Cost of childcare in Rhode Island continues to put financial burden on families

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — A new report released on May 15 showed Massachusetts and Rhode Island are two of 11 states where child care costs at least twice as much as the cost of rent.

The report by Child Care Aware of America looked at care for an infant and four-year-old.

Nationwide, the average annual cost of care rose to nearly $11,600 per child last year.

One local policy analyst at Rhode Island KIDS COUNT said families are especially feeling the burden.

“It’s close to $17,000 a year for one infant, that’s definitely up from previous estimates that I have seen,” Senior Analyst Leanne Barrett said. “You’re supposed to spend no more than 7% of your income on childcare, so families would have to earn $240,000 a year in order to make child care affordable for one infant in a center.”

For families with a mortgage, the childcare bill also exceeds annual typical payments in 45 states and Washington D.C., according to Child Care Aware.

Senator Jack Reed released the following statement in reaction to the report:

We’re making strides, but this report shows we have a lot more work to do. Ensuring working parents have access to child care that meets their needs isn’t just a nice gesture, it is an economic and societal imperative. I am going to keep pressing for more resources to make child care more affordable and towards enacting the Child Care for Working Families Act.