Child Care Guide

Resources for Child Care | On-Campus Child Care Options | Search Tips | Child Care in Pittsburgh: What to Expect

Resources for Child Care

• Concierge Service — Provides CMU faculty, staff and graduate students with information, support, guidance and education on all dependent care related topics.
• Care for Business — Eligible employees and graduate students receive a free premium membership to Care.com, where they can search provider profiles or post jobs. The program also provides emergency backup care options at a subsidized rate. Specialists can help families identify in-home caregivers. Also includes the LifeMart discount program.
• Employee Assistance Program — Provides generic childcare searches and informative articles on a variety of parenting related topics.

On-Campus Child Care Options

• Children's School — Run by CMU's Department of Psychology, the Children's School offers developmentally-appropriate preschool and kindergarten classes. Space is limited, so inquire early.
• Cyert Center for Early Education — Child care and education program for ages 12 weeks through kindergarten available to CMU faculty, staff and graduate students. Full-time benefits-eligible employees may be eligible for a Sliding Scale benefit that reduces the cost of tuition.

Search Tips

• Start your search early and look for many options. Waitlists can be long and sometimes unreliable. Applying to multiple programs will off you better chances of success.
• Consider which type of childcare works best for you:
  • Center-based care — child care centers, home-based daycares, etc.
  • In-home care — nanny care, relatives, etc.
  • Care shares — coordinating care with another family to split the cost of a caregiver or provide coverage for each other
  • Emergency or gap care — care for unexpected or short-term child care needs
• Consider the frequency of the care you need. Full-time options are the most common, but part-time options are also available, especially as children get older.
• Consider the location of your care: Many parents choose care within a 30-minute commute of their home or work.
• Consider when you need the care to begin: Many parents begin care at the end of any planned family leave. Some parents stagger their leave with a partner to extend the amount of time the baby remains at home.
• Look for indicators of quality childcare. Keystone Stars ratings and NAEYC accreditations are a good place to start.
• Consider the cost of care: Infant care will generally cost between $1,100 and $1,700 per month at a child care center and $25 to $35 per hour for a nanny.

Child Care in Pittsburgh: What to Expect

Child Care Costs

• The cost of child care centers in Pittsburgh, especially those located near CMU, tends to be higher than average.
• Child care centers typically increase their tuition prices each year, and different centers have different tuition rates, payment plans and financial assistance opportunities.
• Tuition also varies based on the age of the child, with infant care typically being the most expensive.
• Programs may provide financial assistance if your family qualifies. See Affording Quality Child Care for more information.

Availability

• Many programs in Pittsburgh have waitlists. Your first-choice child care center may not be immediately available, so it can be beneficial to find multiple providers that could work for your family's needs.
• Hours of operation are set per individual center, though most child care centers in Pittsburgh operate between the general hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Some programs offer part-time or half-day care, but this scheduling option is less common for infants.
• The family care concierge specialists can provide availability information to help you find potential programs.
• The Allegheny County Child Care Finder and Pennsylvania COMPASS Child Care search tools are additional resources on child care providers in your desired location.
• For additional information, see Child Care Options to Consider and Interim Child Care Options.

Quality

• The family care concierge specialists cannot recommend or endorse any particular provider. However, there are designations we may share when offering child care options to help you make an informed decision, including Keystone STARS and NAEYC accreditation for licensed providers.
• Choosing Quality Child Care provides additional considerations when selecting care.
• Other helpful resources include the Department of Human Services' Guide to Choosing Quality Child Care [pdf] and Trying Together's How to Find, Choose, and Pay for High-Quality Child Care [pdf].