The Real Reason Behind Sky-High Child Care Costs

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Why Is Child Care So Expensive?

Child care is a basic necessity; it provides education for the child and gives time for parents to work. It is the key that allows families to pay bills by having the freedom of going to work without being held at home and losing money for millions of families.  It is hard to understand that the rising cost of child care are going higher than people’s paychecks. The cost of child care in some parts of the country can be higher than college.  

The rise in child care prices can be a hard topic to talk about because not that many people know why it’s happening and how to fix it.  The pressure on families to choose to work and lose thousands of dollars to put their children into care centers can make it hard to choose what to do.  This pressure leads families to choose between working full-time and paying thousands of dollars for care, or quitting their jobs to save money.  Also, child care workers in centers are often underpaid and overworked, leading to fewer child care workers.

This problem affects families, child care workers, and children learning nationally.  The main cause is that the government does not pay child care centers because they are private, making them different than public schools that get money from the government.  What is the cause of the explosion in the cost of child care and how can we fix it?

How Much Are Families Paying?

The price keeps on going up, and the numbers are surprising when it comes to child care. Infant care costs about $ 15,000 per year on average. According to the math, that's about $1,200 every month, which is expensive to ensure a safe and nurturing environment for babies to learn and grow. Prices are higher in states like New York, Massachusetts, or California; in these states, it can cost about 20,000 a year, which is about the cost for tuition in some colleges. This shows that parents are spending about 25-35% of their total income on just childcare. This shows the effect of the financial burden falling on lower and middle-income families.

The care for infant care is more expensive due to the ratio of caregivers to infants, the law states 1 caregiver for 4 infants. Care is cheaper for a toddler, but still not affordable for most families. The price for childcare is not equal for everyone due to the demand, location, and the cost the center needs to pay for staff; these are the factors for the price increase. If you are living in a rural area, the price for care is lower by a landslide, but the wait for a spot to open up might be longer, and you might have fewer options for care. The cost of care affects families due to care being higher than what they get from their job, giving families impossible choices like working fewer hours, getting into debt, and asking family or friends to step in as caregivers for their child. Some parents decide to leave work because the cost of child care is too much to handle with a job, so they provide their child with care, and that also affects the child's education level. That is how child care can put huge pressure on families across the country. The amount of money that a child brings with them is halting parents' plans on having them, which is worse than having trouble with money.

Why Are Costs Going Up?

There are so many not just one reason for the price of child care being so high.  The need for staff is a factor in the price of care for any size group of children. The cost of labor is huge for child care providers because they need to hire certified staff to teach the students.  Kids' safety and engagement, and the need for attention, make hiring good staff necessary.  Staff are forced by law to maintain ratios which are: 1 staff member to 4 infants, 1 staff member to 5 young toddlers, 1 staff member to 10 preschoolers, 1 staff member to 12 young school-age children, and 1 staff member to 15 older school-age children.  It is important to create a safe and properly supervised care center, which adds to the cost.

The hefty price tag is also affected by the forced compliance with strict safety regulations from secure entrances, emergency exits, and meeting other child care centers' standards. The staff and facility have to achieve certification requirements for the center to be allowed to start daily operations. For more qualified Staff to start working, they need to complete training certification, like; professional development, CPR certification, and background checks, which cost a lot. The facility needs to meet health codes, fire codes, and child-specific safety standards, which are also expensive and require constant repairs.

How Are Families Impacted?

The increased cost of child care affects families' plans and everyday functions of life, not just families' bank accounts. The fact is that families decide to delay having more children because they are afraid of the cost of care. Families are forced to quit their jobs to stay at home caring for their child, especially moms. This can lead to long-term financial instability due to the forced of having to stall of their careers, leading to loss of benefits, and it is worse for single parents.  Single parents are forced to choose between work, care, and survival due to the lack of income needed to care for a child.

Some parents need to take extra shifts or another job, taking away from meaningful time, just to be able to pay for child care costs. This leads to a negative lifestyle that can lead to both emotional and mental stress for the whole family. The need to juggle different work schedules to try to avoid financial pressure. This is from the big chunk of income removed to cover the cost of child care. There are other causes of stress, including transportation and the responsibilities of parenting. Some families are forced to cancel vacations and lose savings, leading to the suffering of families.

Some families are required to choose lower-quality and cheaper care to save money.  The problem with this is that the care center might have a less safe environment than children need. Others are forced to lean the responsibility on family and friends to provide care to their child, which is not always a possible option for all families.  The cost of care can affect the family's long-term goals and plans, like vacation. The cost of child care affects other purchases, like housing and places to live, and future planning. The created crisis is more than an inconvenience, it is a challenge that shapes lives for 1 million families across the nation.

How Are Providers Struggling?