$20 Per Day Child Care

Affordable Care for Every Working Family

Meet the Smith family.

Sarah is a nurse. David is an electrician. Together they earn about $95,000 a year, which should be enough to support their family comfortably.

But they have two young children.

Every month the Smith family pays nearly $2,800 for child care so they can go to work.

That’s more than groceries, more than their car payments, and one of the largest expenses in their household budget.

And the Smith family is not unusual.

Across America, the cost of child care has spiraled out of control. The national average cost of child care is now around $13,000 per child per year, and in many communities it is far higher.

Families with two children can easily spend $25,000 or more each year on child care alone.

These costs force many parents to reduce their hours, leave the workforce, or delay having children altogether.

This isn’t just a family problem.

It’s an economic problem.

When parents cannot afford child care, businesses lose workers, family incomes fall, and children miss out on the early education that helps them succeed later in life.

America needs a better system.

That’s why I support a simple promise:

Middle-class families should never pay more than $20 per day for child care.

The $20 Per Day Child Care Plan

The goal of this policy is straightforward: make high-quality child care affordable and available for every working family.

The plan would cap child care costs for middle-class families while expanding access and improving quality nationwide.

Cap Child Care Costs for the Middle Class

Under this plan, middle-class families would never pay more than $20 per day per child for licensed child care.

That equals about $400 per month, instead of the $1,500 or more many families pay today.

For families like the Smiths, that means:

Current cost: about $2,800 per month
Under this plan: about $800 per month

Annual savings: roughly $24,000 per year

That is real relief for working families.

A Fair Sliding Scale

Families would contribute based on their ability to pay.

• Low-income families: free or nearly free care

• Middle-class families: capped at $20 per day

• Higher-income families: pay more on a sliding scale

This ensures the program focuses resources where they are needed most while keeping child care affordable for the middle class.

Expand Child Care Availability

In many communities, the biggest problem isn’t just cost — it’s access.

Parents often face waiting lists that stretch months or even years.

The plan would invest in:

• opening new child care centers

• expanding existing providers

• partnerships with schools, nonprofits, and community organizations

The goal is simple: every community should have access to reliable child care.

Support the Child Care Workforce

Child care professionals perform one of the most important jobs in our society — helping raise the next generation.

Yet many providers earn extremely low wages.

This plan would support higher pay and better working conditions so that child care providers can:

• recruit and retain qualified educators

• reduce staff shortages

• deliver higher-quality care for children

Better pay means better care.

A Partnership to Support Working Families

The $20 Per Day Child Care Plan would be funded through a shared national partnership.

Families

Parents contribute through a sliding scale based on income.

States

States help fund child care expansion and provider support.

Businesses

Large employers contribute through a small Child Care Access Contribution, helping support the workforce they rely on.

What It Costs

A national $20-per-day child care system is estimated to cost roughly:

$55–$75 billion per year

For comparison:

• The Trump tax cuts cost about $200 billion per year

• The Child Tax Credit expansion cost about $120 billion per year

For a fraction of the cost of major tax cuts, we can make child care affordable for working families.

Investing in America’s Future

Affordable child care is one of the most powerful investments a country can make.

When parents can work and children receive high-quality early education:

• family incomes rise

• businesses grow

• workforce participation increases

• children gain the foundation they need to succeed

Strong families build a strong economy.

And making child care affordable is one of the smartest ways to support them.