May Udy, 32, is “on the cusp” of affording part-time childcare. She works full-time at her remote sales job, and her husband, Jackson, has a steady stream of work as a contract engineer in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Yet, the cost of even a few days of childcare for their two children, Noah and Hannah, aged 5 and 6, is untenable .
Nationally, care for one child ranges from $4,800 to $15,000 a year, and the prices are expected to keep rising . In Tennessee, the average annual childcare cost is $10,000-$11,000 .
Politicians on both sides of the aisle agree that childcare is a significant financial strain . In a recent interview, JD Vance suggested parents should ask their families to pitch in. “Maybe grandma or grandpa wants to help out a little bit more,” Vance said. “If that happens, you relieve some of the pressure on all the resources that we’re spending on day care.”
For Udy, that isn’t an option.
She is one of those millennial parents who get no childcare help from their parents , whether due to distance or larger disagreements about raising kids.