New Report Laments Rising Costs Of Child Care

A new study criticizes the rising cost of child care in North Carolina. It says that thousands of families are finding it difficult to keep up with balancing work and child care.

The study's title says it all: “High Quality Child Care Is Out Of Reach For Working Families.”

The report says that child-care costs for families with two children can actually exceed the cost of rent.

It finds that the rising cost of child care is especially challenging for a low-wage or minimum wage worker, who would have to devote his or her entire earnings over nine months for one year of infant care.

In North Carolina, a year of child care for a four-year-old can cost the same as as a year of tuition at UNC-Chapel Hill.

NC Policy Watch, a left-leaning watchdog group, says deep cuts to state funding for child care and other early childhood programs have added challenges for parents.

The group says the state's investments in those programs have remained stagnant despite an economic recovery.

The study was put together by the Washington, DC-based Economic Policy Institute.