PHOENIX — President Joe Biden unveiled his goals for the upcoming year during the State of the Union. The president said many families are spending $14,000 on childcare, but is that true?
THE CLAIM:
"Are many families paying up to $14,000 a year for child care?”
THE SOURCES:
Liz Barker Alvarez with First Things First The Economic Policy Institute.
THE ANSWER:
According to data from the Economic Policy institute, multiple states average more than $15,000 for child care of toddlers.
The states include California, Connecticut, Colorado, Massachusetts, New York, and more. In Arizona, the cost is less, but still nearly $11,000 dollars a year.
“Families are paying what they would pay for their home or what they would pay to send a child to college just to care for their babies, toddlers, and preschoolers,” Barker Alvarez said.
According to the data, the median family in Arizona would spend nearly 20% of their income on child care for an infant.
The lower the income goes, the worse the numbers get.
Barker Alvarez said the second challenge is availability.
Childcare faces massive staff shortages, as more care workers have quit for other professions.
“Because childcare workers are paid less than their baristas and some employees at target,” Barker Alvarez said.
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