Siedah White of Fort Pierce left her job as a certified nurse assistant after childcare costs for her four children consumed approximately 20 percent of her household income. She was one of over 100 people to comment on WPTV's Facebook page about the rising cost of childcare in Florida. White said she was paying $300 per week for each infant and $275 per week for toddlers, expenses that forced her to become a full-time mom. She now hosts a video Mom blog on Instagram and TikTok.
"I was just working just to pay childcare, and we weren't able to meet our family goals as far as needing to move into a larger place and upgrading our family vehicle," White told WPTV. The decision to leave her career came after she realized that working was not helping her family achieve their financial objectives despite bringing in additional income.
According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, childcare prices increased 29 percent from 2020 to 2024, outpacing the 22 percent rise in overall prices during the same period. Childcare costs now frequently exceed the 7 percent of income affordability benchmark established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Atlanta Fed examined childcare costs in Georgia and Florida and found that 85.4 percent of Florida families are estimated to spend more than 7 percent of their income on childcare.
The study found that the estimated weekly costs for care of infant and toddler children in Florida are $268 and $208 for preschool-aged children. The median percentage of income families would need to pay for childcare in Florida is 13.9 percent, nearly double the federal affordability benchmark. The research indicates these costs are putting significant financial pressure on parents and forcing difficult decisions about work hours and employment. Some parents, like White, are choosing to leave the workforce entirely rather than continue paying childcare expenses that consume a substantial portion of their earnings.