I have three children, and they have been in child care since they were each about eight weeks old. When we were first hunting for a child care center, we were a little bit shocked at the cost. But 10 years later, the price has more than doubled.
My husband is a computer programmer and he has had periods when he was laid off. I'm an attorney, which helps because I have a higher wage. But even affording the child care on two-incomes remains really difficult for us with three children. Thank god my older children are in school now because having three in child care would have been $48,000 for the year.
In Massachusetts, the cost of child care for a two-parent, middle-class family averages 16% of their annual income. In Mississippi, costs average 7.3%. See how your state ranks.
