May <strong>18</strong> - 24, <strong>20<strong>18</strong></strong> | Orlando Advocate 3 Young Dreams. Big Futures. Publix and Publix Charities are committed to helping youth in our communities grow and thrive. See how at publix.com/community. Why child care costs more than college tuition – and how to make it more affordable By Taryn Morrissey - Originally published in The Conversation A teaching assistant helps a child with glue at Redwood Early Learning Center in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Danny Johnston/AP Amid the continually rising cost of tuition, the idea of free college has received growing attention over the past few years. For instance, from 2014 to 2017, 35 states took up 80 bills related to free college. Early care and education has also received attention, but it could be given more, especially when you consider how child care for infants costs more than tuition at four-year public colleges in 28 states and the District of Columbia. Similarly, child care for 4-year-olds costs more than public college tuition in 15 states and the District of Columbia. The reality is that child care in America is expensive and out of reach for many families. Whether centerbased or family child care, the average cost of child care nationally exceeds US$8,600 per year. By comparison, that is more than double the estimated average net tuition and fee price of $4,140 paid by full-time in-state students at public four-year institutions in the 2017-<strong>18</strong> academic year. There are other good reasons why child care affordability should get just as much attention as college affordability, if not more. For starters, families typically use child care for five years per child – a year longer than earning a bachelor’s degree is supposed to take. A matter of timing Further, child care lacks the financing options, such as loans and grants, that many middle-class families use for college costs – and this despite the fact that parents don’t have years to save for child care like they do for college. Additionally, child care costs are typically highest during families’ lowest earning years. For low-income families, public early care and education programs provide limited benefits, but the system is underfunded. For example, only 40 percent of 4-year-olds from poor families attend Head Start and only 4 percent of infants and toddlers from poor families attend Early Head Start. In 2012, only 25 percent of eligible children received child care subsidies. In 2016, 20 states had waiting lists or frozen intake for child care assistance, and many low-income families remain confused about eligibility requirements and the application process. The federal child and dependent care tax credit – which allows parents to deduct eligible child care costs from their taxes – is capped at $3,000 for one child and $6,000 for two or more children, and is not refundable, meaning it does not benefit the lowestincome families that don’t earn enough to owe taxes. In 2015, the average credit was $565 – a drop in the bucket compared to child care expenses. What results is that families with children aged 5 years or younger spend an average of 10 percent of their income on child care. Families that live in poverty spend 30 percent of their income on child care. Over the last decade, several states and cities like New York City, the District of Columbia and San Antonio have created public preschool programs that serve children from low- and higher-income families. Georgia and Oklahoma were the pioneers on this front, beginning their universal prekindergarten programs in the 1990s. Also See Child Care- pg 10