Siedah White of Fort Pierce told WPTV on Tuesday that having four children in daycare is not sustainable for her family. She was one of over 100 people to comment on WPTV's Facebook page about the issue of childcare costs in Florida. The costs were $300 per infant a week and $275 a week for toddlers, White said.
She estimated these high costs took up about 20% of her household income. The expenses led her to leave her job as a certified nurse assistant and become a full-time mom. She now hosts a video Mom blog on Instagram and TikTok. White said she was just working to pay childcare and her family wasn't able to meet their goals of moving into a larger place and upgrading their family vehicle.
According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, from 2020 to 2024, there was a 29 percent increase in childcare prices compared to a 22 percent rise in overall prices. Childcare costs now often far exceed the 7 percent of income affordability benchmark established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In the latest study, the Atlanta Fed looked at childcare costs in Georgia and Florida.
The report found 85.4 percent of Florida families are estimated to spend more than 7 percent of their income on childcare. The estimated weekly costs for care of infant/toddler and preschool-aged children in Florida are $268 and $208, respectively. The median percentage of income families would need to pay for childcare is 13.9 percent.