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What has childcare been like for you? Tell us your state or county and a little bit about you've been experiencing

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May 2, 2023Liked by Jeremy Ney

Finding and paying for childcare is the unspoken burden of our generation. In Boston suburbs before COVID, our small in home center was 700/week for a toddler and a infant. They were closed most of COVID and reopened for 900/week for those same two kids. We moved to the suburbs of Chicago in late fall of 2021. Fast forward to spring of 2022 found out we're adding our last baby and I searched through 75 daycares in 3 towns for an infant spot for MARCH of 2023. I was looking 10 months in advance of needing care and only 3 places could confirm they would have an opening for an infant. The in home daycare here is 650/week for a toddler and an infant. I regularly tell friends/family now, if you think you may want children, start calling daycares to see what waitlists are like, how much it costs, etc. Bc you don't always have paid leave and don't get a raise for having a baby.

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Those child care cost numbers can be directly compared to what would be an equivalent required salary to be able to cover those costs. You'd have to adjust for taxes, but also add the fact that there is disutility from working, and that child investment is better done by parents. The equivalent job salary that would be needed would probably be quite high.

Also this impact of increased child care costs, coupled with the expiration of the expanded child tax credit is a major hit to low income families. (https://nominalnews.substack.com/p/early-child-investment-child-tax)

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deletedApr 19, 2023Liked by Jeremy Ney
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