FACT SHEET

ReadyNation’s new study finds that the nation’s child care crisis costs $172 billion in lost earnings and productivity every year. This enormous economic burden impacts parents, their employers, and the nation’s taxpayers. Previous ReadyNation research that focused on families of infants and toddlers (children under age 3) found economic tolls of $57 billion in 2018 and $122 billion in 2022.

This new study expanded to families of children under age 5, to determine the current economic toll of insufficient child care for children below kindergarten age. ReadyNation’s data from the past seven years shows that the failure to significantly strengthen the country’s fragile child care infrastructure has led to escalating economic damage to employers, workers, and taxpayers.