The Reason Child Care Is So Hard to Afford
Without far more public investment, the cost of good care will always exceed what most families can pay.
After my second son was born, my family crossed a painful threshold: We started spending more on child care than we do on rent. The situation is temporary, I keep telling myself—promising myself, praying for myself. My older son will be able to enroll in kindergarten in two years and my younger son in four. But it is excruciating. And I say that from a place of privilege. Most American families earn less than mine does. That does not make day care any cheaper for them.
Indeed, child care is for pretty much everyone but the rich, and especially unaffordable for the poor. Day-care centers across the country charge an of $870 a month—not much less than the average . Many families in high-cost cities, such as of their income on child care.
