$33,000-a-Year Child Care Burden Vexes Harris, Trump Campaigns

In the US, an average family of four will spend more annually on child care than they do on housing.

Both presidential candidates have put forward specific policy proposals to address housing affordability.

But neither Kamala Harris nor Donald Trump have detailed how they would reduce costs for parents who are now in many cases spending $33,000 a year for two kids in day care.

It’s a source of frustration for American parents, who are often forced to dip into their savings or take on second jobs to make the math work.

In every state in the country, the cost of child care outpaces average rent payments.

A combination of strict regulations around staffing levels and decades of underfunding led to this situation, which has only worsened since the pandemic when centers closed and many poorly paid workers left the industry altogether.

“There’s an agreement that things are not working for people, that there are interventions that are needed, but where things fall apart is identifying where those interventions are,” said Vicki Shabo, a senior fellow focused on gender equity issues at New America, a liberal think tank.