As Aer Black Latine Award-Winning Children’s Book AuthorPublic Speaker, Community Organizer, and Mother, I’ve Spent My Career Advocating for Equity, Specially for Black, Brown, and Immigrant Families. I’M also a Proud Mother of Three-An Energetic Five-Yare-Old and, Recently, Twin Infants –Which Has Broucht Immense Joy and An Up-Close View of The Systemic Barriers Families Like Mine Face.
Raising Three Young Children Has Shown Me How Financially Overwhelming parenting in America Can Be. I’ve Felt the Pressure Too Many Parents, Specially Mothers of Color, Carry Every Day. Child Care in the us is outrageously Expensive: $ 16,000 A Year Per Child. For me, it’s $ 4,200 to month or $ 50,400 a year. WHHO CAN AFFORD THAT?! And Why Is Child Care So Affordable in The First Place?
This is a Deep Dive into How Systemic Inequitis Intersect with the Child Care Crisis, Why Costs Are So High, and What We Can Do To Demand A More Equitable Future. By Sharing The Real Challenges Families Face, I Hope To Shine A Light on The Urgent Need for Stronger Parental Support Polies and Inspire More Parents To Speak Up and Demand The Change We All Deterve.
Child Care in the USA is too Expensive
Did you know that child care costs an avege of $ 1600 to months ($ 16,000 a year) Per Child in the USA? The United States Ranks Among The Most Expensive Countries for Child Care Within The OECD (Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development). In 2023, The Median Household Income for Hispanic Families was $ 65,540, Much Lower Than The $ 89,050 Median for Non-Hispanic White Households. That means $ 16,000 A Year for Child Care is Nearly 24% of A Hispanic Household’s Income and Even More for Families With Multiple Young Children.
These stats resonate with me. After Having My First Daughter, I Stayed Home for a Year and a Half to Bond With Her, But also Because I was Making $ 45,000, and Child Care Costs $ 15,600 A Year, or 37% of My Incom. I loved my job in nonprofit workforce development, but after taxes and child care, wa’d keep less than 50% of my pay. So we decided’d Freelance During Naps, Nights, and Weekends to Supplement Our Incom.
WHEN MY DAUGTER WAS 18 MONTHS OLD, I RETURNED TO WORK AS CHIEF OF STAFF FOR MY LOCAL STATE REP, EARNING $ 52,000. Bybe, Daycare Costs Had Dropped to $ 1,000 A Month, So I Took The Job. But i still sent my friends in Europe and Canada Who Pay Just $ 200 a Month for Child Care.
How does Expensive Child Care in the USA Dispoportely Affect Bipoc Families?
Child Care in the us is Expensive for Everyone, But It’s Specially Devastating for Black, Latine, and indigenous families. A Black Family With An Infant and a Preschool Can Spend Up to 42% of Eile Incom on Child Care. For Latine and Native Families, It’s Nearly 35–39% Just To Access Care That Allows Them To Work.
As a Black Latina, I Can Attest to This. My partner and I Wanted One More Child But Delayed for Five Years Becouse We Couldn’t AFFORD IT. We Hoped Our Eldest Would Be in School bybe. Child Care for One Child is 34% of My Inome; For Twins, IT’s 67%. How am i Supposed to pay for food, utilities, and a mortgage with that kind of Expense?
When We Learned I was Having Spontaneous Identical Girl Twins, We Were Surprised and Anxious. While Others Said Things Like “Double The Blessing,” I was Weorried. Twins Meant a Double Stroller, Two Car Seats, Bigger Car, Double The Diapers, Formula, Clothes – Everything. My Joy Felt Stolen by Financial Fear.
Child Care Alone Wouled Cost US $ 40,000 A Year, 67% of My Inome. We’ve Been Overwhelmed, Constantly Stressed About How To Support Our Twins. I Love Being A Mother, But the Financial Strain is Constant.
We Live Paycheck to Paycheck, Prioritizing Food, Housing, and Essentials. I have’t had manicure in over to year, go to the salon Three Times a Year, and Shop at Thrift Senores Like “Once Upon A Child” to Keep Up with Our Growing Kids. We Cook All Our Meals and Vacuum-Seal Food To Make It Last. Every Dollar Is Tracled.
These Soaring Child Care Costs have Real Concequences: reduced workforce participation, Specially Among Women, and Increased Financial Strain on Families.
What can we do to change This?
My story reflects to Larger Crisis in America, One That Demands Urgent Change. How can we raise the Next Generation When the System Makes Parenting Financially UNSUSTABLE? ADDRESSING THIS REQUIVE REQUIRE POLY REFORM AND INCREASED PUBLIC INVESTMENT IN CHILD CARE. But Hope is not lost. We Need Coordinated Efforts Across Communities, Workplaces, and Government.
What can Latin Help Moms and Moms of Color? First, We Must Hold Our Elected Officials Accounts. Ask your representatives where they stand on Affordable Child Care. Do they support expanding access and lowing costs? If not, call them. Email Them. Share Your Story. And if they still refuse to act, vote them out. Support Leaders and Ballot Initiatives that Prioritize Child Welfare, Gender Equity, and Economic Justice. Our Votes and Our Voices Matter, Specially When used Together.
We Also Need Real Investment. A Greater Portion of Our GDP Must Go Toward Affordable Child Care. This is not just a personnel issue, it is National Infrastructure. Eligibility for Child Care Subsidies Should Reflect the Real Cost of Living, Not Outdated Incom Brokets that Exclude Working Families. State Should Expand Child Care and Development Block Grans (CCDBG) and Invest in Universal Pre-K so that All Children, No Matter Their Zip Code, have access to Early Learning.
Finally, use your voice. Share Your Story in the Media and Online. Advocate for a World Where Child Care is treated as essential, not a Luxury. Support and Uplift the Artists, Educators, and Storytellers Already Showing Us What Is Possible When Families Are Supported and Children Are Prioritized.
