STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The majority of New York City families are overburdened with exorbitant child care costs, shelling out large percentages of their paychecks to have their children looked after while they work.
Earlier this month, the Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York (CCC) released a new report titled, ‘From Birth to Age 12: The (Un)Affordability of Child Care and Out-of-School Care in New York City,’ which found that 80% of families with children under five cannot afford child care and 80% of families with children ages six through 12 cannot afford out-of-school care.
“Access to high quality, affordable child and out-of-school care is necessary to support child development, school readiness, and the success of children and plays a vital role in ensuring that caregivers, especially mothers, have the ability to work outside the home,” said Jennifer March, executive director at CCC.
“Alarmingly, our research shows that the vast majority of low-to middle-income households in New York City cannot afford any form of care. This isn’t just a family issue – this is a key part of a larger socio-economic crisis,” March added.
For the purposes of the report, child care was deemed unaffordable if it would require a family to spend more than 7% of its annual income on child care costs.
Estimated annual child care costs in New York City range from roughly $10,000 to $20,000 per child depending on age and the type of child care being provided, according to data from the Office of Children and Family Services’ 2022 New York State Child Care Market Rate Survey Report.
Child care costs tend to decrease as children get older, with parents paying the highest rates for infants and toddlers under the age of two.
For home-based care, estimated annual child care costs are $16,250 for ages zero through two, $14,300 for ages three through five and $10,840 for ages six through 12.
For center-based care, estimated annual child care costs are $20,176 for ages…
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