Revealed: The states where childcare costs MORE than college tuition – as federal funding for thousands of daycares is set to expire in days
Saving to send your child to college is one of the biggest expenses many parents face.
But the rising cost of childcare in the U.S. means some parents are paying higher costs to send their children to daycare than they would for college.
According to a new one study According to consumer banking firm NetCredit, child care is now more expensive than public college tuition in 28 states — an average of $1,031 more per year.
It comes as many childcare services across the country are hanging on the edge of a cliff.
As many as 70,000 childcare programs are at risk of closing if the crisis breaks through The government will pull the plug on pandemic-era support at the end of this month – which could drive up the price of existing centers even further.
According to NetCredit, Hawaii is the state with the largest gap between the cost of college tuition and child care.
In the Aloha State, the average child care cost per year is $21,016, and the typical public school tuition is $5,021 per year – a difference of as much as $15,995.
Childcare and early childhood education providers in the state receive no government funding, meaning they are completely dependent on tuition. This in turn drives up prices for parents, the study explains.
The gap is second largest in New York, where child care typically costs $15,951 more than in-state tuition.
According to the study, annual child care costs in the state are typically $23,231, while college costs an average of $7,280.
New York has the most expensive childcare per year in absolute terms, the study found, followed by Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Virginia.
A new study from consumer banking company NetCredit shows that child care is more expensive than college tuition in 28 states
New York has the most expensive childcare per year in absolute terms, the study found, followed by Hawaii and New Jersey
Childcare is also more expensive than public universities in California and North Carolina, although the difference in costs is considerably smaller.
In California, child care is typically $6,862 more expensive, while in North Carolina it is $5,753 more expensive.
On the other end of the spectrum, tuition costs in Vermont are significantly more expensive than child care costs – with a difference of $5,423.
This is due to the fact that the state has some of the highest university tuition rates – at $13,430 per year – while childcare costs are still fairly high, at around $8,007 per year.
According to the Education data initiativethe average cost of tuition at a four-year public institution is $9,678 per year.
NetCredit found that Vermonters spend an average of 24.22 percent of their annual wages on tuition.
NetCredit found that Vermonters spend an average of 24.22 percent of their annual wages on tuition
The study comes days before more than three million children will lose their places in childcare if the government pulls the plug on federal funding.
Estimates from The Century Foundation (TCF) suggest that as many as 70,000 child care programs are at risk of closing if support dries up.
Experts warn the crisis could also wipe out women’s gains in the labor market, after the number of women in the workforce reached record highs this year.
States have until the end of this month to distribute the remaining funds.
Researchers at the TCF say the deadline represents a ‘cliff-edge’, leaving 3.2 million children without a place to go while their parents work.