Minnesota Childcare Ranks 4th Most Expensive In The Country

Many working parents have to put their children in childcare while they are at work. This is super expensive no matter which state you live in. WCCO 4 claims that a study found that Minnesota is the 4th most expensive state in the country for childcare. The article continues to say that the average cost for an infant to be in daycare five days a week is $16,087, which is around the same price my in-state college tuition cost back in Colorado.

The Economic Policy Institue claims that the three states with higher childcare costs were Washington DC, Massachusetts, and California. All three states have higher prices of living than we do in Minnesota. This site also claims that the average cost of college tuition is $11,226... making college cheaper. The kicker... when you attend college you actually get useful information and a piece of paper saying you can do just about anything. I'm not saying kids don't learn at daycare, they just can't use what they learn in daycare to make money once they are back in mom and dad's arms.

In the WCCO 4 article, the Minnesota Childcare association spokesperson said the reason the prices are so high here is due to the "quality" of childcare. In Minnesota, there are laws stating there has to be at most four students to one teacher, whereas in other states there can be up to nine students to one teacher. It's super nice to have that one-on-one attention, but that does come at a pretty price. Like my dad always tells me, you get what you pay for. So, better childcare means more money.