Help me please ...... only 2 questions .... (Seattle, Shoreline: day cares, lawyers, house)

[Huda-22]

Hello everyone



I would ask you some questions about Seattle
I will come to Seattle for studying on the coming September but I have no idea about Seattle except its cold weather and lovely people
So, what is about the good places for living, I had asked some people there and they suggested North Gate , is it a good and secure place? sense I will come with my husband and infant daughter and is it far away from university street ?
the other thing I have an infant daughter and I had searched about daycares but unfortunately they are so so expensive I do not know if there is any good daycare for infants less than 800$ per month??

Best wishes

[eskercurve]

Part of the reason why day care is so expensive is litigation. Welcome to the USA, where 18 million lawsuits are filed every year, and about half the world's lawyers live here! Because little Johnny hurt his toe, or because Sally fell off a swing, parents feel the need to sue for every little stupid thing.

Not to mention that it takes a lot to take care of a kid ... very energetic as you know. And wages are higher in the USA, and there's probably regulations and such with day care that have to be priced in. I highly doubt you will find day care less than $800 / mo.

It's so expensive that my wife and I crunched the numbers and after taxes and stress of leaving our kid somewhere for day care, we figured we could do well on my income alone and she can be a stay at home mom. Her career path doesn't require her to commute anyway so she is thinking of studying while taking care of the kids when we start having them.

Northgate, from the neighborhood that I've seen away from the shopping center, is a nice place but was built with the car in mind ... that is, no sidewalks. To the south of the mall has sidewalks, to the north, you may or may not have any.

For more affordable housing, check out Shoreline, Edmonds, or Greenwood.

[Huda-22]

Originally Posted by bisjoe

It's not really cold, compared to areas like Minnesota or Chicago. Just wet. We get snow 2-3 times a year, and the coldest since we moved here in 1993 was last winter at 10F and below freezing doesn't usually last long,

My daughter is expecting in November and is on a waiting list, expecting to pay $2,000/month for day care. Everything expensive here compared to most of the country. Northgate is pretty close to the University District,
but is a high traffic suburban shopping area. I'd suggest looking for places to live in Ravenna, Maple Leaf, or Greenlake. Even a bit further away there is good bus service.

For us it is cold since I am from Saudi Arabia the weather now is almost 50c
OMG Seattle is really expensive
My studying will be taken by officials at public expense and they will give us 3,000$/ month only !!!
I do not know how we will mange the things
Anyway ,is there ( I do not know what is it name in English) families which take the permission of the government to open day care in their own house ?? and what your opinion about them are they secure and trustable ?

[Hemlock140]

Yes, you will fiond it cold here then, next week through August we might hit 85F/30C but then the cooler weather returns in September.

Yes, we have home based day care here, all must be licensed now, but even those small ones having just a few kids are still charging a lot. A friend of ours has one here in Sammamish and drives a new Mercedes. I don't know for sure but I think she charges $1,500 a month. Some of the colleges will have much less expensive day care staffed by the child development students.

[Huda-22]

Originally Posted by eskercurve

Part of the reason why day care is so expensive is litigation. Welcome to the USA, where 18 million lawsuits are filed every year, and about half the world's lawyers live here! Because little Johnny hurt his toe, or because Sally fell off a swing, parents feel the need to sue for every little stupid thing.

Not to mention that it takes a lot to take care of a kid ... very energetic as you know. And wages are higher in the USA, and there's probably regulations and such with day care that have to be priced in. I highly doubt you will find day care less than $800 / mo.

It's so expensive that my wife and I crunched the numbers and after taxes and stress of leaving our kid somewhere for day care, we figured we could do well on my income alone and she can be a stay at home mom. Her career path doesn't require her to commute anyway so she is thinking of studying while taking care of the kids when we start having them.

Northgate, from the neighborhood that I've seen away from the shopping center, is a nice place but was built with the car in mind ... that is, no sidewalks. To the south of the mall has sidewalks, to the north, you may or may not have any.

For more affordable housing, check out Shoreline, Edmonds, or Greenwood.

Should I blame lawyers now?
That is a good thing that you have been decided, but * unfortunately I have to go to university. I really hate leaving my daughter with strangers but I have no chose
I have heard about Greenwood , how is the rents are there cheap or expensive ?

[Huda-22]

Originally Posted by bisjoe

Yes, you will fiond it cold here then, next week through August we might hit 85F/30C but then the cooler weather returns in September.

Yes, we have home based day care here, all must be licensed now, but even those small ones having just a few kids are still charging a lot. A friend of ours has one here in Sammamish and drives a new Mercedes. I don't know for sure but I think she charges $1,500 a month. Some of the colleges will have much less expensive day care staffed by the child development students.

OMG even those are expensive
Day cares which belong to universities are often full , I will be on waiting list for along time

[sekhmet1974]

Wow, I don't have kids so I had no idea that daycare was so expensive. What shocks me about this is that pay for daycare workers (which most centers, as they should, require education and certification) is almost NOTHING. If you don't believe me, look up ads for these jobs. It will shock you that you are paying so much and the people taking care of your children are receiving so little. It does make you wonder, where does all of that money go?

[Woof]

Childcare Overview

Unless your husband will have a good job, why not have him take care of your child? That may be considered unthinkable in Saudi Arabia because of the culture and religion, but it's very normal in the US. If he won't be working or studying he would have nothing better to do anyway.

If he's also going to be a student, try to arrange your classes so you take them at different times. Maybe you would only need to hire an occasional babysitter if you plan well.

[Huda-22]

Originally Posted by sekhmet1974

Wow, I don't have kids so I had no idea that daycare was so expensive. What shocks me about this is that pay for daycare workers (which most centers, as they should, require education and certification) is almost NOTHING. If you don't believe me, look up ads for these jobs. It will shock you that you are paying so much and the people taking care of your children are receiving so little. It does make you wonder, where does all of that money go?

Of course there will be many taxes to open a day care and also many requirements I think they receive less than the half and do not forget that taking care of children is so tiresome and difficult

[Inkpoe]

Perhaps you could contact this group that is mentioned in the Seattle University paper and they can help direct you to the day care that's more suited for you. Seattle University - SU Magazine - Campus Observer - Club Reaches Beyond Campus Borders

You can always check out home day cares, they tend to be less than 1K/mo... but it's definitely nerve-wracking to be in another country and doing things their way. My sister is using a home day care and she pays something like $800/mo. She likes well enough.