Child care costs near me: This is how much child care costs in 2022

Опубликовано: May 30, 2021 в 11:12 am

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Категории: Child

This is how much child care costs in 2022

More than half — 59% — of parents say they’re more concerned about child care costs now than in years prior. That’s just one finding of many in the Care.com 2022 Cost of Care Survey that illustrate the uphill battle parents are facing when it comes to affording and accessing quality child care.

The world has changed immeasurably over the last two years due to the pandemic and economic struggles, and families have certainly felt the shift when it comes to the cost of child care. Making matters worse: Nearly 9,000 day cares closed in 37 states between December 2019 to March 2021, according to findings from a new 2022 survey by ChildCare Aware. 

“When it comes to child care, there are three critical criteria – cost, quality and availability – and based on our research findings, we’ve not only failed to make progress as a country, we’ve actually gone backwards,” said Natalie Mayslich, President, Consumer, Care.com. “Costs are growing while availability is shrinking and that’s having a profound impact on the workforce and consumer spending. We’ve all seen what happens when parents can’t work; making child care more affordable and accessible has to be a priority for all.”

New data from the ninth annual Care.com 2022 Cost of Care Survey reveals:

  • The cost of child care is higher for families in 2022. 51% of parents say they spend more than 20% of their household income on child care, and 72% of parents report spending 10% or more. This is up from 70%, according to Care.com data from pre-pandemic 2019, the most recent year that mirrors parents’ options today. 
  • Quality child care continues to be tough for parents to find. In fact, 43% of parents say it’s much harder to find child care over the past year.
  • Parents continue to struggle to pay for child care. In fact, 59% are more concerned about child care costs now than in years prior, which is driving significant changes, such as taking on a second job (31%), reducing hours at work (26%), changing jobs (25%), and leaving the workforce entirely (21%), to foot the bill. ​​

How much does child care cost?

The cost of child care is on the rise

Based on the 2022 Cost of Care Survey, child care is not in the affordable range for most families. Of parents surveyed, 72% say they are spending 10% or more of their household income on child care, with a majority (51%) spending more than 20% or more. Yet according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), child care is considered affordable when it costs families no more than 7% of their household income. 

According to survey data, 63% report that child care is more expensive over the past year. The reasons parents say prices are skyrocketing include:

  • Child care centers increased costs (46%).
  • Inflation (41%).
  • Child care centers taking fewer children (36%).

Interactive: Check out our Cost Calculator to figure out how much child care costs in your area.

The cost of child care can exceed that of a college education

The survey also finds that more than half of families (58%) plan to spend more than $10,000 on child care this year, which is more than the average annual cost of in-state college tuition ($9,349) per EducationData. org.

Every type of child care is pricier than it was pre-pandemic

Overall, the average child care cost for one child in 2021 was $694/week for a nanny (up from $565/week in 2019), $226/week for a child care or day care center (up from $182/week) and $221/week for a family care center (up from $177/week).

Below are the 2021 national averages of weekly child care costs for each type of care, compared to costs in 2019.

National average weekly child care rates

  2021 2019 2021 2019
  One child One child Two children Two children
Nanny* $694  $565  $715  $585
Child care center (toddler) $226  $215  $429**  $409**
Family care center* $221  $201  $420**  $382**
After-school sitter $261  $243  $269  $246

*Rates for infant children.
**Rates for two children calculated by adding the weekly rate for one child and the weekly rate for the second child with a national average sibling discount of 10%.

What’s the impact of rising child care costs on parents? 

More than half — 59% — of parents say they’re more concerned about child care costs now than in years prior. The good news is that the majority (68%) budget for child care costs and nearly two-thirds (65%) say they will stay within or under budget.

Parents are cutting back on essentials

In turn, parents are making sacrifices to afford care and cutting back on budgets for:

  • Vacations and travel (51%).
  • Leisure activities (51%).
  • Food, dining (45%).
  • Clothing (41%).
  • Extracurriculars (37%).

They’re also overhauling their work — and personal — lives

Many also plan to make the following work changes to adhere to rising care costs: 

  • 31% are considering taking on a second job.
  • 26% are reducing hours at work.
  • 25% are changing jobs.
  • 21% leaving the workforce entirely.

Survey respondents are also adjusting their family plans to stay on track financially. 35% say they’re less likely to have more children with 43% listing the rising cost of child care as a major reason why.

How accessible is quality child care?

Parents say it’s harder to find child care providers than it was last year

Almost half of parents surveyed — 43% —  say it’s much harder to find child care providers over the past year. According to our survey:

  • 40% are having trouble finding a nanny.
  • 39% are struggling to get care through a family care center.
  • 37% find it challenging to book a babysitter.
  • 36% are facing an uphill battle with finding a quality day care.

