A new survey shows half of Louisiana parents struggle to afford basic needs like housing, food and utilities because of soaring child care costs. That’s just one of the striking conclusions reached after the nonprofit, nonpartisan, New Orleans-based think tank known as the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children (LPIC) conducted it latest poll of 2,800 caregivers of children under age five across the state. The organization, founded in 2014, describes itself as providing and advocating "for research-based policies for Louisiana's young children, specifically from birth through age four."
As the Louisiana Radio Network reports, the agency found that parents spend on average $870 per child ever month on child care or $10,441 per year. For a family with two children in care, that translates to nearly $21,000 per year according to the latest LPIC research results.
The steep price of child care proved so challenging to family budgets that in some cases parents chose to quit their jobs. That’s the word from the LPIC’s Mattilyn Karst Batson, regarding the revelations discovered in the agency’s polling. "Which we know from our parents that that's not actually not the choice they would like to make for their families, but they’re forced too." Such decisions by parents lead some to describe child care availability as an economic development issue.
At the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE), Deputy Assistant Superintendent of Early Care and Education Karen Powell shares that assessment. "At times, when parents cannot find available care or care that fully suits their needs, they need to drop out of the workforce, or they may have to refuse promotions or take different hours to make it work." Half of parents say child care costs affect their ability to afford basic needs like housing, food, and utilities.
Batson says Louisiana lawmakers will see these polling results as they make decisions on funding for child care assistance. As it stands now, she says more than 7,000 children are eligible for government assistance to help pay for child care costs, but are unable to receive such resources because of a lack of current funding.
