Child care in America has become a major crisis for working families. Child care is an economic necessity and a barrier to employment for most families due to lack of affordability. As it is a major household cost, child care increasingly and significantly reduces the family budget, making normal living expenses difficult to meet. The average cost for full-time care in a qualified center is over $10,000 annually. While families are experiencing a $2,300 rise in child care expenses, cost of living is also increasing, yet employment wages have remained stagnant.
The need for child care and the inability to pay is a cause for concerns for many Americans. With this petition we are calling on the Obama Administration to improve access to quality and affordable child care. We must act now!