The cost of child care now exceeds the price of college tuition in 38 states and the D.C., according to a new analysis conducted by the Economic Policy Institute. In Ohio, the average annual cost of child care is $17,071, or $1,423 per month, making Ohio the 16th most expensive out of 50 states.

A new survey by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) of more than 10,000 early childhood educators across the country illustrates how insufficient public investment in our early childhood education system burdens educators across all settings and the families they serve; and how it threatens to further reduce an already insufficient supply of quality child care and early learning programs.

Ohio lawmakers are trying again with measures to attack the child care crisis that advocates are warning continue to hurt the state’s families and economy, including with a bill that spreads the cost of child care out among employers, employees, and the state.

A national coalition of child care and early learning advocates, including one with services in Ohio, sent a letter to President-elect Donald Trump urging his help in improving the child care system across the country.

New polling shows voters in Ohio and other states spotlighted in the presidential election as “battleground states” want to hear plans to improve child care as part of candidate campaigns.

Families gathered outside the U.S. Capitol Tuesday to “make a fuss for babies,” who they believe are being left behind by lawmakers who direct only a fraction of U.S. resources to young children.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly last Wednesday evening to assist low-income families through an expansion of the child tax credit and the bill now awaits approval in the Senate. But some organizations are also highlighting a separate tax credit for child and dependent care, which they say is not providing adequate assistance to families and providers amid rising costs.

Ohio children advocates continue to express concern for the increasing cost of child care, trouble staffing child care providers, low pay for those workers, and pervasive adverse childhood experiences that could be alleviated by early childhood programs.

Data from a new survey of child care providers and families – developed by the RAPID Survey Project in partnership with the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) – shows child care providers and families are facing deep challenges following the September expiration of $25 billion in pandemic-related child care stabilization funds.

Congressional Democrats introduced a bill Wednesday to extend funding for five years for a pandemic-era child care subsidy program set to expire at the end of the month.