The ~$21/hr minimum wage, 1:2 staffing ratio, etc required by law in Seattle puts a very high floor on the cheapest possible daycare. Just being a bare minimum legal daycare business has a cost floor of at least $2k/month per infant.
It sounds crazy, but it only applies in one case: a home-based childcare where the license holder has less two-years of experience and all the children are under 2 years of age and none of them are walking independently. For more experienced primary licensees, and older children, the ratios are higher. [0]
For childcare centers, the ratios are also higher: [1]
For infants (under 1 year) the required ratio is 1:4 with a group size of up to 8, or 1:3 with a group size of 9
For toddlers (under 30 months) the required ratio is 1:7 with a group size of up to 14, or 1:5 with a group size of 15
For preschoolers (under 5 years) the arequired ratio is 1:10 with a group size of up to 20
For school age children the required ratio is 1:15 with a group size of up to 30.
Also not accurate. I have a 2 year old in daycare in Seattle and the ratio is 8:1. I believe it’s 6:1 or maybe 4:1 for infants. I’ve never heard of 2:1 that would be absurd
