"Nobody wins. Everyone suffers": High cost of child care strains families – CBS Evening News
By Mark Strassman
The soaring cost of child care is one of the most pressing issues facing families nationwide. The annual cost of child care rivals the cost of a college education in many states, according to a recent analysis from the Economic Policy Institute.
Except for Washington, D.C., Massachusetts has the country's most-expensive child care. For a 4-year-old, that cost averages $15,000 per year. It's almost $21,000 for an infant. By government standards, only 5% of Massachusetts families can afford infant care.
"It doesn't work for anybody," said Lauren Cook, who runs the Ellis Early Learning Center, a Boston institution since 1885. "Nobody wins. Everyone suffers, literally everybody."