Ohio Child Care Costs Almost As Much As College

While college graduates across the state may be struggling to pay student loans, their little brothers and sisters may already be putting their parents in debt.

The Economic Policy Institute recently released a study that revealed the average cost of infant care in Ohio is $8,977, or $748 a month. Child care for a 4 year-old costs $612 a month.

These numbers get more unsettling when compared to the prices of colleges in the state. Research showed that infant care costs a mere $466, 4.9 percent, less than in-state tuition for a four year public college. Meanwhile, those looking into buying an apartment may want to consider that similar care costs 4.9 percent more than average rent.

The study further breaks down how child care costs affect an average family. With only one infant, child care would take up 15.1 percent of the average Ohio family’s income. Since these services are only affordable if it costs no more than 10 percent of a family’s income according to the US Department of Health and Human Services, only 31.2 percent of families in Ohio can afford infant care according to the study.

This creates even bigger problems for families with two children, for whom the study shows child care costs a whopping 90.6 percent more than average rent, at $16,318. By that standard, a minimum wage worker would need to work full time for 28 weeks just to pay for one infant’s care.

Read the full study and see how other states stack up here.

Here's a detailed breakdown on infant care cost in Ohio:

• Annual infant care costs:$8,977
• Median family income:$59,491
• Infant care costs as a share of median family income:15.1%
• Savings to typical families with an infant from capping child care expenditures at 10% of income:$3,028
• Share of median income freed up by capping infant care expenditures at 10% of income:6.0%
• Share of families able to afford infant care (i.e., costs are 10% or less of income):31.2%
• Full-time minimum wage salary:$16,848
• Infant care costs as a share of minimum-wage earnings:53.3%
• Median child care worker salary:$19,500
• Infant care costs as a share of child care worker earnings:46.0%
• In-state tuition for 4-year public college:$9,443
• Infant care costs as a share of public college tuition:95.1%
• Annual rent:$8,561
• Infant care as a share of rent:104.9%
• Increase in state’s economy from capping families’ child care expenditures at 10% of income:1.1% ($6.58 billion)