Babysitting rate calculator?

Sittercity has a calculator which is great except they don’t explain their methodology. They ask for a zip code, number of kids and years of experience belonging to the sitter.

Let’s assume you’ve got 2+ kids and this person has been on and off babysitting since they were 12. Here’s what I think is the market rate for good help by age and driver’s license (note the bump).

Babsyitter rates by AGE

11-13 $7.50/hr

13-16 $8.50/hr

16-18 $10/hr

18-22 $12.50

22+ = $13+

That’s assuming your in an area with a slightly higher cost of living like San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles etc.

Great MSN article on the Cost of Childcare

This MSN article discusses the insane cost of childcare in the US today.  Come on, it’s basically paying rent on your kids until they go to high school and 4 years later you really get to pay. (Especially with the financial aid you’ll be enjoying as a dual-income home)

 “With child care for infants running as high as $14,650 a year and care for a 4-year-old in a licensed center as high as $10,920, child-care costs have outpaced what the average family spends on food, according to the National Association of Child Care Resources and Referral Agencies.”

-The child-care crisis   msn.com

When both parents work, families need someone to mind the kids. But with costs as high as $14,650 a year, day care can swallow most of one parent’s wages.