Since 2019, child care prices in Ohio have risen by 25% and the average price for an infant in a child care center is more than $12,300 a year, according to a new report out Wednesday.
The Century Foundation, a progressive think tank based in New York and Washington, D.C., examined child care costs in five states, including Ohio, and found that in those states child care prices are higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic. The report says Ohio needs to invest more in child care as pandemic funding ends.
Researchers used data from surveys, the U.S. Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics and the states and information from child care providers. They found that price increases and staffing shortages lead to fewer families that can afford child care and program closures, which further reduce availability.
Ohio child care center directors told researchers that they can’t afford to pay quality staff. The report said the median hourly wages for child care in Ohio is $13.44 compared to $22.45 for all workers.