Providing care for infants and toddlers is more expensive than for older children, because higher adult-child ratios are required, and additional costs are associated with maintaining appropriate hygiene around diapering, bottle feeding, bedding, and so on. Parents can pay more than $20,000 per year for center-based infant care, depending on where they live. The federal standard is that families should spend no more than 7 percent of their income for child care. This indicator was not updated for State of Babies Yearbook: 2023. Data were provided by Child Care Aware of America, based on their 2021 survey, through a data request process. In the calculation of cost of care for married parent families, the denominator is the median income for married parent families, the numerator is the 2020 annual cost of center-based infant care, and percentages. In the calculation of cost of care for single parent families, the denominator is the median income for single parent families, the numerator is the 2020 annual cost of center-based infant care, and percentages.
Child Care Aware of America. (2019). The U.S. and the high cost of child care: 2019. https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/3957809/2019%20Price%20of%20Care%20State%20Sheets/Final-TheUSandtheHighPriceofChildCare-Appendices.pdf?__hssc=122076244.2.1605543695491&__hstc=122076244.abdbe2aa1098f4ba8bffad2689acb437.1602611682546.1605025891932.1605543695491.6&__hsfp=3629513924&hsCtaTracking=b84e60b8-da54-4971-9364-7d5667e1a1b7%7C0be5fe22-5bef-4e54-908a-f95a653d2b14
Department of Health and Human Services, Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Program; Proposed Rule, 80 Fed. Reg. 80466–80582 (December 24, 2015). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2015-12-24/pdf/2015-31883.pdf
Sources:
Child Care Aware of America. (2021). Child Care Prices as a Percentage of Median Household Income, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2021, from https://www.childcareaware.org/our-issues/research/the-us-and-the-high-price-of-child-care-2019/