Policy Priority

Child Care is an Affordability Issue

For families around the country, money feels tight, and the cost of daily life has become harder to manage. This “affordability anxiety” is particularly high for parents of young children, where child care consistently stands out as one of the most significant and unavoidable expenses—competing directly with groceries, rent, health care, and other essentials. Rising costs shape decisions about whether parents can work, how many hours they can work, and even whether it makes financial sense to have another child.

Congress can address this directly by prioritizing federal child care programs, like the Child Care & Development Block Grant, Head Start, and child care tax credits. These effective programs help families keep more money in their pockets. They help parents stay in the workforce, support healthy child development, and strengthen household and economic stability.

Young family with baby worried about family budget and high taxes and bills. Inflation concept.

By the Numbers

Two-thirds of children ages 5 and under in the United States today may need a form of child care because their parents work. The high cost of care shapes not just family budgets, but also workforce participation and broader economic stability.

Child care prices rose 29% between 2020 and 2024 due to increased operational costs and competing wages from other service sectors, or +7% more than the rise overall prices for other goods and services.

Average cost of child care is +$13,000 a year (+$1,000 a month). View state averages.

With CCDBG, the average child care copay drops to $3,400 a year ($284 a month). View state copay averages.

Polling

Affordability is the dominant issue for voters: In a January 2026 poll, voters ranked affordability as a top concern, ahead of jobs and the economy. Lowering the cost of living was identified as the top way President Trump and Congress could help families, including 68% of Republicans, 80% of Independents, and 77% of Democrats.
Child care as an affordability issue: 80% of voters say the inability of working parents to find affordable child care is a “state of crisis” or a “major problem,” including 65% of Republicans, 81% of Independents, and 94% of Democrats.
Federal child care funding seen as a solution: 82% of voters say federal funding for child care programs will help lower costs for working families, including 69% of Republicans, 84% of Independents, and 94% of Democrats. 70% also say federal investment in child care programs will improve the economy, including 54% of Republicans, 68% of Independents, and 87% of Democrats.
Strong overall support for federal child care funding: Nearly three out of four voters (74%) view this funding as an important priority and a good use of tax dollars, including 53% of Republicans, 77% of Independents, and 93% of Democrats.
More from the poll can be found here.