Child Care Costs Up 70%

Among families with employed mothers who pay for child care, the average weekly cost has grown from $84 in 1985 to $143 in 2011, after adjusting for inflation—a 70 percent increase. For families with preschoolers, the average weekly cost of child care in 2011 was an even higher $179. The steep and rising cost of child care explains why so many families with preschoolers depend on grandparents. Fully 21 percent of families with preschoolers and a working mother relied on a grandparent as the primary child care provider in 2011, up from 16 percent in 1985.

Source: Census Bureau, Who's Minding the Kids? Child Care Arrangements: Spring 2011