Alabama's average annual cost of child care for a toddler and infant — $16,600 — is the second-cheapest in the nation, $2,000 more expensive than Mississippi, and just $100 less than South Dakota.

Why it matters: Child care costs can place a heavy burden on working families, outpacing median rent costs in most places, and climbing nearly 30% across the board from 2020-2024, according to a recent report.

• As Axios' Emily Peck reports, the national average cost of day care tuition for two children (one toddler, one infant), rose to $28,168 in 2024, per advocacy group Child Care Aware.
• That's roughly 35% of the median household annual income in the U.S., per recent Census data. Alabama's $16,600 represents about 27.3% of the state's median household income of $60,660.

Context: The percentages are no less brutal in states with higher incomes, and child care prices are increasing faster than the rate of overall inflation.

• The cost of care for two children in Massachusetts is $47,012 — 44% of the median household income in that state.
• Child care prices rose by 29% overall from 2020-2024, compared to the overall increase in prices of 22%.

Zoom in: According to the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR), the Huntsville region has a mean child care cost of $181 per week for kids under 2.5 years old, and $169 for kids 2.5-5.

• So a family in the Huntsville region, defined as a nine-county area of Northwest Alabama, with a toddler older than 2.5 and an infant, would pay a mean cost of $18,200 if paying for all 52 weeks per year.
• That represents a 25.7% share of Huntsville's census-recorded median income of $70,778.

Affording child care is half the battle. Parents first have to find somewhere for their kids to go.

Why it matters: The availability of child care has a direct impact on parents' ability to work. More than half of parents in Alabama report missing work in the past six months due to child care issues, according to a 2024 report.

• The report, a collaboration among multiple Alabama nonprofits including VOICES for Alabama's Children, shows a 36.4% gap in child care capacity in Madison County, meaning available capacity meets 73.6% of the potential need.
• Alabama DHR reports a total capacity at county daycares of 9,861 as of April 2025. Statewide, the First Five Years Fund reports a child care supply gap of 40%.

Zoom out: Statewide, 82% of daycares reported active waitlists, 18% reported operating at full capacity, and centers had an average of four vacant staff positions.

• The market hasn't recovered from the pandemic, per the VOICES report, as the currently hot job market makes it even harder to fill open positions and prevents centers from enrolling at full capacity.
• That's creating a Catch 22: Without a full staff, the centers can't enroll as many students, and without the revenue from those students, they can't hire more staff.

💬 Thought bubble: My wife and I have a 3-year-old and an 8-month old. I fall into the typical category when looking (and paying for) child care locally.

• Our oldest has been through three day cares in the past three years, including one which closed down, and I can tell you no part of it is easy, but it is doable.
• A good place to start is DHR's interactive provider map to check nearby options. In my South Huntsville ZIP Code (35803), it showed 10 providers. It gives basic info like hours, ages of kids accepted and a point of contact.
• Another option is TOOTRiS, with which the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber partnered in 2023 to expand local in-home child care options. Rocket City Mom also keeps an updated directory of local programs.

🎮 Undergraduate and graduate students from across the U.S. and Europe are in town this week for NATO's drone search and rescue competition. (WAAY)

🧱 Madison's zoning board recommended the city approve construction of a 30,000-square-foot temple with 120-foot-tall spire for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. (AL.com)

🎊 Thousands ventured downtown in Huntsville for Pokéfest, celebrating all things Pokémon. (FOX54)

🥷 A burglar in a costume, reportedly dressed as a ninja or "Deadpool," evaded police after breaking into Lowe Mill in the wee hours Friday morning. (WAFF)

I recently learned that I've been picking my Cushaw squash, like these Green Striped Cushaws, way too soon. You live, you learn.

Why it matters: I was leaving a ton of squash on the table, as it were, harvesting these winter squash as if they were summer squash.

• The one above, picked at still-not-full size, was growing along the top of my fence, and I harvested it when its weight pulled down the whole vine.
• And an added bonus: this variety is resistant to the menace of my cucurbits, the Squash Vine Borer. While my yellow squash and zucchini plants have fallen victim, my Cushaw plants are staying strong.

State of play: I'm in serious need of squash recipes, y'all, especially the freezer-friendly variety.

• The one I picked weighs over 9 lbs and I'm hoping for much larger ones before the season is out. The world record apparently tipped the scales at 57 lbs.

What's next: My youngest daughter was born on Halloween last year, so in preparation for her first birthday party this fall, I'm growing a pumpkin patch.

• So far I've got about 24 seedlings off to a good start, strategically planted around the backyard for that immersive pumpkin path feel, including a couple giant pumpkins that can get to 100 pounds.