Kids & Family
Daycare More Expensive Than College in California, Study Finds
A study says California is the 11th most expensive state for infant care, with less than 30 percent of families able to afford it.
By CHARLENE ARSENAULT and BEA KARNES (Patch Staff)
Parents in the Golden State may be dipping into college savings for their kids much earlier. They may have to use the savings to pay for daycare before that child even heads to elementary school.
A study recently released by the Economic Policy Institute reported that California is one of 33 states where infant care is more expensive than college, and is ranked the 11th most costly in the country.
The report found that the average annual cost of infant care in California is $11,817, which breaks down to $985 per month; and child care for a 4-year-old costs $8,230, or $686 per month.
In comparing the cost to college tuition, infant care is $2,914, or 32.7 percent more than the cost of an in-state four-year college.
Related: California Universities Dominate Forbes List of Value Schools
Families with two children of course are paying more, but even one child is costing the average family 18.6 percent of its annual income in California. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services concluded that it should cost no more than 10 percent of they family's annual income to be "affordable." That means that just 28.5 percent of California families can afford infant care.
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