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Child Care Costs Have Increased 41% Amid COVID-19


Indiana households with kids younger than 5 pay 20% of their income to child care — most in the nation

Published on January 13, 2021

Child care costs were already high pre-coronavirus pandemic, but they’ve only gotten more expensive. Amid the pandemic, center-based child care costs have increased by 41%, or $14,117, up from $9,977 pre-pandemic.

LendingTree team analyzed data from the Center for American Progress and Child Care Aware of America to find the costs for center-based child care providers and how these costs are impacting households during the pandemic:

  • Center-based child care costs have increased 41% yearly per child (a $4,140 increase) compared to pre-pandemic costs, which could be causing added strain on household budgets as those costs get passed on.
  • Georgia, Florida and Louisiana have seen the largest increases to child care costs for children ages 3 and 4 — an annual average of at least 144%.
  • Parents in Indiana and Vermont are feeling the impact most, with 20% and 19%, respectively, of household income going to center-based child care costs

A 2020 LendingTree survey found that more than half of parents with young children were in debt because of the coronavirus crisis. The crisis is costing center-based child care providers an additional 41% yearly per child compared to pre-pandemic costs, which could be causing added strain on household budgets as those costs get passed on.

Cost increase per child for center-based care providers amid coronavirus pandemic

Here’s a state-by-state breakdown:

State

Average annual cost per child, pre-COVID-19

Average annual cost per child, during COVID-19

Cost increase per child amid COVID-19

Georgia $6,568 $14,121 115%
Louisiana $6,546 $13,810 111%
Florida $6,765 $13,694 102%
Ohio $7,554 $15,230 102%
New Mexico $8,667 $16,264 88%
Arkansas $7,167 $13,231 85%
Arizona $8,213 $15,077 84%
Virginia $8,864 $15,875 79%
Oklahoma $7,825 $13,412 71%
New Hampshire $9,520 $16,292 71%
New Jersey $12,148 $20,130 66%
Michigan $9,328 $15,005 61%
Minnesota $11,280 $18,058 60%
Iowa $9,443 $15,090 60%
Colorado $11,040 $17,626 60%
Kentucky $8,258 $13,005 57%
Delaware $9,374 $14,605 56%
Washington $11,744 $18,237 55%
California $11,061 $16,998 54%
Maryland $12,777 $19,490 53%
North Dakota $11,134 $16,873 52%
Montana $9,723 $14,476 49%
Alabama $7,570 $11,219 48%
Wyoming $9,996 $14,674 47%
Nebraska $10,773 $15,641 45%
Illinois $11,498 $16,687 45%
Tennessee $10,189 $14,397 41%
Rhode Island $11,280 $15,462 37%
Alaska $11,242 $15,373 37%
Connecticut $13,871 $18,328 32%
Hawaii $11,826 $15,469 31%
New York $16,069 $21,005 31%
Oregon $11,692 $15,273 31%
Utah $8,230 $10,455 27%
Maine $12,335 $14,707 19%
Indiana $9,578 $11,212 17%
Mississippi $9,362 $10,592 13%
South Carolina $7,066 $7,956 13%
Wisconsin $8,637 $9,702 12%
North Carolina $8,169 $9,173 12%
West Virginia $8,886 $9,950 12%
Pennsylvania $10,219 $11,396 12%
Missouri  $9,723 $10,821 11%
Kansas $9,948 $11,070 11%
Nevada $7,823 $8,661 11%
Texas $8,048 $8,875 10%
Vermont $12,298 $13,538 10%
Massachusetts $15,264 $16,752 10%
Idaho $7,367 $8,068 10%
South Dakota $9,325 $10,093 8%
District of Columbia $15,576 $16,802 8%

A large cost for care centers is staffing. In fact, personnel expenses account for about 70% of a child care provider’s total budget, according to the Center for American Progress. Those costs have increased as the pandemic has continued. Of course, there are added costs of conforming to COVID-19 guidelines.

