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For many parents across the United States, childcare services are a necessity. Moms and dads need to know their young kids will be taken care of as they go to work and handle other obligations. This is critical not just during school days, but also on weekends and sometimes odd hours.

Babysitters and daycare facilities are some of the resources most frequently relied upon for childcare. Unfortunately, new information reveals that the cost of getting extra care for kids is rapidly spiraling. In fact, it's going up at a rate that outpaces inflation.

What to know about growing childcare expenses in America

According to a recent report from KMPG, from 1990 to April 2024, the cost of childcare has soared by a staggering 263%. For context, this is almost two times the amount of growing inflation in the United States.

Generally, people should only be spending about 7% of their income on childcare. However, given the present state of the economy, folks are seeing much more than 7% of their earnings go to care for their kids.

This level of economic strain makes it harder for parents - and especially mothers - to maintain a consistently active presence in the workforce. All too frequently, a lack of affordable childcare options means having to take time off work, ask for shorter hours, etc. In the long run, this leads to less money coming into the household every month.

From December 2022 to December 2023 alone, the costs of daycare and preschool went up by 4.5%. Moving forward, parents of young children should expect these prices to keep rising. After all, given the persistence of inflation, companies across the board are having to increase their rates.

How parents can bring in more money to cover rising childcare costs

The latest findings from KMPG understandably have Americans caught between a rock and a hard place. In order to keep up with growing childcare expenses, parents need more money coming in on a consistent basis.

Thankfully, opportunities are available. Driving for rideshare services like Uber and Lyft could ease some financial strain. The same also goes for delivering groceries via Instacart and doing pickups for people who order meals through UberEats, Postmates, and DoorDash.