In Georgia, Daycare Is More Expensive Than College

Many Georgia parents trying to save for their kids' college tuition may be having a tough time because they're already shelling out a bigger dollar amount every month for childcare.

Georgia is one of 33 states where typical childcare costs more than college, says a new study from the Economic Policy Institute.

According to the study, the average annual cost of daycare for an infant in Georgia is $7,644 and the cost for a 4 year old is $6,500.

By comparison, average college tuition in the state is $6,614 -- well below the price of infant care and only a shade higher than care for a toddler.

Researchers from the policy institute say infant care for one child takes up 13.8% of the typical Georgia family's income.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, child care is affordable if it costs no more than 10% of a family’s income. By this standard, the Policy Institute study says, only 37.7% of Georgia families can truly afford infant care.

Georgia families with two children, of course, face an even greater burden.

Child care for one infant and one toddler costs $14,144 in the state. That’s 45.7% more than average rent in Georgia, according to the study.

A minimum wage worker in Georgia would need to work a half-year -- 26 weeks -- just to pay for child care for one infant.

The Economic Policy Institute calls childcare costs one of the key contributors to economic inequality in the United States. The group is calling for government action, namely a public investment of funding that would cap childcare costs at 10% of a family's income.

Doing so in Georgia would free up $4.59 billion in personal finances that could be put into the economy in other ways, the group argues.

A typical Georgia family would save $2,103 on childcare costs under the reform.

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