Let’s Hope That Changes Soon

Research shows that parents are paying as much for daycare as they would pay for college. Annual childcare costs are over $20,000 in 22 states, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The state where parents spend the most on daycare is Massachusetts, which is over $34,000 annually. Other states that have higher childcare expenses include Connecticut, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Missesota. Who knew that having children could be so expensive? States with the lower childcare costs are Wisconsin, Michigan, Utah, Nebraska, and South Dakota.

What’s outrageous about the costs is that the younger the child, the more costly the daycare expenses. Infant care costs 12 percent more than toddler care. Back in 2016, full-time daycare kids who were 4 years old or younger cost just over $9,500 a year. Two years later, and the cost is now more than double. Even hiring a nanny won’t save you much money considering they cost about $28,000 a year.

Thankfully state lawmakers and the governor are doing all they can to tackle the issue of high daycare expenses. We could only hope to see costs drop significantly in the future.