KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports child care should cost no more than 7% of a family's income. However, in Tennessee infant care for one child takes up 16% of the median income.
Sharon Yarbrough is a mom and a grandmother to five children. She knows firsthand what it is like to not only look for a daycare but also a affordable one.
"A lot of parents, some parents work just to pay child care, and a lot of parents don't go to work because they can't pay for childcare. It's too expensive," she said.
The latest numbers from researchers show she isn't exactly wrong. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the average annual cost for infant care in Tennessee is more than $8,000. That's $732 per month. To put that into perspective, the annual cost for in-state college tuition in Tennessee is a little more than $9,000.
"It's getting to the point where you have to choose between work and childcare, and it shouldn't be like that," she said.
What if you, like Yarbrough's daughter, have more than one kid? The Economic Policy Institute notes the numbers skyrocket. The average cost for two younger kids in daycare costs more than $16,000 a year. Yarbrough said that is terrifying.
"You're paying basically... all of your salary is going toward child care," she said. "Sometimes the parents just don't have it."
So how can people fix the problem or provide more assistance for parents? Yarbrough believes a good place to start is acknowledging there is a struggle.
"We're gonna have to come up with some solution to this problem," she said.