High Childcare Costs Huge Obstacle For Maryland Working Families

The annual price of childcare in Maryland now exceeds the average cost of in-state tuition at public universities in the state, putting this necessity out of reach for many families. This causes a real dilemma for people struggling to make ends meet: they need to work to support their families but if they can’t afford childcare they can’t work.

There is something Maryland can do to help. Policymakers should give all Maryland children the opportunity to succeed by expanding the childcare subsidy program, which provides financial assistance for the cost of care to income-eligible working families. There are more than 14,000 families who remain on the waiting list for support that they need to afford quality child care.

Parents of young children are typically at the beginning of their careers so they are the least likely to be able to afford childcare. One of the biggest expenses in a family budget, childcare in many cases can exceed the cost of other major expenses such as transportation, food, or housing.

A parent working full time earning minimum wage in Maryland would have to spend more than 82 percent of her income to pay for the infant care that enables her to go to work. This amount is the third highest in the country, only behind Massachusetts and Washington, D.C. In Maryland, childcare for a 4-year-old is a bit less expensive, but still would take more than half of a full-time, minimum-wage worker’s pay.

Childcare is now an even greater expense than tuition at many of our state’s higher education institutions. The cost of care for just one child is $9,696 per year, substantially higher than the cost of in-state tuition at a number of major universities in Maryland.

Children who aren’t able to attend high-quality day care and preschool programs because their parents can’t afford it can suffer the consequences throughout their lives. Children who start kindergarten behind their peers too often never catch up. Among children who arrive at school without the skills needed for success, over 85 percent are still behind in 4th grade. Research about brain development makes it clear that the early years are a unique period of development and early experiences form the foundation for future success.

Making high-quality childcare available to more Maryland families would do more than protect future generations, it would also help the state economy:  more parents working means they have more money to spend on other necessities.