NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A lot of expenses come with raising a child, with one of the biggest being childcare. Unfortunately for parents, it's only getting more expensive each year.
To save money, some are sacrificing their careers and it's a decision that's slowly becoming more popular.
Currently in Tennessee, the cost is an average of $700 a month for the youngest of ages. That's also the average cost nationwide, which is a 32 percent jump from 2019, according to new data from Bank of America.
In many cases, parents aren't able to shell out that money and are instead deciding to stay at home to save costs. New data shows fewer households today are receiving two paychecks than they were in 2019.
While that data doesn't specify which gender, data shows two million women left the workforce once the pandemic hit.
Some families with lower salaries are depending on financial assistance to get them through, but there is a threshold that they can't pass or else they lose that help. Women are calling it an ongoing challenge that will continue to hold mothers back in the workforce.
"It's very difficult, you can't make too much, otherwise you're beyond that line that can I even afford to have my child in daycare," said mother of two Calah Dean.
Research shows child care is affordable if it costs no more than seven percent of a family’s income. But by this standard, statewide data shows less than 14 percent of Tennessee families can actually afford these costs.
