Child Care at a Premium

McDonald's, the handout notes, charges more for its Big Macs in "affluent areas."

Crème de la Crème is a decidedly high-end operation that opened in Sterling in late 2002.

"The existence of a place like Crème de la Crème says a lot not only about the growth in this area but the type of people who live in this area," said Mark Henson, a Reston software sales executive whose 6-month-old son, Andrew, is enrolled at the center. "Loudoun now has the types of jobs that can support this type of business."

Mark and his wife, Jennifer, who live in the Cascades section of eastern Loudoun, began their search for a child-care center in August 2003, just after Jennifer learned she was pregnant. Jennifer Henson is an accountant at SLM Corp., a Reston-based firm -- commonly known as Sallie Mae -- that funds and manages student loans.

"What attracted us was not only the infant care at Crème de la Crème but what's available when the child becomes 1, 2, 3 and 4," Mark Henson said. "I like the fact that they start teaching a second language at 2. And they have their own TV station where kids can go in and make television recordings.

"Crème de la Crème is not cheap, I can assure you. It costs as much as a mortgage payment to send your kid there."

The fees range from $1,418 a month for infants to $453 for older children requiring only after-school care, according to Frank, the center's executive director. That includes all supplies, including diapers. Samuel said infant care can cost as little as $700 a month at some centers in the county.

"I joke with my wife that if we didn't have Andrew at Crème de la Crème we could both be driving top-of-the-line Hummers," Henson said. "But for all they provide, we think it's worth it."