Child Care

Child Care Costs Over $13,000 a Year. Regulation Is a Big Reason Why.

Government rules have made it far more expensive for families.

John Stossel | 4.15.2026 12:25 PM

Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL Add Reason to Google

Media Contact & Reprint Requests

(Stossel TV)

Child care got expensive—more than $13,000 per child, per year.

So many people want government to pay for it.

My state just agreed. New York will fund free child care. Yay!

But wait—what government does isn't free. Taxpayers pay. And taxpayers pay more because "government rules have unintended consequences," says Carrie Lukas of the Independent Women's Forum.

Washington, D.C., day care teachers must have a degree in early childhood education. That can take two years and cost $22,000.

"Of course you're going to have to pay a lot more," says Lukas in my new video, "when you've asked people to invest tens of thousands of dollars in degrees."

Many government rules are just dumb.

Illinois says providers must offer coins for pay phones.

Providers must have "one crib with........

© Reason.com