High Cost Of Child Care Forcing More Toddlers To Work Their Way Through Preschool

WASHINGTON—According to a new report released Friday by the Center for American Progress, the high cost of child care is forcing more toddlers to work their way through preschool. “With the cost of child care skyrocketing across the country, a record number of children as young as 2 have been seeking part-time and even full-time jobs to cover the costs of their preschool tuition,” said report author Michelle Inaba, who shared that jobs ranged from washing dishes in the preschool cafeteria to tutoring their peers in rote counting and fine motor skills. “It’s not just preschool tuition they need to cover. The costs of snacks and picture books have to come out of their own pocket. Even if they spend 30 hours a week doing janitorial work, they could still end up graduating under a pile of debt.” At press time, Inaba added that millions of children dropped out of preschool every year.