ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The cost of daycare can be a burden on families and more parents are dipping into their savings accounts to pay for it. That's one of the main findings in a new study from Care.com, detailing the rising cost of childcare. 

What You Need To Know

  • More parents are relying on both household income and savings to pay for childcare, according to a study by Care.com

  • The average weekly cost of daycare is $321, up 13% from last year

  • Inflation and the expiration of pandemic-era funding that supported childcare programs are cited as reasons for the increased costs

The average weekly cost of daycare is $321, according to the study. When you do the math, the annual cost totals more than in-state tuition at Florida universities.

Working parents, like Keyanna Lamar, are feeling the impacts of the rising cost of daycare. Lamar is a Pinellas County mom with three boys, all under eight years old. 

“They keep me going,” she said. “Even when things are hard, my kids definitely keep me going.”

To help cut back on the cost of childcare, Lamar has one kid in daycare, one who stays with a family member during the day and the oldest goes to an after-school program. Driving to three different drop-off and pickup locations adds an hour to Lamar’s morning and afternoon, on top of her full-time job as a certified nurse assistant in hospice. 

“I just feel like we’ve got to have some type of happy medium,” she said. “Everybody should be able to live and not have to struggle to get their kids in school. Because some people don’t have anybody. We have to work.”

Lamar also utilizes the Early Learning Coalition, which sees thousands of families looking for assistance. The organization helps connect parents with affordable childcare through scholarships and other programs. 

“Access to childcare is critical not just for these families, but for everybody in our community because we need a workforce,” said Lindsay Carson, CEO of the Early Learning Coalition of Pinellas County. “We’ve all heard about workforce shortages and without employees, we’re left without the services we need in our community.”

Right now, Lamar is doing her best to make sure her kids have quality care during the day. She appreciates the support she gets from family, friends and the Early Learning Coalition.

“It means a lot because I’m currently by myself, so without them, I don’t know what I’d be doing,” Lamar said. “I don’t know if I would even have a job or be working without ELC. ELC does help a lot.”

The Care.com study points to three main reasons for the rising cost of childcare: inflation, daycare centers increasing their rates and the expiration of pandemic-era funding that supported programs, which resulted in job loss and fewer spots. 

The majority of participants in the survey said a candidate’s position on childcare will play a major role in how they vote in this year’s election. A pair of bills has been introduced in the Florida legislature that would create a universal voucher program to help support families with limited financial resources.