YAKIMA, WASH. -- Mindy Oja rarely pays for child care.

If the stay-at-home mom needs someone to watch her two daughters, ages 4 and 6, she trades baby-sitting with a network of friends she knows from moms' groups or church. She's paid a sitter "maybe like twice" since her girls were born.

"We have family in town, but we hardly ever use them. It's mostly calling other moms who are more than willing to do it because they know they can also come to me," the 29-year-old says. "It's not an official co-op; it's people helping each other out."

They don't charge for baby-sitting. And neither does Oja. When she does pay for child care, it's usually at the gym, for about an hour at a time.

She considers herself lucky to be able to stay home with her children: "They're my priority right now. I want to be home when my kids are home."

At the same time, it is a sacrifice; the family relies solely on her husband's Yakima police detective salary.

"We're so blessed to have a job that -- if we pay attention to what we spend -- we can make it. We can manage," Oja says. "A lot of people can't do that in Yakima. We're lucky to be able to do it, and it works for us."

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It's one of the most important decisions parents can make.

And it can amount to one of their costliest household expenses, adding up to as much as -- even more than --
a quarter of a family's income.

In these tough economic times, with many parents struggling to keep up with the mortgage and put food on the table, some parents are looking for creative and more affordable child care options.

And that means many are forgoing licensed in-home or family child care businesses as well as day care centers.

"With the slow economy and parents losing jobs, they're looking for alternative types of care -- family or a friend, a neighbor, baby sitter or nanny," says Lindsey Radke, provider services coordinator for the Yakima County Child Care Resource & Referral program.

Housed at Catholic Family and Child Service, the referral program aims to help parents find licensed child care and financing options. It's part of a network of similar services established in 1989 throughout the state.

According to the latest Yakima County report from the statewide network, there are more than 50,000 children under age 13 in Yakima County.

Nearly 20,000 of them are under age 5.

That compares to just under 10,000 spots available in licensed child care facilities countywide.

But there's no shortage. In fact, "We have quite a few vacancies," Radke says.

While the capacity in licensed child care facilities here is growing -- from 8,917 in 2003 to 9,998 now -- the numbers of children enrolled in both in-home and family child care businesses as well as child care centers are dipping.

"From a provider standpoint, there's been a decrease in the number of children in child care," Radke says.

That hasn't been the case at Carroll Children's Center, a nonprofit child care center that has provided early learning for children ages 1 month to 6 years in Yakima for 20 years.

"We probably have 300 people on a waiting list," says center director Kathy Helseth. "It's not affecting us. If I have a 5 percent turnover through the year, that's really high."

But, Helseth says, "I've heard some (centers) have had more openings and have had more trouble getting full. Some are experiencing difficulty."

Recently, she's been receiving more inquiries from families seeking part-time child care, but Carroll only does full time.

The Yakima County Child Care Resource & Referral program has information on the hours of operation as well as services provided at in-home day cares and child care centers. The program refers parents only to licensed providers.

"A lot of parents want centers because they feel it's safer than homes. I don't know that's really the case," Helseth says.

For parents looking for child care, she advises: "Follow that gut feeling. Licensing covers the basic things, and there's a wide range among what happens at the centers. Each home or center has its own personality."

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Oja -- who's expecting her third child in about three months -- made her decision to be a stay-at-home mom long before the recession.

Still, she says, it takes a lot of budgeting and planning to make it work. There's a minivan to pay off and the approaching holidays, in addition to another baby on the way.

"We put a little away each month," Oja says. "We're saving for a crib right now. We're also saving for Christmas. ... Do I wish I had a hardwood floor? Yes. But you have to commit to living without some things and waiting and saving. You don't have to have everything right now.

"You just kind of have to think ahead: What am I going to have to pay?"

Child care isn't cheap. When it comes to the challenges facing parents seeking child care, affordability tops the list, according to the latest report from the referral program. Location and hours that match parents' needs are the other top two concerns.

According to the latest figures from the network, the median cost for full-time child care for a family with an infant and a preschooler was 24 percent to 28 percent of the county's median household income for 2007.

Dollar-wise, that's about $10,068 to $11,746 out of $41,949, according to U.S. Census figures.

