An updated report from the Economic Policy Institute shows the average cost of full-time, center-based infant care in the District is $24,243 a year, or $2,020 per month — nearly $7,000 more than D.C.’s estimated annual cost of housing. The cost of care takes up more than 28% of the median income for local families with children.
“It is just simply out of reach for many families to be able to afford those kinds of costs,” said Elise Gould, a senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank.
There are a number of factors that drive up the cost of care. Two of the biggest are rent, which Gould said is “expensive in D.C.,” and labor.
There are a number of factors that drive up the cost of care. Two of the biggest are rent, which Gould said is “expensive in D.C.,” and labor.