Voters Put Child Care Front and Center in the Affordability Conversation

11 state-level polls. 

A national survey.

One clear message. No matter where they live, voters are struggling with the high cost of living and see child care costs as a major part of the affordability crisis.

And Congress needs to act.

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WASHINGTON D.C. – In the leadup to the 2026 midterms, First Five Years Fund conducted polling nationally and across eleven states and congressional districts. Despite differences in geography, political affiliation, and polling firms, voters are sending a remarkably consistent message: Families are struggling with the cost of living, child care costs are making it harder to get ahead, and voters want lawmakers to act.

Candidates cannot necessarily control every cost putting pressure on working families, but child care is different. Through federal policy, Congress can make a direct and immediate difference in helping families afford care, find the care that fits their needs, and help strengthen the overall system and supply.

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The Polls

States: Ohio • Michigan • North Carolina • Nebraska • Louisiana • Kansas • Oklahoma • Mississippi
Congressional Districts: Nevada’s 3rd District • California’s 9th District • Ohio’s 13th District
National: Likely midterm voters across the United States

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The Themes

The findings consistently point to four themes:

• Child care is an affordability issue. Nationally, 82% of voters say child care costs are part of the affordability crisis, a finding echoed by roughly 8 in 10 voters across states.
• The high cost of child care is shaping families’ financial futures and decisions about whether to have more children.  Half of parents paying for care in Ohio and North Carolina say child care costs prevent them from saving or getting ahead financially, while roughly one in four voters in Louisiana and North Carolina say these costs are causing them to delay starting or growing their families.
• Child care is a workplace and local economy issue. Across six states, 70% to 77% of voters agree that increasing access to high-quality child care would strengthen their state’s economy and workforce. 
• Voters want action. Roughly two-thirds of voters across several states see federal child care funding as a good investment, while a majority support bipartisan legislation like the Child Care Modernization Act.

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The Findings

Child care is an affordability issue for parents and nonparents alike.

The consistent finding: Child care is not separate from the broader conversation about affordability. For voters, particularly families paying for care, it is a central part of it.

• Nationally, 82% of voters say child care costs are part of the affordability crisis, including 76% who say the cost of care for families with young children is a crisis or major problem.
• In Kansas, 65% of voters identify lowering the cost of living as one of the two most important issues facing their families. In Mississippi, 73% identify gas, energy, and utilities among their top household cost concerns, followed closely by groceries (72%).
• That sentiment is consistent across states and congressional districts: Roughly 80% of voters in Ohio, North Carolina, Nebraska, Nevada’s 3rd District, and Michigan say child care costs are part of the affordability crisis, as do 76% of voters in Louisiana and Mississippi.
• Finding and affording care is also a major concern: 78% of North Carolina voters, 75% of Kansas voters, and 71% of Mississippi voters say finding and affording quality child care is a crisis or major problem.
• The concern crosses party lines: In Louisiana, 71% of Republicans, 83% of Independents, and 90% of Democrats say child care costs are part of the affordability crisis. In Kansas, 65% of Republicans, 77% of Independents, and 91% of Democrats say finding and affording quality care is a crisis or major problem.

The high cost of child care is shaping families’ financial futures and decisions about whether to have more children.

The consistent finding: Child care costs are not just another monthly expense. They can shape whether families are able to save, get ahead, and make decisions about their futures.

• Voters worry that a lack of affordable child care could drive young families away or discourage them from having children. More than half of voters in Louisiana (59%), Mississippi (54%), and Nebraska (54%), along with 47% in Ohio and North Carolina, worry that young families may leave their states or choose not to have children because they cannot find affordable child care.
• Child care costs are influencing decisions about starting or growing families. More than one in four Louisiana respondents (28%), nearly one in four North Carolina voters (24%), and nearly one in five Ohio voters (19%) say child care costs are causing them to delay starting or expanding their families. In Louisiana, that number rises to 51% among current parents.
• Child care costs are keeping families from getting ahead financially. Half of parents paying for care in Ohio and North Carolina, 48% of parents in Mississippi, 46% of Louisiana respondents, 37% of parents in Kansas, and one in four parents paying for care in Nebraska say child care costs prevent them from saving or getting ahead financially.
• Families are cutting back on essentials to afford care. More than one-third of parents in Ohio and Mississippi (36%) and North Carolina (34%) report cutting back on household necessities, along with nearly one-third of parents paying for care in Nebraska and one in four parents in Kansas.

