Child Care Costs More Than College In New York

Child care isn’t cheap in New York. According to updated research from the Economic Policy Institute, parents in New York shell out $15,394 for infant care on average every year or $1,283 each month.

For parents in New York, child care is more expensive than in-state tuition at a four-year public college, which is true for more than half the country.

While infant care costs New York parents just over $15,394, the child-care costs for a 4-year-old is $12,358 or $1,030 per month, according to the Washington, D.C.-based think tank’s calculations.

By U.S. Department of Health and Human Service standards, infant care is only affordable for 9.4 percent of New York families. The agency’s standard says that child care is affordable if it costs no more than 7 percent of a family’s income. According to the EPI’s calculations, infant care for one child would take up 22.1 percent of a median family’s income in New York.

For workers who earn minimum wage, child care is simply out of reach in New York, the EPI says.

The EPI suggests certain solutions for lowering the costs of child care, including capping child-care expenses at 7 percent. That would save a typical family in New York $10,152 and would free up more parents to work.

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