College Can Wait...Preschool's Going To Cost You

By: Dallas Child Magazine

Families are likely to spend more on child care than for health care and food combined, according to the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies. With childcare costs as high or higher than housing costs in most states, middle-income families struggle to afford any child care much less high-quality child care, notes the organization's executive director, Linda Smith.

Now, a new national program launching first in the Dallas/Fort Worth area helps parents afford the quality childcare and preschool programs they want. I Pay Childcare's Educate Early loan program frees up more of a family's disposable income by giving them access to competitive interest rate loans and lines of credit specifically to pay for quality child care.

Parents can apply for the Educate Early loan program at participating childcare centers or directly through I Pay Childcare. Once approved, the family begins monthly payments. I Pay Childcare then debits the loan account every month and pays the childcare center, ensuring the center is paid promptly and the loan is used solely for child care a win-win scenario for both the parents and care providers.

I Pay Childcare's pilot program launched in November at Carpe Diem Private Preschool in Frisco. According to I Pay Childcare CEO Ben Robinson, the Dallas/Fort Worth rollout will be followed in 2008 by programs in Houston, Austin and San Antonio.

To find out if your child's school will be offering the program or to inquire about the possibility of adding your child's provider to the program, speak with your child's school director or contact Ben Robinson at I Pay Childcare, 866-543-7427.