The Reason Child Care Is So Hard to Afford
“Indeed, child care is unaffordable for pretty much everyone but the rich, and especially unaffordable for the poor. Day-care centers across the country charge an average of $870 a month—not much less than the average monthly rent. Many families in high-cost cities, such as San Francisco, where I live, pay twice or even three times that much. As a result, low-income households with little kids spend an average of 35 percent of their income on child care. The consequences for families are pervasive and brutal, among them heightened rates of housing insecurity and food insecurity.”