Child care providers are pricier to come by in some areas

Depending on where families live, the cost of hiring a nanny or paying for a day care can well exceed the national average. For example, in the District of Columbia, the cost of a nanny  ($855 a week) is 23% above the national average, and the cost of day care ($419 a week) is 85% above the national average. 

These are the priciest places to live if you’re hiring a nanny or sending kids to day care:

State Weekly Rate $ Above National Avg % Above National Avg
1. District of Columbia $855 $161 23%
2. Washington $840 $146 21%
3. Massachusetts $834 $140 20%
4. California $829 $135 19%
5. Colorado $763 $69 10%
6. Oregon $741 $47 7%
7. New York $736 $42 6%
8. Connecticut $734 $40 6%
9. New Jersey $715 $21 3%
10.  Vermont $706 $12 2%
State Weekly Rate $ Above National Avg % Above National Avg
1. District of Columbia $419 $193 85%
2. Massachusetts $324 $98 44%
3. Washington $304 $78 34%
4. California $286 $60 26%
5. Connecticut $258 $33 14%
6. New York $258 $32 14%
7. Arkansas $255 $29 13%
8. Maryland $254 $28 12%
9. Colorado $254 $28 12%
10.  Oregon $249 $23 10%

How can you save money on child care?

As the cost of child care continues to rise, consider these steps to make the expense more affordable.

Find the best care for your budget

Once you’re clear on what you can afford, you can steer toward the child care option that’s the best fit for your family. The first step: Research current rates in your area. Care.com has free interactive tools you can use to identify the average costs of full-time child care, nanny and babysitter rates and nanny taxes in your region. 

Discuss care benefits with your employer

Whether you’re hoping to find backup child or adult care or utilize paid family leave, it can pay to investigate whether or not your employer offers family care benefits. And if they don’t, ask for them.

It’s quite possible that they’ll be open to the idea now more than ever. Due to the pandemic, 57% of employers are prioritizing child care benefits more this year, and 63% said they plan to increase their company’s already existing child care benefits, according to Care.com’s 2021 Future of Benefits Report. 

Set aside pre-tax dollars to pay for care

Talk to your workplace Human Resources department to see if a Dependent Care Account (a type of flexible spending account, or FSA) is available to you and how you can get started. With this account, you can put aside up to $5,000 in pre-tax dollars in your Dependent Care Account to pay for dependent care expenses. (Generally, only one spouse can enroll.) 

The savings you will ultimately see varies depending on what your marginal tax rate is. A good approximation is around $2,000 in tax savings, assuming the family uses the full $5,000.

Make the most of tax breaks and credits

By paying your caregiver on the books, you can take advantage of tax breaks and credits. For example, by itemizing care-related expenses on your federal income return, you could receive a Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit on up to $600 of care-related expenses if you have one child, or $1,200 of care-related expenses if you have two or more children. 

This year’s Cost of Care survey concluded that just over 1/3 of parents (34%) did not claim the expanded child care tax credit on their 2021 taxes, and 43% say that’s because they were unaware of it. 

In addition, parents can save $2,000 per child using the Child Tax Credit.  

Research child care subsidies and programs

Depending on your income, employee benefits and other factors, your family might qualify for a variety of cost-cutting child care subsidies. We’ve rounded up various programs, resources and other options that could reduce how much you’re paying for quality care.

__________________________

2022 Cost of Care Survey methodology

This scientific sample of 3,003 US adults (18 years or older) who are all parents paying for professional child care was surveyed between March 24, 2022, and March 30, 2022. All respondents are parents of children 14 years or younger and currently pay for professional child care, confirmed by both consumer-matched data and self-confirmation. DKC Analytics conducted and analyzed this survey with a sample procured using the Pollfish survey delivery platform, which delivers online surveys globally through mobile apps and the mobile web along with the desktop web. No post-stratification has been applied to the results.

  • The Care.com Cost of Child Care Survey: 2021 Report
  • The Care.com Cost of Child Care and COVID-19 Child Care Surveys: 2020 Report
  • The Care.com Cost of Child Care Survey: 2019 Report
  • The Care.com Cost of Child Care Survey: 2018 Report 
  • The Care.com Cost of Child Care Survey: 2017 Report
  • The Care.com Cost of Child Care Survey: 2016 Report
  • The Care.com Cost of Child Care Survey: 2015 Report
  • The Care.com Cost of Child Care Survey: 2014 Report

Annual Cost of Child Care, by Age Group and Facility Type

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Years
20182016201420122009


Type of Facility

Child Care CenterFamily Child Care Home


Age Group

InfantPreschooler

















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 Definition, Source & Notes

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  • Definition: Estimated annual cost of full-time licensed child care, by age group and type of facility (e. g., in 2018, full-time licensed child care for an infant in a child care center cost $17,384 annually in California).

