Three out of four Bucks County families rely on child care services charging more than $10,000 annually per child, according a new report.

The nonprofit Public Citizens for Children and Youth outlined its latest findings on local child care costs at a press conference Monday at Tabor Children’s House in Doylestown Township.

The median cost of full-time, year-round child care in a center is estimated at $12,740 for infants and $10,709 for preschool-aged children under 4.

Other parents are spending on average about $8,840 per child for “family-based childcare,” generally smaller operations occurring in someone’s home, according to the report.

PCCY’s Child Care Policy Coordinator Shawn Towey called on local and state officials to support government-funded preschool services “for every child in Pennsylvania by 2018.”

It’s unclear what that would cost, however. A study planned for later in the year could provide some cost estimates for government funded preschools, Towey said.

One in five Bucks County families qualifies for either state or federal subsidies for preschool, according to the report. Those subsidies can vary by the income of the parent and cost of the child care center. Generally, the government pays for a percentage of the care.

PCCY said it did not calculate state or national averages for childcare costs. Its report was limited to Bucks County.

National and state cost estimates are provided by the organization Childcare Aware of Pennsylvania and America.

Across Pennsylvania, child care centers were estimated to cost $10,504 for infants and $8,588 for other children under age 4.

In New Jersey, parents were spending between $11,135 and $9,098 annually for those same services, according to Child Care Aware.

Nationwide, some parents were said to pay between $3,911 to $20,178 per child, according to CCA research.

Bucks County Courier Times – February 11, 2014 – Read article online