Childcare Costs More than College in 33 States

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In the U.S. today, 65% of all children under the age of 6 have two parents working either full- or part-time; this number is double what it was in 1970. For families across the country, the necessity to work has also created a need for childcare for their children. This in turn has created a financial burden that has never existed before, Business Insider reports.

A report from New America, Care.com, and others entitled The Care Index, found that in 33 states the average cost for full-time childcare for a child under 4 years of age has exceeded the cost of in-state public college tuition. Across the country, the average childcare costs $9,589 per year while in-state tuition, on average, costs $9,410.

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While the difference in cost is not overwhelmingly large, childcare prices are still rising. According to The Care Index, childcare costs from 2009-2012 rose to nearly “twice the rate of the Consumer Price Index.” The study also found that the cost of childcare for children under age 4 — also known as infant care — is 12% higher than for older children.

According to the Pew Research Center, Latinos now make up 22% of all children under the age of 18 in the U.S., with more than 52% of the 16 million total Latino children being second generation citizens. These numbers indicate that Latino families will begin “suffering” more and more from the rising childcare costs in the country than ever before.