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Federal Assistance for Child Care and Childhood Nutrition: 2021

Childcare - Briefing

We are now going to look at a proposal that deals with the cost of childcare, including daycare centers, before- and after-school programs, and summer programs for school-age children.

As you may know, childcare has become more expensive over the last few decades. Families with children under age 5, in which the mother is working, spend on average about 10 percent of their income on childcare. 

This varies widely depending on income. Among families that pay for childcare:
  • lower income families (less than $50,000 for a family of four) pay on average 35% of their income
  • higher income families (more than $150,000) pay on average 7%.