A Year of Childcare in Tennessee Costs More Than A Year of College
Image Credit: tn.gov
The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
A recently released report shows that the cost of a year of daycare in Tennessee, on average, meets or exceeds the cost of a year at an in-state college, for the second year in a row.
The report was released by ChildCare Aware of America, a national organization that provides child care resources and looks at issues in child care across the country.
The organization notes the difficulty of affording childcare for many families.
”It definitely is unattainable for a lot of families, and a lot of families are putting together lots of different options for childcare,” said Mindy Bennett, deputy chief of Membership and Programs with ChildCare Aware of America.
Bennett and her colleagues are striving to make childcare more affordable, but she says more “public investment” is needed to help address the issue.
Tennessee has made some progress in helping to make childcare more accessible for families.
House Bill 0634 (HB0634) and Senate Bill 0543 (SB0543) have been passed in the Tennessee legislature. These bills provide $15 million to the Department of Human Services to fund grants for nonprofits working to fill the gap in childcare affordability. The legislation was signed by Governor Lee on May 17th and became Public Chapter Number 452 on May 24th, 2023.
“What we’re asking is that we get public investment and we get public investment now and what it has shown is it really helps support the system and make it affordable for families,” said Bennett.
About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career. Most recently, he served as Deputy Director for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History. Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com
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