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Between the rising cost of tuition and long waitlists, child care has become the new college. According to Care.com’s 2024 Cost of Care report, on average, one year of daycare costs more than $16,000, up 13 percent since 2022. Even if the cost isn’t a barrier, 43 percent of parents report having spent more than four months on at least one waitlist. With these numbers in mind, it’s unsurprising that many Americans these days are discouraged from starting a family.
At VOICES for Alabama’s Children, we want to ensure that all of Alabama’s children are safe, healthy, educated and economically secure in order to reach their fullest potential. That’s why we collaborated with the Alabama Partnership for Children and Alabama School Readiness Alliance to develop a road map addressing Alabama’s child care crisis…