EXCERPT FROM: The Balitmore Sun
By Hanah Cho
Despite the recession, child care costs continue to climb, according to a new report released this week by the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies.

The Arlington, Va.-based group found that the average cost for center-based child care for an infant exceeds the average annual amount that families spend on food in every region of the U.S.

Parents who choose child care in a center or a family child care home must pay a significant part of their income for this care. Low- and middle-income parents have limited access to affordable, quality care.

Among the report's findings:

• Since 2000, the cost of child care has increased twice as fast as the median income of families with children.
  
• In 25 states, the increase in the cost of infant care in a center far exceeded the rate of inflation.
  
• The average increase among all states in the cost of care for a 4-year-old in a center exceeded the rate of inflation.

Meanwhile, the report notes that unemployment is up among women with children.

The report provides average costs of child care in 2009 for infants, 4-year-olds and school-age children in centers and family child care homes in every state.

Full text available at The Baltimore Sun.