“I started looking for childcare
before I told my parents I was
pregnant” 

proclaimed a young St. Louis mom in a recent focus group.

Her statement isn’t met with shocked gasps but with knowing nods from other parents in the room.“Care for my two kids costs more than my mortgage,” chimed another parent. “I had to quit my job because it was cheaper for me to stay home. The center we used closed at 2 pm before I got off work,” says another.

The current ECE system does
not work for families.

While national affordability standards for ECE rest at 7%, the cost of early childcare in the St. Louis region ranges from 10-15% of household income. Families will spend an average of $16,016 per year on childcare; a sum that is largely unaffordable for most working families. While subsidies help lower-income families afford ECE, subsidies only cover a fraction of the cost of care, limiting the number of subsidies a provider can accept.

Furthermore, a large gap exists between the cutoff for subsidies at 138% of the federal poverty line and the $228,800 annual income it would take for a family of four to be able to comfortably afford ECE. Even those that do qualify for subsidies face a risk of losing them and care if a parent gets a raise. Even if parents can afford tuition, the provider might not be in their neighborhood, open the hours they need, or have spots available in the first place.