Jason Deparle:

I met a woman named Jessica Lolley, who works for the Greensboro Public School System. Her husband, Matt, is a salesman at Lowe’s. They have two kids, family income in the low 70,000s or so. And they’re paying a third of their income, more than $24,000 a year, for child care.

Michael Barbaro:

Wow.

Jason Deparle:

Much more than their mortgage.

Michael Barbaro:

And are they able to make that work?

Jason Deparle:

They had reoriented their whole life, really, around child care. They wanted to have another kid. They couldn’t do that. They had stopped taking vacations.

Michael Barbaro:

Wait, they’re not having as many children as they want because of the cost of providing child care to the kids they have.

Jason Deparle:

Yes, that’s a common theme. Other people told me they wanted to have an extra child, too, but had decided not to after seeing how much it cost. I think Jessica and Matt made it work in the end only with significant help from Jessica’s family.

— “Is Child Care a Public Responsibility?” The Daily Podcast, hosted by Michael Barbaro, The New York Times, October 12, 2021