  • Data Source: California Child Care Resource and Referral Network, California Child Care Portfolio (Feb. 2020).
  • Footnote: These estimates are based on data from the California Dept. of Education’s Regional Market Rate Survey of California Child Care Providers. Infants are children ages 0-2; preschoolers are children ages 3-5. Full-time care is 30 hours or more per week. Child care centers are facilities that provide care for infants, preschoolers, and/or school-age children during all or part of the day. These facilities may be large or small and can be operated independently by nonprofit organizations or by churches, school districts, or other organizations. Most child care centers are licensed by the California Dept. of Social Services (CDSS). In family child care homes, care for up to 14 children is offered in the home of the provider, often a parent; care is typically provided for children of a variety of ages. Family child care homes also are licensed by CDSS.


Learn More About Early Care and Education

Measures of Early Care and Education on Kidsdata.org


On kidsdata.org, indicators of early childhood care and education include:

  • The percentage of children ages 0-5 whose parents read with them, by weekly frequency
  • Single-year estimates of the percentage of children ages 3-5 enrolled in preschool or kindergarten, by county and county group, and, for the U.S. and California, by age and by race/ethnicity; also available are five-year estimates for cities, school districts, and counties with 10,000+ residents and legislative districts

Kidsdata.org also provides the following measures of licensed child care in California:*

  • The annual cost of child care for infants and preschoolers in child care centers and family child care homes
  • The percentage of children in working families for whom child care spaces are available
  • The number of child care spaces in licensed facilities and the percentage of full-time and part-time spaces available
  • The number of licensed child care facilities and the percentage of facilities offering evening, weekend or overnight care
  • The percentage of child care requests by age group and the percentage of requests for evening, weekend or overnight care


*The California Child Care Resource and Referral Network tracks licensed facilities (child care centers and family child care homes) providing care for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and/or school-age children during all or part of the day. Data are available only for licensed facilities. Many families use license-exempt care, such as child care provided by relatives or friends.




Early Care and Education

  • Young Children Whose Parents Read with Them, by Frequency
  • Children Ages 3-5 Enrolled in Preschool or Kindergarten
    • by Age (California & U.S. Only)
    • by Race/Ethnicity (California & U.S. Only)
  • Children Ages 3-5 Enrolled in Preschool or Kindergarten (Regions of 10,000 Residents or More)
    • by Legislative District
  • Annual Cost of Child Care, by Age Group and Facility Type
  • Availability of Child Care for Working Families
  • Child Care Spaces in Licensed Facilities, by Facility Type
    • by Facility’s Schedule
  • Licensed Child Care Facilities, by Type
  • Licensed Child Care Facilities Offering Evening, Weekend or Overnight Care, by Facility Type
  • Requests for Child Care, by Age Group
  • Requests for Evening, Weekend or Overnight Child Care



Family Income and Poverty

  • Median Family Income, by Family Type
    • by City, School District and County (Regions of 10,000 Residents or More)
    • by Legislative District
  • Children Living in Low-Income Working Families
    • by City, School District and County (Regions of 10,000 Residents or More)
    • by Legislative District
  • Poverty Thresholds – California Poverty Measure, by Family Composition and Housing Tenure
    • by Legislative District
  • Self-Sufficiency Standard, by Family Composition


Unemployment

  • Children without Secure Parental Employment
    • by City, School District and County (Regions of 10,000 Residents or More)
    • by Legislative District

Why This Topic Is Important


Experiences during early childhood lay the foundation for future health and well being, and the quality of children’s early care and education (ECE) can have significant, lasting effects (1, 2). High-quality ECE programs deliver consistent, developmentally sound, and emotionally supportive care and education (1, 3). This type of care before age 5 is associated with improved cognitive, social-emotional, behavioral, and physical health, as well as increased school readiness, academic achievement, and earnings in adulthood (1, 2). Positive outcomes are particularly pronounced for children from low-income families, children of color, and those at risk for academic problems (1, 3, 4). A critically important ECE need for many families is child care; reliable child care can help families move out of poverty and achieve financial stability by enabling parents to work or pursue education and job training (2, 3).

However, finding affordable, high-quality ECE is a major challenge for many families, especially in California, and access differs based on geography, race/ethnicity, and income (2, 3, 4). In 2018, California was ranked the least affordable state for center-based infant care in the nation (2). For example, costs for center-based infant care in California made up an estimated 18% of the median annual income for married couples and 56% for single parents in 2018 (2).

