In the nation’s capital, where the price of nearly everything feels inflated, child care has emerged as one of the most punishing expenses for families.
New data from LendingTree shows that in the Washington metro area, full-time infant care averages $2,140 per month, almost equal to the region’s two-bedroom rent of $2,253. For households with two young children, the burden jumps even higher to $3,854 per month, 71% more than the region’s average rent.
The fallout from the federal shutdown is making the pressure even worse. As of Nov. 1, 140 Head Start programs nationwide serving 65,000 preschoolers have received no federal funding. Twenty programs have been forced to fully or partially close, affecting nearly 10,000 children…