Questions about paying for childcare
What do you do if you can't afford daycare?▼
Start with the provider, before the start date. Ask whether the first month can be split into two payments, whether a deposit can be credited toward a later month, and whether the start date can move. Whatever is left after that conversation is the number worth asking a few people to cover: ideally one payment with a due date, which is the clearest kind of ask there is.
How do you pay for daycare when the first month is due up front?▼
Treat it as its own payment, separate from the months after it. Name the amount and the date it is due, attach the invoice or enrollment letter, and send it to the people who already know your child. Once your bank is connected, each contribution reaches it in 2-3 business days, so send the request before the due date rather than on it.
Is this a childcare subsidy?▼
It isn't a subsidy, and it works alongside one. A request is money from the people you know, sent to your own bank account. If you already receive childcare assistance, a request can cover what it leaves: a copay, a deposit, or the first month at a new provider.
Will money from a request affect my childcare assistance or other benefits?▼
Money from a request reaches your own bank account, so it is treated like any other money arriving there. If you receive childcare assistance, Medicaid, SSI or another benefit with income or asset limits, that can matter, and it is worth asking whoever administers your benefit before you raise anything. We can't advise on it and nobody should guess for you.
Can I ask for help with diapers and formula, not just daycare?▼
Yes. Childcare & Family covers daycare, baby supplies, diapers and formula. Give it a stretch of time rather than an open total, such as diapers and formula until the next paycheck, and attach receipts from the last month so the number is concrete.
Should childcare costs go on a public fundraising page?▼
It can. The thing to weigh is that a public page can keep your family's situation searchable and open to comment long after the payment is made. If the people most likely to help already know your kids, a private request on A Better Gift reaches them without the public page.
What does A Better Gift charge?▼
Creating a request is free, sending it is free, and you receive the entire amount of every contribution.
What happens if I don't reach the amount?▼
You keep everything contributed. Once your bank is connected, each contribution reaches it in 2-3 business days, whether the total is met or not.
How do I get the money?▼
Once your bank is connected, each contribution reaches it in 2-3 business days, one contribution at a time, and the goal doesn't have to be reached first. Stripe checks who you are, and you're paid only into an account held in your own name.
What can I include in a request?▼
Your story in your own words, what the money pays for and when it is due, the daycare invoice or enrollment letter, photos, and a video of you explaining why you're asking. The people you send it to see your story, the invoice, your photos and your video when they open the link.
Can a grandparent or a friend set up the request for us?▼
Yes. The person who creates the request receives the money, so it should be whoever will actually pay the provider.
Is it strange to ask family to help pay for childcare?▼
It can be the whole reason not to ask. But a grandparent or an aunt asked to cover a few days of daycare is being asked to do one specific thing for a child they already love, which is a different request from asking strangers to judge your budget. For the wording,
How to Ask Family for Money has scripts for parents and relatives.
Is this page for a baby shower?▼
This page is for care and supplies a family needs. If you are expecting and would rather friends sent money than shower gifts,
How to Ask for Money Instead of Gifts covers that wording.
