Printable kit · 15 worksheets
Childcare Planning Kit
This kit pays for itself. Get one registration fee waived or credited and the $29 kit has paid for itself: our childcare cost guide lists registration fees of $50 to $300. How
- 15 fill-in worksheets, 42 print pages
- 2 filled-in examples and a phone-ready workbook
- All-in cost comparison, fee checklist, waitlist and FSA planner
30-day money-back guarantee. Use it all; if it doesn't help, every dollar back.
Choose care on its all-in monthly cost, get every fee and policy in writing before you sign, have a backup plan before the first sick day, and claim the tax savings you are due.
Replaces the tour notes on your phone, the fee schedules in your inbox and the guesswork at open enrollment.
How the kit pays for itself
Childcare money usually leaks in the gaps: a fee nobody compared, a late pickup with no backup, a waitlist fee never asked back, an option chosen on headline tuition. These are the mechanics, with the ranges this site publishes.
- Fees before you sign: our childcare cost guide lists registration fees of $50 to $300 and supply fees of $25 to $100 a month. The Fee & Contract Checklist puts every fee side by side and gives you a short script to ask whether the registration fee can be waived or credited.
- Late pickup: the same guide lists late pickup fees of $1 to $5 a minute. Ten minutes at $3 a minute is $30, more than the kit. The Backup Care Plan names who can get there before closing.
- Waitlists: our daycare search guide lists application fees of $25 to $150, often not refundable, and deposits of $100 to $500. The Waitlist Tracker records which fees are refundable, so you ask for them back when you choose a provider.
- The right option for the money: a provider with a lower headline price can cost more all-in once fees, closure days and backup care are added. The Options Comparison shows the all-in monthly cost and the cost per hour for each kind of care.
Worked example. For example: a center lists a $150 registration fee and you ask whether it can be credited toward the first month. If they say yes, that one answer covers this $29 kit five times. For example only: fees and policies are set by each provider, many will say no, and results vary.
Sources on this site: childcare cost guide (fee table), when to start your daycare search (waitlist fees). Not a promise of savings. Fees and policies are set by each provider and change. Tax figures are general; confirm with a tax professional.
Look inside
Real pages from the PDF you download, including both filled-in examples. Swipe or scroll.
30-day money-back guarantee. Use it all; if it doesn't help, every dollar back.
What's in it
See all 15 worksheet titles
- My Childcare Plan
- Childcare Options Comparison: All-In Monthly Cost
- Dated Search & Enrollment Planner
- Kit Pays For Itself Tracker
- Tour Questions
- Provider Scorecard
- Fee & Contract Checklist
- Waitlist Tracker
- Dependent Care FSA & Tax Credit Planner
- Childcare Payment & Fee Log
- Backup Care Plan
- Caregiver Info Sheet
- Nanny & Nanny Share Cost Planner
- Provider Communication Log
- Daycare Gear Budget Planner
Also included
- 2 filled-in examples. Childcare Options Comparison: All-In Monthly Cost and Fee & Contract Checklist, worked through with round sample numbers, so you can see a finished page before you start.
- 1 bonus printable. Questions-for-the-Phone Cards: Cut out and keep by the phone or in your wallet for calls to providers
- 1 bonus printable. Published Childcare Fee Ranges: The ranges this site publishes, so you know what to ask. Your provider's written fee schedule is the only number that counts
- 1 companion workbook. The all-in monthly cost and cost per hour for every option, a waitlist tracker that dates your next follow-up, a general FSA and tax credit estimate, an invoice checker that flags overcharges, and the kit payback total. Opens in Google Sheets, Excel and Numbers. Tabs: Compare, Waitlists, FSA and credit, Invoices, Payback.
- 20 reference guides and spreadsheets (bonus). Our earlier guides and spreadsheets: daycare tour checklist, red flags, first-week and separation guides, nanny interview questions, contract red lines, 90-day search timeline, subsidy navigator, employer benefits and nanny tax quick-starts, 50-state cost reference and more. For the current dependent care FSA cap, use the kit's FSA planner (the federal cap is $7,500 per household from 2026, per IRS Publication 15-B).
- 1 start-here page. The four sheets to fill in the first 20 minutes, and which sheet to reach for when.
Plus the online buyer guide
Three complete daycare setups at three budgets, every item linked with its budget range, plus every product the kit names, kept current on this site. The PDF links straight to it, and each link opens Amazon's current price.
Who it's for
- Parents choosing between a daycare center, home daycare, nanny, nanny share or family care
- Anyone touring daycares who wants the fees and policies in writing before signing
- Expecting parents joining waitlists months ahead
- Working parents setting up a dependent care FSA or claiming the care credit
- Families who want a real backup plan for sick days and closures
Who made this
Built by the ChildCarePath team, the people behind the free childcare cost calculator, provider comparison, waitlist tracker and 400 childcare guides on this site, from state licensing and child care resource agency guidance, provider fee schedules and parent handbooks, and IRS publications. Researched, not legal or tax advice.
30-day money-back guarantee
Use the whole kit. If it doesn't help, fill in the refund form (contact page, Refund request) within 30 days and you get every dollar back. No questions asked. Refund form.
Questions
How do I get it?
Pay on the secure Stripe checkout and you land on your download page: the full PDF, a ZIP of every sheet as its own printable page, a workbook that opens in Google Sheets, Excel or Numbers, and our older reference guides as a bonus. Bookmark that page to download again later.
Will it tell me what daycare costs near me?
Nobody can quote your provider for you: tuition changes by town, age group and year. The kit shows the fee ranges this site publishes, gives you a place for each provider's written quote, and does the all-in math on them. Our free calculator gives a starting estimate by state.
Is the tax planner tax advice?
No. It lists the two federal breaks for work-related childcare, the questions to ask your benefits office, and a general estimate. A tax professional confirms what applies to your family.
We are hiring a nanny, not using daycare. Is it still useful?
Yes. The comparison, plan, backup, FSA and payment sheets work for any kind of care, and the nanny and nanny share planner covers the employer costs and a fair split between two families.
Does it work on my phone?
Yes. The PDF reads on any phone, and the workbook opens in the free Google Sheets app, so you can log a waitlist call or an invoice on the spot. Print the tour and fee sheets to take with you.
What if it is not what I expected?
Use the whole kit. If it doesn't help, fill in the refund form within 30 days and you get every dollar back. No questions asked. Refund form.
I bought the older Childcare Cost Planner Toolkit. What changed?
It became this kit: fill-in worksheets, two filled-in examples, a start-here page, a new workbook and the older guides as a bonus. Your old download page now leads to the new files.
Childcare Planning Kit
15 worksheets · 42 pages · examples, workbook and online buyer guide
30-day money-back guarantee. Use it all; if it doesn't help, every dollar back.
Not legal or tax advice. Fees and policies are set by each provider; results vary.
