Child care is unaffordable for the majority of working parents

 

Child care is unaffordable for the majority of working parents, especially for low-income and black and Hispanic working parents.

 

Recent studies have highlighted that child care is unaffordable for many U.S. families. This research

brief goes deeper to understand child care affordability for parents with full-time, year-round jobs.

These parents have a clear need for child care given their full-time work status.

 

This brief estimates whether, within the group of full-time, year-round working parents who have children, particular income and racial/ethnic subgroups are more likely to face unaffordable center-based child care costs.

 

Equity Highlights

•

Overall, parents working full time and year round would have to spend 10% of family income

on child care if they chose to place their children up to age 13 in full-time center-based care.

•

Low-income parents would have to spend over one-quarter of annual income to afford cen-

ter-based care, compared to 8% of income for parents who are not low-income.

•

Almost all (95%) of low-income parents would pay more than the child care affordability

benchmark, which was established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at

7% of total family income.

•

Low-income parents and black and Hispanic parents working full time and year round are

more likely to face unaffordable child care.