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A state-by-state childcare-cost story

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If you live in the US and have kids, you know certain things to be true: the need for snacks is constant and inevitable no matter how much you plan to be “French” about it, AND childcare is outrageously expensive. According to data tracked by the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) the U.S. is the second most expensive childcare system for two-parent households (New Zealand is number one), with an average of 30-32% of income going towards childcare costs. When evaluated for single-parent households, the U.S. ranks as the least affordable country in the world. It’s perhaps not surprising then, that the U.S. ranks 30th out of 33 OECD nations in public spending on families and children (read: we’re expected to do it all alone) and according to a recent report from UNICEF, the US came in 40th (out of 41 countries) on a list ranking rich countries’ national childcare and parental leave policies. There is SOME good news: The last few years have seen exciting developments on a state level: New Mexico’s expansive universal child care for all families, Vermont’s income-based child care subsidies, and Washington, DC’s publicly provided pre-K for three- and four-year-olds. But the financial reality that most families still face is unsustainable, to say the least. So how do these costs translate into daily life? What are the practical, numerical implications of these infuriating comparisons? Here, a look at some of the numbers, state by state. #coteriepartner Source: @economicpolicy

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