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Chemical_Miracle_0 t1_j6f1zi0 wrote

If the goal is to expand child care to more families who can’t afford it and drive down costs, wouldn’t it make more sense to expand on the current childcare assistance programs already offered? We could allocate gov funding to give out business loans to encourage more daycare/pre-K centers. A lot of the current expense is due to crazy demand and limited capacity. I’d be willing to bet expanding access to the current means tested system and encouraging more childcare business to open would be more pragmatic and likely to succeed in regards to the goals in the current political climate compared to pushing for universal.

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brattyb33 t1_j6f9p7p wrote

Personnel costs have a huge impact on the overall cost of child care. According to a 2020 study about the true cost of care in PA, “Personnel costs constituted 80% of total child care costs, at the median, with a significant number of providers exceeding 70%.” The child to staff ratios in child care play a big role. For example, there’s a required ratio of 4:1 infants per staff member in the PA child care regulations. I’m not arguing for changes there (I can’t imagine caring for 2 infants on my own, let alone 4), just sharing another perspective about what can drive cost in this sector.

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