Childcare is a Public Good
Let’s Treat It That Way by Making It Affordable and Accessible to All Families.
Published: Economic Security Project
Date: August 28th, 2025
| It shouldn’t feel impossible to start and raise a family. Yet, growing costs have made it so prohibitively expensive that a new generation of would-be parents is questioning whether they can afford to welcome a child at all. A major factor is the soaring cost of childcare, which for many families is the biggest monthly expense—surpassing even rent or a mortgage. In 41 states, childcare now costs more than in-state college tuition. And that’s if parents can even access it. Half of U.S. families live in childcare deserts where openings are scarce, waitlists stretch for months, or the nearest center is hours away, making care practically nonexistent. The effects ripple throughout the economy—parents are forced out of the workforce because the cost of care cancels out their paychecks, businesses lose employees, and families are forced to cut back. This year alone, 3% of working moms (ages 25-44) with young children dropped out of the workforce, erasing post-pandemic gains driven by flexible work arrangements that had lured them back into the workforce. The economic impacts are harmful for providers and staff, too. Providers and business owners—many of whom are women of color running small centers—can barely make the math work. Providers spend most of their budgets on staff, yet wages remain low—about half of what elementary school teachers earn—even in places like Minnesota, where most centers receive state aid. As a result, centers struggle to recruit and retain workers, limiting the availability of stable, predictable care. Further, providers’ work has long been undervalued with low pay, limited rights, and constant instability, despite society’s deep reliance on this essential public good. Childcare is the definition of a broken market. Families can’t find it or afford it, workers don’t earn a livable wage, and children are left with inconsistent care. This broken market has created an opening for actors like private equity to step in, putting profits ahead of the well-being of kids and families. Rather than accept this broken system, we set out to learn what it would take to forge a different path forward and build a universal public childcare system that is accessible, affordable, and better meets the needs of families and providers. Working in partnership with the Roosevelt Institute and Community Change, we released a new report entitled, Building a Vision for Universal Public Childcare: Principles for a Childcare System that Works for Workers and Families. The report reflects on a year-long series of conversations with parents, providers, and organizers to inform a shared vision for childcare. In this vision, parents have access to affordable, universal care no matter their income or zip code. Every child has a safe, nurturing place to learn and grow during their formative years. And providers—who have held the system together on poverty wages for far too long—are finally paid fairly, supported in their essential work, and guaranteed the right to organize for better conditions. Real-world examples show how transformative public childcare can be. In New Mexico, making childcare free for most families lifted more than 120,000 people out of poverty. In Washington, DC, universal preschool has helped thousands of parents, especially mothers, stay in the workforce. And in Canada, where provinces have built $10-a-day childcare programs, families are saving thousands of dollars a year while providers receive stable pay. Childcare can be a public good that strengthens our families, our communities, and our economy as a whole. Read more about the report here. |