SEATTLE — The cost of child care can be debilitating to a family budget these days.
Now, new data from Child Care Aware of America suggests Washington state is the sixth least affordable state when it comes to child care.
"We remain optimistic that with increased public and private investment and meaningful solutions that support working parents, we can ease the burden on American families," said Lynette Fraga, executive director of Child Care Aware of America.
According to the study, it costs an average of $14,844 for center-based infant care in Washington state. Compare that to the average cost of tuition at a four-year university which averages around $9,760, according to that same data.
And in Washington, single parents pay around 52% of their income for center-based infant child care.
That's not the best news for cash strapped millennials trying to start a family of their own.