Childcare is one of the biggest expenses families face. According to a report from the Economic Policy Institute, the average cost of childcare in Florida is $8,694, nearly double the cost of in state tuition at a 4 year public college in Florida, and unaffordable for low wage workers.
Add to that the findings of an NPR poll that shows most families don’t have a lot of options for childcare.
So what kind of sacrifices do Florida families have to make to get their kids the kind of quality childcare they need? And what about the need for programs to give them an education head start before they go to kindergarten?
Joining Intersection to talk about the cost of childcare and the importance of early childhood education are Mata Dennis, director of the Orlando Day Nursery, Ashley Fereira with the Childrens Movement of Florida, Orlando Sentinel Enterprise Editor Beth Kassab and Dr. Judith Levin, who lectures in early childhood development and education at the University of Central Florida.