For more information, see kidsdata.org’s Research & Links section.

Sources for this narrative:

1.  National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2019). Vibrant and healthy kids: Aligning science, practice, and policy to advance health equity. National Academies Press. Retrieved from: https://www.nap.edu/catalog/25466/vibrant-and-healthy-kids-aligning-science-practice-and-policy-to

2.  Child Care Aware of America. (2019). The U.S. and the high price of child care: An examination of a broken system. Retrieved from: https://www.childcareaware.org/our-issues/research/the-us-and-the-high-price-of-child-care-2019

3.  California Assembly Blue Ribbon Commission on Early Childhood Education. (2019). California Assembly Blue Ribbon Commission on Early Childhood Education: Final report. Retrieved from: https://speaker.asmdc.org/sites/speaker.asmdc.org/files/pdf/BRC-Final-Report.pdf

4.  Friedman-Krauss, A., & Barnett, S. (2020). Access to high-quality early education and racial equity. National Institute for Early Education Research. Retrieved from: https://nieer.org/policy-issue/special-report-access-to-high-quality-early-education-and-racial-equity



How Children Are Faring


In 2018, an estimated 61% of California children ages 3-5 were enrolled in preschool or kindergarten, similar to percentages from previous years. An estimated 55% of Hispanic/Latino 3- to 5-year-olds were enrolled in pre-primary programs, compared with more than two-thirds of their African American/black, Asian American, white, and multiracial peers. Across counties with data in 2014-2018, the percentage of children in this age group enrolled in preschool or kindergarten ranged from less than 50% (Kern, Tulare) to more than 75% (Marin, San Francisco).

California’s 36,827 licensed child care centers and family child care homes provided 976,835 child care spaces in 2019. Overall, the number of licensed facilities and spaces have been on the decline since 2008. According to 2019 estimates, there was one licensed child care space available for every four California children ages 0-12 with working parents; in some counties, availability was as low as one in six.

The average annual cost of licensed infant care exceeded $17,000 in child care centers and approached $12,000 in family child care homes in 2018. Care for preschool-age children was less expensive, but still more than $12,000 in child care centers and nearly $11,000 in family child care homes.


Policy Implications


Early childhood is a critical period of biological, cognitive, and social-emotional development (1). The quality of children’s environments and experiences during these years has lasting effects (1). High-quality early care and education (ECE), in particular, can have positive and long-term impacts on children ranging from improved cognitive, emotional, and behavioral functioning to better health, educational attainment, and earnings later in life (1, 2). Without access to high-quality early learning opportunities, children can fall behind their peers, creating an academic achievement gap that has been shown to widen with age (1, 3). Leaders increasingly see investments in ECE as a way to reduce educational and health inequities by income and race/ethnicity (1, 4, 5). And research shows these investments pay off; for example, it is estimated that every $1 invested in high-quality preschool yields a return of up to $17 in social benefits (4). ECE also plays a critical role in family financial stability, as many parents need child care in order to work or go to school (4).

However, a significant number of families have difficulty accessing quality ECE, especially in California, due to a lack of program availability and affordability (3, 4). California was ranked the least affordable state for center-based infant care in the nation in 2018, and just 14% of the state’s eligible infants and toddlers have access to subsidized child care (2, 3). Although the state has made some progress, California’s ECE system remains underfunded and will need additional efforts and investments in order to build a comprehensive, high-quality system that is accessible and affordable to all, while ensuring a skilled and adequately compensated workforce (3, 4).

Policy and program options that could improve ECE include:

  • Increasing state funding for ECE, tying funding to program quality and prioritizing care for infants, toddlers, and children with the greatest needs; in particular, substantially expanding child care subsidies and spaces for income-eligible infants and toddlers (3, 4)
  • Creating adequate capacity for high-quality, universal preschool for all children ages 3-4, ensuring access for the most vulnerable children; also, ensuring that these programs meet established quality benchmarks, such as student-teacher ratios and professional standards (3, 4)
  • Reducing system fragmentation by working toward a streamlined, inclusive state ECE governance body to provide overall leadership, improve program coordination and accountability, and integrate data and funding streams (4)
  • Continuing to strengthen California’s ECE quality improvement and standards systems, and making sure that all publicly-funded programs participate in a continuous improvement process and have access to coaching or other program support (4)
  • Strengthening the state’s ECE workforce infrastructure to elevate the profession, provide clear pathways for career advancement, improve reimbursement rates to increase wages, and ensure that all providers receive coordinated, standardized, high-quality professional training and support (3, 4)
  • Ensuring that all California children receive a developmental screening and have access to quality early intervention services or other support services as needed; also, improving alignment and transitions between systems for infants and toddlers, preschoolers, and K-12 students, especially for students with special needs (3, 4)

For more information, see kidsdata. org’s Research & Links section or visit the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network. Also see Policy Implications under Family Economics and Education topics on kidsdata.org.

