Mapped: Childcare costs in Arkansas
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The cost of child care in Arkansas is one of the lowest in the nation, but the cost of care for two kids still costs roughly 27% of the median household annual income, according to Census data.
Why it matters: Rising child care costs put a huge financial strain on families, forcing some parents — typically women — to either ratchet back their working hours or leave the labor force entirely, Axios' Emily Peck writes.
- For single parents, the calculus can be even more painful.
- It's also a drag on economic growth overall.
The big picture: The cost of child care in the U.S. just keeps climbing — a new report finds that prices rose 29% from 2020 to 2024, outpacing overall inflation.
By the numbers: The average annual cost of daycare tuition nationwide for two children — one toddler and one infant — rose to $28,168 last year, according to data from Child Care Aware, an advocacy group.
Zoom in: In Arkansas, it's $17,500.
Zoom out: The U.S. doesn't have publicly funded universal childcare.
- However, the federal government does put money into the system for low-income kids through block grants to the states, as well as Head Start, the decades-old federal program that provides childcare, nutrition assistance and other services to the nation's poorest families
- There were worries that the White House would stop funding Head Start, but the administration has said that won't happen.
Yes, but: President Trump's budget proposals look to keep federal funding levels for child care flat next year — that's effectively a cut given inflation, says Anne Hedgepeth, senior vice president of policy and research at Child Care Aware.
- "Level funding in the current environment is essentially a cut, and that is really concerning," she says.