{"id":15472,"date":"2019-02-22T02:12:36","date_gmt":"2019-02-22T02:12:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=15472"},"modified":"2019-02-23T11:23:00","modified_gmt":"2019-02-23T11:23:00","slug":"the-soaring-cost-of-us-child-care-in-5-charts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/the-soaring-cost-of-us-child-care-in-5-charts\/","title":{"rendered":"The soaring cost of US child care, in 5 charts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Heidi Steinour<\/a>, University of South Florida<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The cost of having children in the U.S.<\/a> has climbed exponentially since the 1960s. So it\u2019s no wonder the growing crop of Democratic presidential candidates have been proposing ways<\/a> to address or bring down the costs tied to raising a family.<\/p>\n

Most recently, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren said she wants to provide universal access<\/a> to child care. According to her proposal, the U.S. would partner with local governments and other organizations to provide various child care options, paying for it with revenue from her wealth tax.<\/p>\n

Whether or not Warren\u2019s proposal becomes law, the data show a worsening problem. In 2015, American parents spent<\/a>, on average, US$233,610 on child costs from birth until the age of 17, not including college. This number covers everything from housing and food to child care and transportation costs. This is up 8 percent<\/a> from 1990.<\/p>\n

As a mother myself, as well as a sociologist who studies families, I have experienced firsthand the unexpected costs associated with having a child. And this spike in costs has broad implications, including leading fewer families<\/a> to have children.<\/p>\n

Labor and delivery<\/h2>\n

The overall costs of labor and delivery vary from state to state<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Expenses for a delivery<\/a> can range from $3,000 to upwards of $37,000 per child for a normal vaginal delivery and from $8,000 to $70,000 if a C-section or special care is needed.<\/p>\n

These costs are often a result of separate fees charged for each individual treatment. Other factors include hospital ownership, market competitiveness and geographical location.<\/p>\n