Sources for this narrative:

1.  National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2019). Vibrant and healthy kids: Aligning science, practice, and policy to advance health equity. National Academies Press. Retrieved from: https://www.nap.edu/catalog/25466/vibrant-and-healthy-kids-aligning-science-practice-and-policy-to

2.  Child Care Aware of America. (2019). The U.S. and the high price of child care: An examination of a broken system. Retrieved from: https://www.childcareaware.org/our-issues/research/the-us-and-the-high-price-of-child-care-2019

3.  Children Now. (2020). 2020 California children’s report card: A survey of kids’ well-being and a roadmap for the future. Retrieved from: https://www.childrennow.org/portfolio-posts/20-report-card

4.   California Assembly Blue Ribbon Commission on Early Childhood Education. (2019). California Assembly Blue Ribbon Commission on Early Childhood Education: Final report. Retrieved from: https://speaker.asmdc.org/sites/speaker.asmdc.org/files/pdf/BRC-Final-Report.pdf

5.  Friedman-Krauss, A., & Barnett, S. (2020). Access to high-quality early education and racial equity. National Institute for Early Education Research. Retrieved from: https://nieer.org/policy-issue/special-report-access-to-high-quality-early-education-and-racial-equity


Research & Links

Websites with Related Information


  • California Budget and Policy Center: Child Care and Preschool

  • California Child Care Resource and Referral Network

  • California Education GPS. Alliance for Continuous Improvement.

  • California School Boards Association: Governance and Policy Resources

  • Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP): Child Care and Early Education

  • Center for the Study of Child Care Employment. UC Berkeley Institute for Research on Labor and Employment.

  • Child Trends: Early Childhood

  • IssueLab: Children and Youth. Foundation Center.

  • MDRC: Child Care and Early Education

  • National Association for the Education of Young Children

  • National Center for Children in Poverty. Bank Street Graduate School of Education.

  • National Institute for Early Education Research. Rutgers Graduate School of Education.

  • Stanford Center for Education Policy Analysis

  • The Early Learning Lab

  • U. S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families: Office of Child Care

  • Zero to Three

Key Reports and Research


  • 2022 California Children’s Report Card. Children Now.

  • Access to High-Quality Early Education and Racial Equity. (2020). National Institute for Early Education Research. Friedman-Krauss, A., & Barnett, S.

  • An Update on the Portrait of Promise: Demographic Report on Health and Mental Health Equity in California. (2020). California Dept. of Public Health, Office of Health Equity.

  • Building an Early Learning System that Works: Next Steps for California. (2018). Learning Policy Institute. Melnick, H., et al.

  • California Assembly Blue Ribbon Commission on Early Childhood Education: Final Report. (2019).

  • Early Childhood Education in California. (2018). Getting Down to Facts II. Stipek, D.

  • Equity in Early Childhood Systems: A Community Action Brief. (2019). Center for the Study of Social Policy & National Collaborative for Infants and Toddlers.

  • Kids’ Share: Analyzing Federal Expenditures on Children. Urban Institute.

  • Mitigating the Effects of Trauma Among Young Children of Immigrants and Refugees: The Role of Early Childhood Programs. (2019). Migration Policy Institute. Park, M., & Katsiaficas, C.

  • Quality Early Education and Child Care from Birth to Kindergarten. (2017). Pediatrics. Donoghue, E. A., & American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Early Childhood.

  • School Readiness. (2019). Pediatrics Williams, P. G., et al.

  • Starting Early: Education from Prekindergarten to Third Grade. (2016). The Future of Children.

  • State Preschool Yearbook. National Institute for Early Education Research.

  • The High Cost of Child Care Underscores the Need for Supporting Families With Children of All Ages. (2019). California Budget and Policy Center. Schumacher, K.

  • Transforming the Financing of Early Care and Education. (2018). National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

  • Using Data to Support a Comprehensive System of Early Learning and Care in California. (2020). SRI International. Coffey, M., et al.

  • Vibrant and Healthy Kids: Aligning Science, Practice, and Policy to Advance Health Equity. (2019). National Academies Press. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

County/Regional Reports


  • 2020-21 California County Scorecard of Children’s Well-Being. Children Now.

  • Annual Report on the Conditions of Children in Orange County. Orange County Children’s Partnership.

