To illustrate how costs differ based on the quality standards and enhancements programs meet , Figure 15 presents a comparison of the statewide cost per child results using the MIT Living Wage salary option for a program meeting :
( a ) licensing standards , ( b ) Early Achievers Level 3 standards , and ( c ) Early Achievers Level 5 standards .
As shown , in the child care center setting costs increase 5 – 7 % at EA level 3 , and a further 10 – 14 % at EA level 5 . In the family child care setting , costs increase 55 % at EA level 3 , and then a further 7 % at level 5 . The increase to level 3 for family child care is larger than centers due to the inclusion of a part time assistant at this level to allow for planning and release time , which is a significant cost driver shared across a small number of children .
Figure 15 : Comparison of cost per child at different quality levels
$ 45,000
$ 40,000
$ 39,326
|
$ 35,000
$ 30,000
$ 25,000
$ 20,000
|
$ 34,074 $ 35,697 |
$ 29,601
$ 24,851 $ 25,711
$ 26,349
$ 21,162 $ 22,610
|
$ 20,557
$ 31,860
$ 34,094
|
$ 16,497 |
|
$ 15,000
$ 10,000
|
|
$ 12,241
$ 10,441 $ 11,036
|
|
$ 15,416 $ 9,957 |
$ 5,000 |
|
|
|
|
$ 0 |
Center – Infants |
Center – Toddlers |
Center – Preschoolers |
Center – School age |
FCC – Birth-5 |
FCC – School age |
Licensing Standards EA – Level 3 EA – Level 5
25