Nashville Scene, 8/3/23
According to a recent survey of Davidson County families by Tennesseans for Quality Early Education, 75 percent of parents with a child younger than 6 say access to child care is a significant challenge, and 51 percent also name affordability as a challenge. According to the same study, child care in Tennessee costs more on average than in-state college tuition. The average annual price of center-based care is $11,068 for infants and $10,184 for toddlers. Home-based care is a bit cheaper, at $7,194 for infants and $6,749 for toddlers. At the same time, a third of children younger than 6 live in families with incomes below $40,000, and nearly half with annual incomes of $60,000 or less.