Childcare costs accelerated throughout the pandemic. Now many parents are concerned they are going to spike again in 2024.
A new Care.com survey of US adults who pay for professional childcare found that a majority of respondents expect their childcare costs to increase by $7,000 this year, or $600 or more per month.
They expect that to happen largely because of the expiration of a pandemic-era safety net that helped stabilize the childcare industry across the US. Staffing shortages at day care centers are also expected to act as an upward pressure on prices.
The expenses associated with caring for children are putting increasing strain on American households after years of elevated prices for everything from food to housing.
Over the past decade the cost of daycare has risen roughly 36%, outpacing the rise in inflation during that time, according to data from the Bureau of Labor…