“Keeping kids safe during a pandemic isn’t cheap,” said Matt Schulz, LendingTree’s chief credit analyst. “So much more is being required of these centers during the pandemic, and these new, tougher safety guidelines from governmental agencies have forced them to ramp up their spending in order to comply.”

Social distance guidelines may also have shrunk the capacity for many child care centers. That can translate to less revenue per child — so an increase in cost per child makes sense. “Many day care [centers] have few options other than raising costs for parents in order to recover some of that lost revenue,” Schulz said.

There are some widespread differences — by state — in the cost increases per child for center-based care providers for both infants and toddlers, as well as 3- and 4-year-olds:

Cost increase per child for center-based care providers (by age group)

State

% cost increase for infants and toddlers

% cost increase for 3- and 4-year-olds

Georgia 88% 159%
Florida 79% 159%
Louisiana 91% 144%
Arizona 63% 119%
Ohio 93% 116%
Arkansas 74% 105%
New Mexico 77% 103%
Oklahoma 58% 103%
Virginia 69% 102%
Kentucky 38% 90%
New Hampshire 64% 86%
Iowa 51% 78%
Colorado 49% 77%
California 41% 74%
Minnesota 56% 73%
Maryland 46% 72%
Wyoming 34% 72%
New Jersey 62% 71%
Michigan 56% 71%
North Dakota 38% 71%
Delaware 51% 69%
Nebraska 33% 67%
Washington 53% 66%
Montana 47% 58%
Illinois 36% 58%
Alabama 44% 57%
Tennessee 32% 56%
Connecticut 21% 51%
New York 17% 50%
Hawaii 23% 49%
Rhode Island 30% 49%
Alaska 29% 48%
Oregon 20% 47%
Utah 20% 39%
Maine 14% 27%
Indiana 16% 18%
Mississippi 14% 12%
Wisconsin 13% 10%
West Virginia 13% 10%
South Carolina 14% 10%
North Carolina 14% 10%
Missouri  12% 10%
Pennsylvania 13% 10%
Kansas 12% 9%
South Dakota 7% 9%
Nevada 12% 9%
Texas 11% 9%
Vermont 11% 8%
Idaho 11% 8%
Massachusetts 11% 7%
District of Columbia 8% 7%

For the most part, costs increased more for center-based providers taking care of 3- and 4-year-olds, though some states saw a larger increase for infants and toddlers. Overall, the costs per child for these centers — looking at both age groups — have increased by 47% during the pandemic. But location also has a large impact on the increases.

For example, District of Columbia care centers had the smallest annual increase in costs for 3- and 4-year olds and the second-smallest yearly increase for infants and toddlers. However, D.C. also had one of the highest pre-COVID-19 child care center costs per child, at $15,576.

Meanwhile, center-based care providers in Ohio and Louisiana saw the largest yearly increases per child for infants and toddlers, with an average increase of more than 90% for each. Of interest, Louisiana had the lowest pre-COVID-19 child care center costs per child, at $6,546, but that figure jumped to $13,810 per child amid the pandemic — nearly $6,000 per child more than the lowest state (South Carolina, at $7,956).

Indiana and Vermont top the list, with 20% and 19%, respectively, of household income going to center-based child care costs.