Nationally, 38% of parents paying for care rank child care among their two biggest household cost pressures, alongside housing and groceries.

Child care is a workplace and local economy issue.

The consistent finding: Voters recognize that whether families can find child care affects whether parents can work, they themselves can work, and whether employers can find and retain workers. Child care is workforce infrastructure. When families cannot find care, the effects ripple through workplaces and local economies.

Across six states, 70% to 77% of voters agree that increasing access to high-quality child care would strengthen their state’s economy and workforce.

• Ohio: 74% agree that increasing access to high-quality child care would strengthen the state’s economy and workforce.
• North Carolina: 77% agree, rising to 83% in Western North Carolina.
• Mississippi: 77% agree, while 56% say labor shortages are due in part to the lack of affordable child care.
• Louisiana: 75% agree that increasing access to quality child care would strengthen the state’s economy and workforce.
• Kansas: 70% agree that increasing access to high-quality child care would strengthen the state’s economy and workforce.
• Nebraska: 70% agree, while 52% say labor shortages are due in part to the lack of affordable child care.

Polling also shows that child care challenges are already affecting workers and workplaces:

• Nationally: Nearly 40% of voters say coworkers’ child care challenges affect their own ability to work.
• Michigan: Nearly 40% report an impact from coworkers’ child care challenges, while 52% of working parents say child care affects their ability to work.
• Nevada’s 3rd District: One-third say coworkers’ child care challenges affect their ability to work.

Support for State and Federal Investment

The consistent finding: Across states, voters see investing in child care as a worthwhile use of taxpayer dollars, with roughly two-thirds supporting federal investment to help working families access and afford care. Polling also shows support for lawmakers working across party lines, including for concrete legislative proposals like the bipartisan Child Care Modernization Act, which would give states more tools to expand access to affordable care.

• Mississippi: 72% say federal child care and early learning funding for low-income working families is a good investment of taxpayer dollars, and 74% support maintaining or increasing federal funding.
• Louisiana: 73% say federal child care funding is a good investment, while 72% say expanding access to affordable care should be an important state priority.
• Nebraska: 65% say federal child care funding is a good investment, and 66% support maintaining or increasing federal funding.
• Kansas: Nearly two-thirds say federal child care and early learning funding is a good investment of taxpayer dollars.

Voters want lawmakers to take action to make child care more affordable and accessible, including investing in child care programs and working across party lines to get things done. In Ohio and North Carolina, voters say by more than two to one that members of Congress should do what it takes to pass child care legislation, even if that means compromising with the other party. Nebraska voters express a similar preference by nearly a two-to-one margin, while 58% of Louisiana voters support that approach. Across states, the message is clear: Voters want lawmakers to prioritize child care, invest in solutions, and work together to make progress.

Voters Want Lawmakers to Act

Support for the Child Care Modernization Act

Polling shows strong support with very little opposition for the bipartisan Child Care Modernization Act (CCMA), which would strengthen the Child Care and Development Block Grant and give states more tools to expand access to affordable care.

• Nationally: 63% support CCMA, with 21% opposed.
• Michigan: 62% support CCMA, with 20% opposed.
• Mississippi: 62% support CCMA.
• Kansas: 60% support CCMA.
• Nebraska: Nearly 60% support CCMA.
• Nevada’s 3rd District: 62% support CCMA, with 19% opposed.
• Ohio: Nearly 60% support the approach of sending federal child care funding to states with flexibility to increase access and preserve parental choice.
• North Carolina: 61% support the same approach.

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Bottom Line

Different states, different electorates, and different polling firms, but a remarkably consistent message. Child care costs are contributing to the affordability challenges facing families across the country, affecting their ability to save, work, and plan for the future. Voters recognize the problem and support efforts to make quality child care more affordable and accessible.