Rent and child care are among the greatest costs for low- to middle-income families with young children. Ironically, these are the two areas of basic human needs where there is no guarantee of public assistance and where public funding only reaches a fraction of eligible families.

NWLC’s analysis shows that states with a higher share of renters burdened by housing costs tend to have less affordable child care and a lower concentration of child care workers. The states where these overlapping crises are most acute are among those with the highest costs of living in the nation. Low- to middle-income families with young children in these areas are simultaneously burdened by high rental costs and unaffordable child care.

Unaffordable housing costs not only burden families with young children, but also create barriers for early educators to afford stable housing or operate their businesses, thus dampening child care supply in areas with high costs of living. To most effectively support families with young children and to build up child care supply, robust child care investments and a strategy to address high housing costs are essential.