DC is the most expensive place to raise a toddler, according to study

D.C. parents are feeling the terrible twos. 

A recent study from the Annie E. Casey Foundation

On average, daycare for a toddler costs 73% of a single mother’s income, or $24,396 a year. 

This is over 100 percent more expensive than annual daycare costs in Maryland and Virginia.

For many daycares in D.C., parents have to pay $100 to register their child for the waitlist. If the child is admitted, then monthly tuition is often over $2000.

Family or home-based care in D.C is slightly cheaper, but still a whopping $19,291 per year. 

The data reveals not only how much these services cost, but also how they are much more unaffordable for single mothers than for married couples. 

According to the Center for American Progress, women with kids at home are more than eight times as likely as men with young children to have their employment affected by caregiver responsibilities. Many workplaces don’t offer paid leave and other labor protections, leading many mothers to reduce their work hours or drop out of work completely to take care of their children.

D.C. has tried to increase accessibility to childcare in 2018, when the government implemented the Birth-to-Three Act. The act also aimed to increase pay for early childhood educators to the same amount as D.C. public school pre-K teachers.

A 2023 survey from Care found that D.C. is also the most expensive place in the country for infants daycare and to hire a babysitter or nanny.