Parents and the Cost of Child Care

Child care costs are high and rising, according to an August 2010 report by the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies.

The report provides state-by-state information for the average costs of child care for infants, 4-year-old children and school-age children. The average cost for full-time care for a 4-year-old in a center ranged from more than $4,050 in Mississippi to $13,150 a year in Massachusetts. Since 2000, the cost of child care has increased twice as fast as the median income of families with children. In 36 states, the average annual cost of center-based infant care exceeded 10 percent of the state’s median income for a two-parent family. Strikingly, in 40 states, the average annual cost for center-based care for an infant was higher than a year’s tuition and related fees at a four-year public college.

The current economic downturn has prompted many parents to move their children from licensed child care centers to informal settings. The authors of the report note that there is no check for basic health and safety standards at these informal settings. The report concludes with recommendations to ensure that families have access to healthy, safe and affordable child care. Among their suggestions is a requirement for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to calculate the cost of quality child care and report their findings to congress.
 

Read the report.