- The November general election is 12 days away
- A topic that's gotten little attention is childcare costs
- Video shows a woman talking about her luck with childcare while a childcare provider speaks about the struggles some families are facing
Victoria Arnold doesn't pay much for childcare thanks to getting help from her mother to watch her two-year old son Terrance.
"Just for two weeks I pay $80," Arnold said. "My mom did tell me that if I had anymore kids that she was not going to watch him."
Besides her mother, Arnold is also getting help from federally funded Head Start programs which she says benefits her child's education and social skills.
WATCH: "ANY LITTLE BIT HELPS": A PROPOSED TAX CREDIT HELPS CHILD CARE COSTS FOR WORKING PARENTS"
"I was able to work my work schedule around his school schedule for a little bit," Arnold said.
But Arnold is one of the lucky ones who don't have the burden of costly childcare.
A 2023 report from Bank of America found the average family spent roughly $700 a month on childcare costs.
Regina Fancher, regional director of Caterpillar Childcare Center in Holt, says those costs have cost families key services.
"I've had a couple of families within the last year where financially it became too much of a burden," Fancher said.
Fancher adds that if childcare centers lower what they charge families, it could keep those facilities from hiring high-quality providers and educators.
"But we also can't expect parents to pay more when minimum wage, the economy, cost of living is raising so high," Fancher said.
Vice President Kamala Harris has proposed raising the cihld tax credit to $6,000 for newborns and up to $3,600 for children older than one.
Harris also proposed capping childcare costs at 7% of parents' incomes. It's unclear how that plan would be implemented and funded.
Former president Donald Trump hasn't formally released a plan but his running mate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) proposed raising the child tax credit to $5,000.
Arnold says that change could bring a big boost to struggling families.
"That could definitely help especially for the parents who are paying for day care right now," Arnold said.
But without much detail on the plans in play, Fancher says childcare needs to be a bigger part of the discussion.
"If we don't set the parents up for success then the children aren't set up for success," Fancher said.
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