Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Why does child care cost so much?





See the estimated cost of high-quality child care in your state »
Across the United States, it is not unusual for child care tuition to be the first- or second-largest household expense for families, costing more than mortgage or rent. Meanwhile, early childhood teachers are some of the lowest-paid professionals; nearly 40 percent of child care teachers rely on public assistance at some point in their careers. Early childhood programs themselves also operate on tight budgets.

But if child care teachers are paid so little and early childhood programs are struggling to make ends meet, many parents are justifiably left asking the question: Why does child care cost so much?

In addition to answering this question, Center for American Progress's new report and interactive explain the inadequacies of the current revenue streams available to early childhood education programs. To fully address the issues of affordability, accessibility, and quality, a significant new public investment is needed. This investment must go far beyond the current subsidy system, provide support to all low- and middle-income families, and ensure that early childhood teachers are compensated fairly. Helping parents and policymakers understand the true cost of high-quality child care is an important step in building support for this public investment.

Find out the true cost of quality child care in your state »

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