Childcare costs show no sign of easing burden

COURTESY KYNDRA SCOTT

Kyndra Scott, owner of God’s Blessing Child Care in Charlotte with her husband Reggie and their five children.

The cost of childcare is steadily rising.  

Tiffany Jones of Charlotte is a single mother of a 2-year-old son and an 8-year-old daughter. Sometimes, it is difficult to afford childcare for both.  

“Childcare is increasing in price and depending on age and your children, it can be very expensive,” said Jones, 34. “I still had to find childcare [during the pandemic] because [of] my job. I am an essential worker.”
Jones has multiple sources of income, including working at the Department of Veteran Affairs and a notary to help cover childcare costs.

Before 2020, childcare expenses were already high across the United States, but the pandemic exacerbated the problem. Childcare centers have remained open, leaving parents on the hook to cover fluctuating costs.

As of August, the average cost for daycare for an infant in Mecklenburg County is $302 per week, with parents paying nearly $16,000 per year, according to the local nonprofit Child Care Resources Inc. The price for the first five years of a child’s life is $65,000.

“The cost of childcare is more than double the cost of college tuition at [UNC Charlotte],” said Janet Singerman, president and CEO of the nonprofit Child Care Resources.  
Tuition for childcare is calculated based on the cost of staff, number of hours the child will be held there, food, toys, supplies, and other expenses.

“Costs are increasing because our costs are increasing everywhere,” Singerman said. “The cost of supplies and materials and staff increases. We have wage inflation going on across industry as there is a workforce shortage and that shortage impacts childcare as well.”

Child Care Resources is a resource and referral agency that works to ensure children have access to affordable early learning and school-age opportunities. The agency serves Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Union, Rowan, and Stanly counties.

Some companies offer free or reduced day care services for employees. For instance, Bank of America, Ally Financial, Best Buy, and Publix.

“There's no cost to sign up,” said Gwen Gollmer, executive director of Total Rewards at Ally Financial bank in Charlotte.

“Ally pays the majority of the costs, and our employees pay a very modest copay. One child in a daycare center [for] one day is [a] $10 copay” that applies to a back up childcare benefit supported by Bright Horizons.

Ally has negotiated discounts for employees at Bright Horizons and other facilities for full-time care.

With the price of childcare steadily going up because of inflation, parents would be better off starting their own daycare center. That is what Kyndra Scott, owner of God’s Blessing Child Care at Revive Church on Beatties Ford Road decided to do. Scott, 35, has five children with her husband Reggie and is five months pregnant with a baby girl due in January.

“Me and my husband both were working, but [if] you eliminate mine, if I want my kids in a good daycare, that’s my whole check,” Scott said. “That's what really motivated me. I want to just open it up and try to give back and give them, especially our kids of color, the opportunity to be more advanced, teaching them stuff at a young age.”   

In 2017, she started a daycare at her house.

During the start of the pandemic, childcare centers did not close, therefore, she was still able to accept children into her home.  A family child care home is located inside of a residents house and must be licensed by the Division of Child Development and Early Education, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

In-home daycare is typically less expensive than a regular child care center.  According to the Child Care Resources Inc, the average cost for an infant in a family child care is $217 and $197 for a four year old in Mecklenburg County.

The rule is that the owner must have at least two children in the home but no more than eight.

With Scott already having five, she was only allowed to accept three. “If you're capped, you can’t make no more money,” she said. “In-home daycares are complaining because they want to stop being capped. That was a complaint across the board in North Carolina in the last couple of months so I don't know if they will change it.”

In-home daycares typically don’t offer discounts for a family having more than one child because they have a limited number of children they can accept. However, they can increase their profit by charging parents registration fees and late fees.

In January, Revive Church on Beatties Ford Road allowed her to operate the after-school program on its campus, which allowed her to accept more students. She is accepting children 12 months and up.
Scott said she has a “soft spot” for single mothers and tries to be a little lenient, while also holding them accountable for making payments.

“They have to pay by Friday,” she said. “If they don’t, they have until Monday.”

Scott used to charge $5 per day in late fees but this academic school year she went up to $10.The certified teacher’s ultimate goal is to eventually open up her own childcare center and hire staff.
“I want to be in my own building. I don’t want to have to share a bunch,” Scott said. “I get at least 10 calls a day for [ages] 1 to 3 and I can’t take them in right now.”

Jones does wish the state would find a way to make child care more affordable by offering more vouchers not just for single parents, but for all families.

“I do believe that they need more scholarships,” she said. “The income threshold sometimes is not feasible for some parents that have high incomes. It’s still sometimes hard to meet those demands of pricey childcare.”

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