About Kelivon
Kelivon uses Census childcare expenditure data, BLS wage statistics, and IRS tax rules to help you understand the true after-tax cost of daycare, nanny, au pair, and hybrid arrangements for your specific family, location, and work schedule.
American families spend an average of $10,000-$25,000 per year on childcare -- more than college tuition in most states. Yet most parents compare options using sticker prices alone, ignoring tax credits, FSA benefits, employer subsidies, schedule flexibility, and the compounding effect of multi-child discounts. A nanny that looks expensive might be cheaper than daycare after taxes. An au pair that seems exotic might be the most cost-effective option for families with 3+ children.
We ingest childcare cost data from Care.com market surveys, daycare tuition from state licensing databases, nanny wages from BLS OES, and au pair program costs from State Department data. We then model the full tax impact: Child and Dependent Care Credit, Dependent Care FSA (DCAP), employer benefits, and state-specific credits. Monte Carlo simulation accounts for rate increases, schedule changes, and turnover costs across 10,000 scenarios.
We use authoritative sources -- Census ACS childcare expenditure data, BLS employment statistics, IRS tax credit rules, and state licensing databases. Every estimate traces back to published datasets.
Childcare cost analysis has been scattered across mommy blogs and Reddit threads. We make the math rigorous and accessible to every parent making this critical financial decision.
The cheapest option is not always the best option when you factor in taxes, flexibility, and quality. Our models show the true after-tax cost of each arrangement so you can decide what matters most.
Every feature available to parents is also available through our REST API. Build childcare cost analysis into your own parenting, HR, or benefits applications.
Kelivon is a product of Smart Technology Investments LLC, a research-driven company building decision intelligence tools that help consumers make better financial decisions using data that was always available but never accessible.
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