Why Is No One Freaking Out About the Child Care Crisis?

Oh, you heard about Christina Parker? The exhausted six-figure salary mom in Mill Valley, California, who's barely scraping by? Her checking account is on a permanent diet, all thanks to the ridiculous cost of child care.

“I am working so hard and I have less than $100 in the bank,” Parker, 42, said. Seriously, let that sink in.

Rent, electricity, groceries, car insurance – everything's on steroids, but it’s her 2-year-old son's day care that's really busting her budget. That $3,000-a-month expense is as much as her rent, and it just keeps climbing.

Next year, she'll enroll her son in a pricier preschool and toss in extra child care costs during her commute. "I have a good job," Parker said, "but I am barely making it." Welcome to America, where even the 'good jobs' leave you hanging by a thread.

For families with young kids, child care is where inflation hits like a Mike Tyson uppercut – a major fixed expense that's only getting worse as pandemic aid dries up.

Thanks to a national shortage of workers and facilities, day care and preschool costs are rising at not one, but TWO times the pace of inflation. Shocking, right?

The average cost of care for two kids is more expensive than the average rent in all 50 states and the average mortgage in 45 states, according to this depressing report by Child Care Aware of America.

And guess what? These insane costs are influencing how parents vote in November. Nearly 9 in 10 parents surveyed by Care.com want candidates to address this hot mess.

Parker's one of them. She even signed this petition to get child care on the debate agenda. Spoiler alert: it didn't go well.

Inflation and Child Care: The Dynamic Duo of Financial Drain

The COVID-19 pandemic threw an already fragile industry into chaos, but even before the coronavirus, finding child care was like searching for a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

As of 2018, half of Americans lived in “child care deserts,” areas with too few providers. And if you're lucky enough to find a spot, congrats – it's probably outrageously expensive.

On average, parents spent 24% of their household income on child care in 2023, with nearly half shelling out over $18,000, according to Care.com.

To cover the rising costs, parents are working multiple jobs, moving closer to family, or going into debt. More than one-third drained 42% of their savings last year, Care.com found.

Barbara Grant Boneta, a 36-year-old director from Austin, Texas, is struggling with a $1,300 monthly child care tab. "The cost of child care is higher than the cost of in-state college tuition, which is wild," she said. Yeah, we couldn't make this stuff up if we tried.

For Christine O'Hare Barringer, a 32-year-old mom from Pennsylvania, day care for her daughter costs nearly $1,800 a month – more than her mortgage and 20% of her family’s take-home pay.

“We’d love to have a second kid, but we can’t afford one right now,” Barringer said. Let that sink in, folks.

Voters to Candidates: Do Something About Child Care!

More than half of women voters with kids under 18 worry about affording child care, according to KFF. So why isn't this a bigger deal in the election?

“I have been surprised at how little this has been discussed,” said Brenda Shields, a Missouri state rep who's pushing for a child care tax credit bill. "We have to think about child care as infrastructure."

Lisa Gray, a 43-year-old Kansas City mom, wants to hear more from the presidential candidates on this. Child care for her youngest is $22,000 a year – their second-largest monthly expense after rent.

The vast majority of voters, across party lines, want candidates to address the child care crisis, according to the First Five Years Fund. But so far, voters are still in the dark about the candidates' plans.

"I don't think either candidate right now has a really robust plan," said Javaid E. Siddiqi, CEO of the Hunt Institute.

Harris has pledged to reinstate the higher child tax credit, but details are fuzzy. Trump, meanwhile, has been typically vague. Shocking, we know.

Tax Credit or Cut Taxes: Parents are Torn

“Voters are concerned about the cost of day care and it’s not getting enough attention,” said Reshma Saujani, who asked Trump about child care at a recent event.

Gemma Hartley, a 36-year-old author and mom from Reno, knows the struggle firsthand. She backs Harris' plans to reinstate the higher child tax credit.

But not everyone's on board with that approach. Patrice Onwuka, a 42-year-old economic policy director and mom from Maryland, wants more choice and flexibility.

"When I’m thinking about voting, I am thinking, not just for child care, but across the board: How are you expanding options? How are you ensuring that my family can choose what we want rather than trying to say this is the best place for everyone to go?" she said.

Choice is also a top priority for Kelsey Bolar, who's pregnant with twins and worries that government intervention could limit options.

"There’s no easy solution when it comes to child care," she said. Ain't that the truth.

So there you have it, America. The child care crisis is real, it's ridiculous, and it's time our leaders did something about it. Now, where's that petition again?