Inflation Driving Up Cost Of Child Care
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - When the cost of goods and services goes up, so does the cost of everything else, including the price of watching your child.
Seven-month-old Wynston is a pandemic baby born in August of last year.
"I love staying home with him, it's great," said Samantha Koury of Crabtree.
In February of 2021 before Wynston was born, his mom says she and her fiancé Brent were laid off from their jobs. Brent went back to work, but she chose not to.
"Just with the cost of daycare or even if our parents were to watch him, they live further away, so the gas going back and forth, it would basically be what I would make," said Koury.
Lauren Powers' two kids, 4-year-old Lila and 1-year-old Noah, go to Ahead of the Curve daycare in Plum. She and her husband Josh work full-time jobs, so they know first-hand how expensive daycare is.
"When we just had Lila, the cost of childcare was more than our mortgage payment which was shocking to us," said Powers. "We added Noah to the mix and the cost more than doubled."
Powers says prices at their daycare went up $100 per child April 1, costing her family of four $1,979 a month.
Ahead of the Curve daycare owner Susan Bia says she needed to raise her rates in order to remain competitive in today's market.
"I had to increase to $100 in order to be able to afford to give our teachers raises, hire new staff and a competitive rate and to afford everything else," said Bia. "We provide food so the cost goes to groceries. Those are outrageous right now. Anything from Kleenex to ink for worksheets to wipies, cleaning products."
According to the Economic Policy Institute, the average annual cost of infant care in Pennsylvania is $11,842 per child which equates to $987 per month.
That added cost is now making Powers and her husband decide to put off having a third child, or consider having one of them stay home with the kids.
"We just can't afford three children in daycare. It's just way too much money a month," said Powers.
She says their family is also cutting corners when it comes to things, even little stuff like going out to eat. It's a reality for so many families, including Koury's family.
"We are always paying attention to what we spend and how much and making sure we can get everything that we need," said Koury.
Everything they need for their growing family, as their wallets continue to shrink.