Child care is usually less expensive at in-home child care businesses than child care centers. And infant care is the most expensive and difficult to find because of the required ratio of adults to children in licensed care -- one to four in centers -- Radke says.

Child care costs dip as children grow older, but remain slightly higher at day care centers than in-home child care businesses.

For example, the annual median cost for care for an infant at in-home child care businesses in 2007 was $5,535, according to the referral program's latest report. That compares to $6,804 at a day care center.

For a toddler, it was $5,260 compared to $5,902. For a preschooler, it was $4,706 compared to $5,343. And for a school-age child, it was $2,353 compared to $3,120.

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While the number of children enrolled at licensed child care facilities in Yakima County is declining, Radke says, the demand for child care during nonstandard hours -- anywhere from 7:30 p.m. to 4:30 a.m., including weekends -- is growing.

"There's been a shift," she says. "Parents are kind of taking what they can get for work, including overnight or graveyard shifts.

"Providers have had to expand their hours in order to make a living as well as meet the needs of parents," she says. "There's a greater number of providers who are now doing 24-hour care."

So far this year, nearly 200 families have called the referral service seeking child care for nonstandard hours, according to Radke.

These days, nearly half of all providers in Yakima County offer regular weekend care, according to the referral program's latest report. Just over 40 percent offer evening care past 6:30 p.m. And about a third regularly provide overnight care.

In all, there are nearly 600 licensed child care providers in Yakima County. Most of them (502) are in-home or family child care businesses. The rest (79) are child care centers.

The in-home providers have a total of 5,633 spots; the centers have 4,365 total spots.

Whatever option parents choose -- whether it be in-home providers, day care centers or other options -- Radke says, "Kids need to be in a safe environment."

* Adriana Janovich can be reached at 509-577-7653 or ajanovich@yakimaherald.com.

What you can do

* Ask grandma. Or another trusted family member. Relatives might not be able to watch your child every day, but this option is likely to be the most affordable, maybe even free. Plus, it can strengthen the bond between generations.

* Opt for in-home child care. Operated out of a caregiver's own home, this option is typically less expensive than a traditional child care center.

* Pool resources. Team up with another family and arrange for a nanny-share.

* Set up an exchange system. Arrange to trade child care with a friend. Take turns watching each other's kids.

* Form a co-op. Join a half-dozen or so other families and work out a schedule to care for each other's kids on an alternating basis.

* Use the Web. Craigslist carries posts from nannies and baby sitters looking for clients as well as families seeking providers. Some sites screen providers and charge a membership fee. For example, SitterCity.com offers a free seven-day trial period; annual membership for about $120; or a monthly membership for $9.99, plus a $39.99 sign-up fee.

* Check with your child's school. Does it offer an after-school program? Such programs usually include classes and hands-on activities, and are usually run by trained teachers, paraeducators or volunteers.

* Check Playdate. The parents' magazine of the Herald-Republic offers a list of after-school programs on its Web site at www.playdateyakima.com.

* Visit. Whether you choose an in-home day care or traditional child care center, tour the facility before you decide. How clean is it? What are the environment, toys and learning materials like? How do the children and teachers interact? Is there an extra charge for picking up your child late? Are discounts available if you enroll more than one?

* Check with your employer. Would your boss allow you to work some days from home? A flexible schedule and modern technology make it easier to get work done at odd hours or while your child is sleeping.

* Change your schedule. Working shifts opposite your spouse or partner lets one of you be available to watch the kids.

* Stay home. If you can swing it, or are willing to sacrifice an income and some of the frills it affords, stay home with your child or children while your spouse or partner works.

* Ask for help. You might be eligible for financial assistance. The Working Connections Child Care program provides subsidies for working families that have incomes at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Similarly, the Seasonal Child Care program subsidizes child care for eligible seasonally employed agricultural families. For more information about both programs or to find out if you qualify, visit www.del.wa.gov.

* Get more info. The Washington State Child Care Resource & Referral Network provides information on licensed child care providers as well as other resources. Call 877-965-7109 or visit www.childcarenet.org or www.ccrrcentralwa.org/ccrr/.