A new paper from the Center for American Progress updates and extends the Centers earlier work on the cost of child care. The earlier work, available as an online data tool, allowed viewers to identify components of the high cost of child care; this update includes estimated salaries for providers in family child care homes, who often forgo a salary to keep costs affordable for families. The paper notes the discrepancy in child care subsidies and actual child care costs in most states, and highlights Maine as the only state that has aligned their subsidy policy with federally recommended levels. The author highlights the chasm between the true cost of high-quality care and the prices that families can bear, concluding that the only enduring solution is federal investment into the system. #childcare #Maine