States with the highest center-based child care costs as a proportion of income

Rank

State

Average household income

Child care as a % of income

1 Indiana $49,556 20%
2 Vermont $54,063 19%
3 New Mexico $39,928 18%
4 Nebraska $53,682 18%
5 Delaware $50,305 18%
6 Minnesota $71,826 18%
7 District of Columbia $110,285 18%
8 Wisconsin $57,626 17%
9 Massachusetts $95,987 17%
10 Kansas $58,050 17%
11 Virginia $68,022 17%
12 Colorado $75,801 17%
13 Arizona $52,708 16%
14 Connecticut $77,229 16%
15 Oregon $68,112 16%
16 Maryland $77,778 16%
17 Michigan $51,980 16%
18 Illinois $71,096 16%
19 Missouri  $51,066 16%
20 West Virginia $41,542 16%
21 Rhode Island $57,403 15%
22 Pennsylvania $60,895 15%
23 New Hampshire $70,002 15%
24 California $88,649 15%
25 Hawaii $76,169 15%
26 Idaho $46,773 15%
27 Tennessee $48,985 15%
28 Nevada $60,707 15%
29 Ohio $55,471 14%
30 Iowa $60,041 14%
31 Washington $83,243 14%
32 Oklahoma $50,586 14%
33 New York $88,300 14%
34 Wyoming $53,543 14%
35 South Carolina $53,942 14%
36 North Carolina $54,965 14%
37 Florida $55,975 13%
38 Maine $61,060 13%
39 Alabama $44,496 13%
40 Utah $61,453 13%
41 Louisiana $53,573 13%
42 Alaska $74,041 13%
43 Georgia $57,813 12%
44 Arkansas $44,159 12%
45 North Dakota $64,224 11%
46 Texas $69,303 11%
47 Kentucky $53,495 11%
48 Mississippi $42,208 11%
49 New Jersey $93,071 11%

Looking at the other end of this list, five states tied for the lowest percentage (11%) of income toward care, including New Jersey, Kentucky and North Dakota. Interestingly, even though households in these states pay the smallest percentage of their income toward child care, they soon may experience larger increases to their child care bills — the average care center costs increased over 50% in those states. Those rising costs can create issues for parents who want, or need, to keep their kids in day care.

“For many parents, removing a kid from their day care is the last option they’d want to consider, especially if the kid is thriving, learning and making friends there,” Schulz said. “Still, you may not have a choice. If you simply can’t afford your current child care anymore, shop around. You might be able to find a new center that works for you.

“However, the unfortunate reality for many American families is that one of the few realistic ways to reduce costs on child care is to have one of the parents stay home with the child full time.”

How to budget for child care amid the coronavirus crisis

Making changes to your child’s daily care situation is always tough — but it’s especially difficult now, when factors like safety and increasingly high costs play a more significant role. For those who don’t have any options, here are some steps that can help make child care a reality:

  • Look for areas to trim back: “If you can’t reduce [child care] costs significantly, your best move may be to try and budget for the extra costs,” Schulz said. “Depending on how much the child care costs have risen, you may simply need to cut back on some extras, such as streaming services or takeout, or you may need to cut more deeply.”
  • Consider increasing your income: Look into other opportunities to make money — if possible using your existing skills. For example, freelancing or getting a local part-time job can be great options. Make sure you have enough time to dedicate to that job to make it worthwhile.
  • Ask if there are ways to lower your child care costs: As with any necessity, asking if there are options for lowering payments is something to consider. Explaining your circumstances, like a job loss or reduced hours, can work in your favor. With smaller facilities, offering skills — like bookkeeping or building a website — may provide a way to barter for lower costs.
  • Consider debt consolidation: If you have existing debts, a debt consolidation loan can be a good option to lower your monthly costs, provided you have solid credit. However, keep in mind that this can increase your long-term costs, so weigh the pros and cons before going forward.
  • Check with your state for child care grants: Many state governments have recognized the immense toll that the pandemic has had when it comes to child care, enacting financial assistance programs to help families manage. The level of assistance and qualifications will vary by state, but it’s still worth considering if you’re having trouble paying for child care amid the crisis.

Methodology

LendingTree researchers analyzed a September 2020 report from the Center for American Progress on costs for center-based child care providers.

2019 household child care cost data is via Child Care Award of America. Cost estimates were averaged across states and compared to average 2019 incomes for households with children younger than 5, via the U.S. Census Bureau.

For this study, infants are younger than 1, while toddlers are 1 or 2 years old.

Finance Reporter