Childcare is becoming so expensive that some Pennsylvania parents have quit jobs or left the workforce entirely to care for their children.
Driving the news: The average cost of center-based daycare in Pennsylvania in 2021 was $11,346, amounting to 10 percent of a married couple’s median income, according to a new report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
What they’re saying: Experts say more can be done to help struggling families. About 12 million children are in childcare, but only 1.3 million currently receive federal subsidies to offset costs.
- “When we hear folks talk about the cost of childcare [being] equivalent to rent or a mortgage, that certainly tracks,” Kari King of Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children tells Axios.