. Eight years ago, I paid $1200 per month for my daughter. Her daycare now charges more - I believe around $1400 per month.</p>
<p>nowadays $15K for day care at the licensed center is a reasonable amount for under 24 months baby</p>
<p>Believe me, I know that it’s not unusual for day cares to charge that much for infants. </p>
<p>My point is that, in reality, most new moms are NOT paying $15k per year for daycare. Most moms cannot afford to pay that much. Think about it, most young mothers aren’t earning enough to payout that much of their salaries. </p>
<p>I could be wrong, but I don’t think most colleges are going to treat a $15k per year child care expense for one child as they would…say…$15k per year for medical expenses uncovered by insurance.</p>
<p>I agree with what you are saying. I just disagree that it should be treated as a discretionary spending. In order to work full time, mothers need reliable child care. Home-based centers are not very reliable and don’t offer good hours, so in most cases if a family cannot afford baby-sitters they feel like they are forced to pay this much for day care. </p>
<p>Yes, I know - colleges don’t care how I feel.</p>
<p>* I just disagree that it should be treated as a discretionary spending*</p>
<p>I don’t think anyone said that the entire amount is discretionary spending. I just think that at some point, a high amount might be considered a luxury, and I’d be surprised if a college gave that much “allowance” for it. I could hire a live-in full-time nanny for an infant and pay her $30k per year. At some point, a college is going to think…“hmmm…that’s a luxury”. I just don’t see many colleges (maybe HYPS) thinking that they should give the family significantly more money just to help subsidize costly daycare. </p>
<p>We all know that private K-12 can have costs that range from about $5k per year to $50k per year. At some point, a college is going to say, “We’re not subsidizing a family’s K-12 pricey tuition costs.”</p>