  • Community Health Improvement Plan for Los Angeles County. Los Angeles County Dept. of Public Health.

  • Early Care and Education: A Vital Resource for Strengthening Families. Connecting the Dots: Snapshots of Child Well-Being in Los Angeles County. Children’s Data Network.

  • Key Indicators of Health by Service Planning Area. (2017). Los Angeles County Dept. of Public Health.

  • Live Well San Diego Report Card on Children, Families, and Community. San Diego Children’s Initiative.

  • Pathway to Progress: Indicators of Young Child Well-Being in Los Angeles County. First 5 LA.

  • Santa Monica Youth Wellbeing Report Card. Santa Monica Cradle to Career.

  • School Readiness in Alameda County. (2015). First 5 Alameda County & Interagency Children’s Policy Council. Applied Survey Research.

  • School Readiness in San Francisco, 2015-16. First 5 San Francisco & San Francisco Unified School District. Applied Survey Research.

More Data Sources For Early Care and Education


  • 2022 KIDS COUNT Data Book: State Trends in Child Well-Being. Annie E. Casey Foundation.

  • California Child Care Portfolio. California Child Care Resource and Referral Network.

  • California Health Interview Survey. UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

  • National Center for Education Statistics: Data Tools. U.S. Dept. of Education, Institute of Education Sciences.

  • National Survey of Children’s Health. Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative.

  • The U.S. and the High Price of Child Care: An Examination of a Broken System. (2019). Child Care Aware of America.



  • State Assembly Districts
  • State Senate Districts
  • U.S. Congressional Districts


Note: These data represent the most recent legislative district boundaries.


© 2022 Population Reference Bureau. (800) 877-9881

Child Care Costs – CCR&R

Child Care Costs

Child care costs are a major expense for most families. Surprisingly, although costs are high, many times child care providers are not earning much more than minimum wage. Reasons why child care can be so expensive include the following:

  • Low  ratios of children to adults in programs for infants and toddlers
  • Qualifications of the provider or teachers
  • Geographic location
  • Insurance costs  
  • Age and developmentally appropriate equipment and supplies
  • Healthy and nutritious food
  • Type of child care (Center or Home)
  • Operational expenses such as, employee, rent, utilities, etc.


Generally speaking, hiring an in-home caregiver (nanny) tends to be the most expensive form of care, followed by child care centers and family child care homes. Cost of school age programs and camps varies according to the type of program. You may want to plan for additional fees such as registration, activity, transportation, meals, or even a late payment or late pick-up fee. If you receive financial assistance you may have to pay a co-pay in addition the any fees a program may charge above the weekly or monthly tuition.  

 

DES Child Care Market Rate Survey
Listed below are the average (median) weekly full time costs of child care. Rates are based on the 2018 DES Market Rate Survey. These are averages only. The cost of child care varies from county to county and within individual communities. Each provider sets their own rates.

