Child care costs at an all-time high in Virginia

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - According to the United Way of Greater Charlottesville and the Department of Labor, child care costs in Virginia are higher than ever before.

“We’re seeing significant shortages and availability for preschool programs for children ages zero to five and so it’s a supply and demand type of challenge,” United Way of Greater Charlottesville CEO Ravi Respeto said. “Prices are really higher than they’ve been in a very long time and probably the highest prices that we’ve seen since we’ve been working in early education at United Way.”

The United Way says child care for an infant costs around $24,000 a year in Virginia, with that same amount applying to Charlottesville.

“If you have a child in college, it is about the same as you would pay for a state college tuition,” Respeto said.

Respeto says that for toddlers, the cost is about $14,500 a year.

“Those prices make it very inaccessible for any low income parents in our community and certainly in the state of Virginia,” Respeto said.

Christin Landivar works with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau.

Christin Landivar- U.S Department of Labor Women’s Bureau: “Whether it be centers or home based providers, the wages that the childcare workers earn are quite low and that providers are able to bring in because it’s such a labor intensive service,” Landivar said.

She says that nationally, prices have gone up by 11%.

“It really impacts families in the direct way, both in their choices for employment as well as their choices for their family,” Landivar said.

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