Source: Child Care Aware of America – August 15, 2012
On August 15, 2012, Child Care Aware of America (formerly NACCRRA, the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies), released Parents and the High Cost of Child Care: 2012 Report (August 2012), which shows that the cost of child care in America continues to increase.
In 2011, the average annual cost of full-time child care for an infant in a center ranged from ~$4,600 in Mississippi to ~$15,000 in Massachusetts. The average annual cost of full-time care for a 4-year-old child in a center ranged from about $3,900 in Mississippi to nearly $11,700 in Massachusetts. In 36 states (including the District of Columbia), the average annual cost for center-based care for an infant was higher than a year’s in-state tuition and related fees at a four-year public college.
The report ranks the states based on the cost of child care as a percentage of state median income for a two-parent family. See the press release summary here.
