Should childcare cost more than rent?

Hinzugefügt: 2026-05-25

[00:00:00]When my kiddo was younger, I paid more for her child care than I did for our rent. The government says that child care should cost no more than 7% of a family's income. 7%? Yeah, unsurprisingly, a new national study shows that well over half of working parents are spending way more than that.

[00:00:18]In some states, sending a kid to daycare is eating up over 50% of what a family brings home. For math nerds out there, 50% is a lot more than 7%. So, if you're struggling with child care costs, you are not bad at budgeting. This is not a personal finance problem. This is a policy problem. Our kids need good child care that we can all afford. In the meantime, if you've got kids, check whether your employer offers a dependent care flexible spending account. An FSA can save you money on child care costs.