Report: Child Care Costs Exceed Rent In Many Areas Of The Country

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The skyrocketing costs of child care are a major stress on family budgets, not just in Southern California, but across the country, according to a report published Friday.

According to the report from the Economic Policy Institute, for families in the Los Angeles/Long Beach metropolitan area, it costs an average two-parent, two-child family at least $6,157 a month, or $73,887 a year, to secure a decent, yet modest standard of living.

Among families with two children – say a 4-year-old and an 8-year-old -- child care costs exceed rent in 500 out of 618 family budget areas, according to the report.

Costs for families with even younger children are much steeper. According to the report, infant care costs exceed college tuition in 33 states and the District of Columbia, while minimum wage workers have to work from January through September simply to cover the annual child care costs for an infant.