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Excerpted from:
Home-Based Child Care Programs Show First Growth in Years, But Challenges Persist
By Lauren Coffey
Jun 2, 2025
A new national report from Child Care Aware of America finds that the number of licensed home-based child care programs grew nearly 5 % from 2023 to 2024, marking the first increase in years and signaling a modest rebound in in-home care options for families.
In 2024, 98,807 home-based programs were operating across 39 states with data available, still slightly below the pre-pandemic peak of nearly 100,000 in 2020.
However, this growth isn’t evenly distributed. A handful of states, most notably California, Massachusetts, and Virginia, accounted for most of the increase, each seeing more than a 10% rise in available in-home care options. Meanwhile, the majority of states (29 of the 39 with data) still experienced declines in home-based programs, underscoring persistent disparities in child care availability across the country.
Experts warn that without sustained state and federal investment, the recent rebound may be short-lived. Much of the early growth was boosted by COVID relief funding that has largely expired. In many states, there’s still no clear long-term funding plan to support existing programs or attract new providers.
The report also highlights the widening affordability crisis. Between 2020 and 2024, child care costs increased 29%, reaching an average of $13,128 per year, costlier than mortgage payments in 45 states and more expensive than in-state college tuition in 41 states and D.C. Meanwhile, the average child care worker earns just $33,140 annually, meaning many would have to spend most of their own income to afford child care themselves.
Read the full article:
https://www.edsurge.com/news/2025-06-02-report-for-first-time-in-years-home-based-child-care-programs-are-on-the-rise
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