Daycare is often the second biggest monthly expense in the family budget, behind the mortgage or rent, and as we found out, childcare is not a recession proof industry.
The tough economic times mean that many families are being forced to make tough choices about who is watching their kids.
Scott Harrison is a single father who is raising 3-year-old Quintin alone. "Actually it's pretty fun, but it's been pretty tough the last couple of years".
The economic downturn is making his work as a fire suppression system installer sporadic, along with his income. So when he is working, Scott drives Quintin 200 miles to Idaho, to his parents house, just for child care
"It's a lot cheaper, $20, $25 to drop him off versus $125 a week of daycare. That's saving $100 in my pocket right there."
Scott is not the only parent forced to search for cost saving child care options.
Daycare is a big ticket item: in Missoula, the average cost per month for one child preschool age and over runs $550 while for a child under two, it's $700 a month.
"It's more expensive than tuition at the University of Montana at a time when people are less likely to make a good income" explained Kelly Rosenleaf who's the Executive Director of Child Care Resources in Missoula.
She says they've seen a significant decline in the number of smaller family day care operations, and Missoula has lost a quarter of its available day care openings. Why that is, isn't clear.
The organization can't track informal or unregulated child care, families who use friends or other family members, which can be a good option...but sometimes, desperate times lead to desperate choices.
And don't think that daycare's are getting rich. "It's not like a store, where you'll still have income coming in. when you lose two children, you're out that income" explained Jill Wabaunsee of Snuggle Time Child Care. "We can't raise our rates because people are not getting pay raises...One father told me the biggest raise he'll ever get it when his kids start school."