A child-care crisis, spurred by a bigger affordability crisis in general, is unfolding on many Americans.
The average cost of child care for two children, which the majority of American families have, is greater than the average price of rent in all 50 states in the country, according to a new report by the nonprofit Child Care Aware of America, which also found the price of child care is more expensive than the average mortgage payment in 45 states.
The country is in the midst of a child-care crisis, with systemic problems—including the soaring price of child care, low wages for child-care providers, inadequate federal funding, and the pandemic, which left 16,000 child-care providers with shuttered doors—rendering the child-care market broken. It’s alarming, considering how scant paid parental leave benefits are and how crucial high-quality child care is for childrens’ emotional and academic development.
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https://fortune.com/2024/05/16/child-care-costs-more-than-housing-in-all-50-states/