Child care costs are among the most expensive costs associated with the return to work. Finding ways to reduce the cost of child care without sacrificing the quality of child care is a priority for all working parents. Here are some ideas that can help cut the costs of care for your child without sacrificing the quality of child care:

See if your employer has a child care flexible spending account. This is a special account that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - http://www.irs.gov/faqs/faq-kw87.html - created that allows you to set aside money for child care expenses with pre-tax dollars. You ask your employer to take out a certain amount of money each month from your paycheck and you can use this money tax free for child care related expenses.

Ask if your company has partnerships or offers discounts for certain child care services. Some large companies sometimes negotiate discount plans with the providers of childcare to offset childcare costs.

See if your public school district offers a half-day for the preschool program for 4 years. These programs are usually free and by signing your child, it will reduce your need for child care a day from any one day.
Check if your company is open to flex time, job sharing or telecommuting. If so, you may be able to use them to manipulate the timing and reduce the costs of care for their children.

If you and your spouse work, see if you can arrange work schedules so that they overlap as little as possible. This enables you to reduce the number of hours the child must go to childcare.

See if a relative or friend who can help with childcare.

Consider hiring a nanny and sharing the burden of care for children with some good friends. This will allow you to pay less individually for the costs of child care and babysitting to earn more money in general.