Childcare — particularly for parents of younger children — is the single biggest expense after housing.
In Maryland, for infants, it costs between $15,000 and $28,000 annually for full-time daycare (5 days/week). For preschoolers, it is only slightly better — costing between $11,000 and $19,000.
This is not how we encourage family formation and support those who are just trying to get started. This is not how we grow our communities and grow our economy.
If we want parents staying in the workforce and our businesses thriving, we have to make childcare more accessible and affordable. That means:
- Strengthening public-private partnerships
- Supporting local childcare providers so they stay open
- Targeting assistance to middle-class families who earn too much to qualify for subsidies yet still struggle to pay.