DES District 1 Maricopa County

Ages

Child Care Centers

Approved Homes*

Certified Group Homes

Unregulated Homes

Under 1 year

$225. 00

$100.00

$150.00

$150.00

1 & 2 years

$200.00

$100.00

$140.00

$150.00

3, 4 & 5 years

$170.00

$100.00

$140.00

$122.50

School Age

$150.00

$96. 45

$125.00

$108.55

DES District 2 Pima County

Ages

Child Care Centers

Approved Homes*

Certified Group Homes

Unregulated Homes

Under 1 year

$216.50

$125.00

$150.00

$125. 00

1 & 2 years

$191.25

$125.00

$140.00

$125.00

3, 4 & 5 years

$167.35

$125.00

$140.00

$125.00

School Age

$125.00

$114.30

$135.00

$125. 00

DES District 3 Apache, Coconino, Navajo & Yavapai Counties

Ages

Child Care Centers

Approved Homes*

Certified Group Homes

Unregulated Homes

Under 1 year

$180.00

$125.00

$142.50

$127.50

1 & 2 years

$167. 35

$125.00

$132.50

$125.00

3, 4 & 5 years

$151.80

$125.00

$127.50

$125.00

School Age

$140.00

$125.00

$125.00

$125.00

DES District 4 La Paz, Mohave & Yuma Counties

Ages

Child Care Centers

Approved Homes*

Certified Group Homes

Unregulated Homes

Under 1 year

$150. 00

$100.00

$140.00

$125.00

1 & 2 years

$140.00

$100.00

$131.80

$125.00

3, 4 & 5 years

$125.00

$75.00

$130.00

$125.00

School Age

$122.50

$75.00

$131. 80

$125.00

DES District 5 Gila & Pinal Counties

Ages

Child Care Centers

Approved Homes*

Certified Group Homes

Unregulated Homes

Under 1 year

$175.00

$135.00

$160.00

$150.00

1 & 2 years

$160. 00

$135.00

$150.00

$150.00

3, 4 & 5 years

$142.50

$120.00

$150.00

$127.50

School Age

$125.00

$100.00

$150.00

$127.50

DES District 6 Cochise, Graham, Greenlee & Santa Cruz Counties

Ages

Child Care Centers

Approved Homes*

Certified Group Homes

Unregulated Homes

Under 1 year

$177. 50

$100.00

$150.00

$125.00

1 & 2 years

$137.75

$100.00

$120.00

$125.00

3, 4 & 5 years

$125.00

$100.00

$115.00

$125.00

School Age

$125.00

$100.00

$115. 00

$125.00

* Approved homes include all DES Certified Family Child Care Homes 
N/A = Not Applicable due to type of care not available. 

For Some D.C. Parents, It’s Too Expensive To Work : NPR

Eliza Berkon

From

D.C. has the highest cost of infant childcare in the nation, making it difficult for some parents to justify returning to work.

Yunyi Dai/For WAMU


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Yunyi Dai/For WAMU

Alex, a consultant and former Marine living in Alexandria, learned she was pregnant with her first child last year. She and her husband had been planning to start a family for some time, making spreadsheets of all the expenses that might come with caring for an infant. But their plans were scuttled at an early doctor’s visit.

“It hit the fan the minute he was like, ‘Oh, there’s two heartbeats,'” says Alex, who asked that WAMU use only her first name as she considers whether to return to her current employer.

Not only was their first family addition now two, the twins were sharing the same amniotic sac — a risky complication to the pregnancy. Alex required regular monitoring. She spent five weeks on bed rest before delivering her daughters at 32 weeks in September. The twins spent their first couple months in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Alex’s military-provided healthcare covered her medical expenses, and her employer paid for several months of leave. But her workplace will not pay for child care once Alex returns to work in a few weeks — expenses that could total as much as $4,000 per month, unrelated to any medical issues.

“My net income would be so minimal that it doesn’t make a lot of sense to even work anymore,” she says.

Alex isn’t alone. As D.C.-area parents contend with some of the highest child care costs in the country — annual fees in the District average about $24,000 for infant care and $19,000 for toddler care — some are deciding to opt out of the workforce, forgoing a salary and avoiding high child care costs.

The Cost Of Child Care

Families in the region have several options when it comes to child care, but none come cheap. Lower-cost options include home-based centers (about $17,000 annually) and nanny shares ($20-$25 an hour, divided among participating families). On the higher end are au pairs (about $20,000 per year) and child care centers ($24,243 annually in D.C., $19,632 in Montgomery County and $24,390 in Arlington County). The cost is enough to make some couples rethink having children.

Kimberly Perry, executive director of DC Action for Children, says the cost of care has risen sharply in recent years, due in part to the increasingly recognized need for quality early education.

“This is a relatively newer industry — as more women started to enter the workforce over the last 50 years, the work of caring for young children has essentially moved from the unpaid stay-at-home parents to salaried labor,” Perry says. “This period of birth to age 3 is really critical for social, emotional and cognitive development. So the need for credentialed, trained and degreed professionals is really critical.”

The cost of childcare in the District exceeds in-state tuition at a four-year public college.

Screenshot/Courtesy of Economic Policy Institute


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Screenshot/Courtesy of Economic Policy Institute

Other reasons for high costs include the materials and facilities needed to care for kids, and even parking.

In a recent Atlantic article, staff writer Derek Thompson points to three reasons for the high cost of child care in the United States: salaries, regulation and rent. Spending on child care, he says, increased more than 40% between 1990 and 2011, while middle-class wages remained roughly the same.

To learn more about the cost of daycare in the region, check out this episode of WAMU’s podcast, What’s With Washington.

“Pick whatever source and statistic you like, because they all point to the same conclusion: Child care in America has become ludicrously expensive,” Thompson writes.

And despite the high costs to parents, many workers at D.C. centers are not well-compensated, reflective of a larger trend nationwide.

Leaving Work To Afford Children

For Alex, her husband and their infant twins, none of the available child care options are ideal: The daycare in their neighborhood charges $1998 a month per child. An au pair would cost more than $2,000 per month and necessitate overhauling the first floor of their home and adjusting to an additional resident.

And while they could place their twins in a center at a nearby military base where rates are closer to $700 per month per child, that would require Alex’s husband to stay in the military for longer than he had intended — plus it would expose the twins to other children during RSV season, which Alex says could be life-threatening to her prematurely born infants.

