Arizona parents are quitting their jobs because of costly child care
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A lack of accessible, affordable child care is forcing Arizona parents to quit their jobs, according to a report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation released last week.
By the numbers: In 2021, 16% of Arizona children lived with a family member who quit, changed or refused a job because of child care issues — one of the highest rates in the country.
- The average annual child care cost in Arizona for one toddler in 2021 was $10,883, about 11% of the median income among married couples and 31% of the median income among single mothers, according to the report.
Why it matters: Parents bowing out of the workforce can be an economic drain on individual families and the state.
Zoom out: Child care costs have increased by 220% since 1990, outpacing inflation, per the report.
- Infant care is even more burdensome — it costs more than in-state tuition at a public university in 34 states, including Arizona.
What they're saying: Felicia Cabrales of Phoenix recently left her full-time job at an insurance company to care for her 15-month-old son.
- Cabrales, 34, had relied on her mother to take care of the baby when she went back to work 10 months ago but was forced to seek day care after her mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. The day care options she considered would have cost half her income.
- "I just thought if I'm going to spend half my income on child care, then what's the point? At that point I'm just working to pay for child care," Cabrales told Axios Latino.
- Cabrales adds she and her husband are much less stressed now that they don't struggle to find care. "It's really lightened the burden for both of us," she said.
The big picture: The inaccessibility of child care disproportionately affects women, single parents, families of color, immigrant families and those who live in poverty, experts say.
- "The child care costs can be so burdensome that they struggle to pay their rent, to buy food, to buy diapers and clothing for their children," says Leslie Boissiere, vice president of external affairs at the Annie E. Casey Foundation.