Monroe County, N.Y. - For the Brazofsky family, when it comes to daycare, it all boils down to dollars and cents.
The couple has two young sons and another child on the way.
The cost for multiple kids in daycare can exceed $400 per week.
"We definitely couldn't afford it, there's no way we could afford it," said Matt Brazofsky, whose wife stays home.
Costs for child care have gone up over the past six years.
In Monroe County, this year, care of an infant at a center is $242 per week; in 2005, it cost $190.
For 2011, it costs $227 for a toddler at a day care center; in 2005, it cost $180.
That's one of the reasons why Matt's wife Erin stays home.
"I did think briefly that maybe I could go back to work, but looking and thinking about the numbers, my paycheck would go completely to childcare, so it didn't seem to make any financial sense," said stay at home mom, Erin Brazofsky.
Some who can't stay home, choose other cheaper alternatives, such as home or family daycares.
Those types of care tend to be a little more affordable.
Statistics show that home daycares in Monroe County can cost $175 for an infant and $170 for a toddler.
But some parents worry that cheaper daycare could impact the child's quality of care.
"I didn't feel comfortable with the home daycares," said working mom, Kerri Flesch.
But home daycare provider Yvonne Benson defends home daycare.
"The one good thing about family daycare is that there is a smaller ratio, smaller ration and a nurturing home environment and with that you can do so much. You offer love acceptance, safe and you're playing with them, they're learning and growing at the same time. The education is there, it's just a more home based level," Benson says.
C.E.O. of the CHild Care Council, Barbara-Ann Mattle says there are many options when it comes to child care but there may be some differences.
"So the education and quality of the caregiver is what drives the quality of care for the child."
And different types of care systems have different requirements in how care givers are trained and educated.
"So if you look just at the education levels and the training that someone gets, one would say there's more training in the registered system," Mattle says.
Unregistered or informal providers don't have their factilites inspected as often.
"In the registered or licensed system, all of the daycare centers, family childcare homes and groups homes are inspected, visited every year," said Mattle. "In the legally exempt system, 20 percent of the providers are randomly visited every year."
Daycare providers agree that parents should trust their gut when choosing reliable daycare for their child.
"It really depends on what the parent is looking for, if you feel more comfortable with a home daycare a group home, a center, it all depends," said Benson.
