Changing Cost of Child Care Research Series

This series of research briefs explores how the cost of early care and education (ECE) arrangements has increased since the mid-1990s. This series finds that, while families are now less likely to pay for ECE arrangements out of pocket than they were in the past, those that do make out-of-pocket expenditures are paying more for these services than they did two decades ago. These increases in average payments are evident across different types of care arrangements, varying ages of the children, and a range of family incomes. However, the increases in the cost of care are larger for upper-income families than they are for lower-income families.

Briefs in the series include:

• Increases in Out-of-Pocket Child Care Costs: 1995 to 2016
• Care and Education Arrangements for Children under Five
• The Cost of Subsidized Child Care: 2005-2016