Why this matters

·        The Problem and the size of the problem

 There are over 39 thousand children under 5 years old in Washington, DC, more than half of whom live in households with family incomes below $75,000. However, “the cost of care in the District of Columbia is higher than in any of the 50 states […]. In 2011, the average cost of full-time care for an infant in a DC child care center was more than $20,000 a year. That is roughly 80 percent of median income for a single mother in DC.”[1] Additionally, the limited capacity of current child care providers results in more than 10,000 children on provider waiting lists at a time.[2]

·        Who has the problem?

The high cost and shortage of child care is particularly detrimental for D.C. families with children 3 or younger, and household income below $75,000.

Watch this 4 minute video for a very eloquent explanation of the socioeconomic impact of this issue:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD1ttD8rODM

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[1]Child Care Aware of America, “Parents and the High Cost of Child Care.” 2013 Report.

[2] Center for Applied Research and Urban Policy, “2010 District of Columbia Child Care Market Rates and Capacity Utilization”