Childcare and Parent Services program expands amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Closer Look Staff , LaShawn Hudson | WABE

April 7th, 2022

Elisabetta Kasfir, the deputy commissioner for Federal Programs at the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. (Courtesy of GDECL)

According to the latest data from the Economic Policy Insititute, the average yearly cost of infant care in Georgia is $8,530 — that’s $711 per month.

If you have a 4-year-old, the average yearly cost is $7,306, which breaks down to $609 a month.

And since the pandemic started, research suggests that child care costs have skyrocketed — with parents across the U.S. seeing an average annual cost increase of 41% for center-based child care providers.

On Thursday, for “Closer Look’s” Paycheck to Paycheck series, Elisabetta Kasfir, the deputy commissioner for Federal Programs at the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning, discusses the rising cost of child care amid the pandemic and the expansion of the Childcare and Parent Services program, also known as CAPS.