Expectant fathers and mothers are often told that it’s never too early to start saving for college. Unless they have an unusually precocious child, most parents have 18 years to accumulate enough savings to pay for college expenses. Then again, if their child is unusually precocious, maybe a free ride on an academic scholarship is in the future.

However, no one really warns newlyweds that it’s never too early to start saving for day care or preschool. Depending on the choices availabe in your area, day care or preschool can be quite expensive, as in more expensive than tuition at a public university.

For the 2006-2007 academic year, UC Berkeley assesses $3,899.75 per semester for undergraduates who are California residents. Double that for the entire academic year and a college-bound parent is paying $7,799.50.

Challenger School, in comparison, charges annual prepaid tuition for five all-day preschool of $14,905 and all-day kindergarten of $10,087. And, parents don’t have 18 years to save up for this sum.