For now, Alex plans to pay for a nanny share two days a week and have her mom — who lives nearby and works full-time — watch the children three days a week. Alex has to return to work for a short period or be required to pay back some of the medical and leave-related expenses her employer has paid, she says. But after that, she may decide to leave.

“I’m going to have to see what happens when I’m back at work,” Alex says. “If it’s not manageable, and [if] now we’re looking at this and it’s just not looking like it’s fiscally sound any longer, then I’m going to have to re-evaluate my career. My husband’s going to have to re-evaluate his career.”

The Toll Of Taking Time Away

In any family where the cost of child care equals or exceeds one earner’s net wages, parents need to crunch the numbers to determine the viability of both partners working.

Mary Ann Bronson, an assistant professor in economics at Georgetown University, describes the conversation this way: “‘If I have a primary earner that brings home a certain income, and I’m a secondary earner, and now we have to pay for child care if I’m going to work as well, does it make sense financially for our household to do that?'”

“That calculus is actually even worse when you look at very low-income households,” Bronson adds.

And it’s not just an immediate change in income that parents experience. For heterosexual couples, mothers tend to take a career hit when care is hard to find. A study on child care and the workforce found that 95% of fathers in couples who could not find care continued to work, compared to 77% of mothers.

The disparities between mothers and fathers continue when both are working. In a Pew Research study, half of working mothers said being a working parent is an obstacle to their career advancement, while only 39% of working fathers said the same. A 2018 study found that women who take longer maternity leaves can sometimes be seen as less dedicated to their work, eroding “perceptions of women’s agency, job commitment and perceived suitability for leadership roles.”

Bronson says taking one or two years out of the workforce can mean a 10 to 20% wage cut when parents return, and a lengthier break (as some decide to stay at home with their children until one or all are in grade school) may further lower wages. Parents taking extended leaves may also not be up-to-date on their field or eligible for the promotions they might otherwise have received in that time, Bronson says.

So while staying at work could mean taking a short-term financial loss on child care, Bronson says it could also be a wise investment in a parent’s long-term career.

“If you’re in a career where promotion rates are high [and] wage trajectories are steep, staying in is going to have a long-term payoff,” Bronson says.

Dustin Fisher, a stay-at-home dad in New Carrollton, decided to leave his job in collegiate recreation seven years ago, after the birth of his daughter. He says the decision made financial sense, given his wife’s career. He also didn’t want to leave his then-infant daughter with a stranger.

Dustin Fisher has been a stay-at-home father for seven years. With his children now in elementary school, he is deciding on his next steps.

Eliza Berkon/WAMU


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Eliza Berkon/WAMU

“Why bother leaving her so I could go to a different job? To me, that says I don’t want to be there with my kids,” Fisher says.

While navigating parenthood with one and then two children at home, Fisher started a blog (Daddy Needs a Nap, now Quote of the Dad) and wrote a memoir-ish book called Daddy Issues. But with both of his children, ages 5 and 7, now in elementary school, he’s contemplating his next move.

“I’ve been out of the workforce so long, there’s just such a huge hole in my resume that I haven’t really tested with employers,” Fisher says. “I’m just dabbling in things that I know that I would like to do.”

Finding Affordable Solutions

D.C., Maryland and Virginia all offer child care subsidies to families with qualifying incomes. Some counties offer additional programs, including Montgomery County, where the Working Parents Assistance Program provides supplementary subsidies to eligible residents. Arlington County, which established a child care task force in 2017, is also working with the Arlington Community Foundation to provide scholarships to low-income families.

In 2018, the District passed the Birth to 3 For All DC act, whose components include raising teacher pay, providing pediatric support and broadening eligibility for child care subsidies.

Perry, whose organization has pushed for funding for the Birth to 3 act, says local parents are thankful to have a solution for the “really complex challenge” of child care in the District. “Parents want relief as soon as possible,” she says.

Since 2009, D.C. has also offered free preschool to 3 and 4-year-olds, which had a positive impact on mothers in the local workforce. In the first decade of the program, the number of mothers in the workforce increased by 12%, “with 10 percentage points attributable to preschool expansion.”

The financial burdens of child care are on the national stage this year as Democratic presidential candidates debate which proposals, including universal child care and tax credits for child care, are most viable.

But for the time being, families who are struggling to afford it are left with only the available options, many of which are not affordable. It can be a shock to couples that have been careful with their money up until parenthood. Both Alex and her husband made sure their bachelor’s and master’s degrees were paid for and that they were debt-free before starting a family.

“Up until this point, we’d been doing the standard American Dream-type thing where you go to school, you get a good job, you buy a house and then you have kids,” she says.

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