The rising cost of child care is creating financial challenges for working families across Georgia, including those in Chattooga County, where parents must balance the expense of caring for young children with the need to earn a living.
A report released in July by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta found that nearly eight out of ten Georgia families with children age five and younger would face child care expenses exceeding the federal government’s affordability benchmark.
According to the report, the estimated cost of full-time child care in Georgia averages $200 per week for infants and toddlers and $180 per week for preschool-age children. That translates to approximately $10,400 annually for one infant or toddler and $9,360 for a preschooler.
For families with two young children requiring care, the combined expense could approach $20,000 annually at those statewide rates.
The Federal Reserve’s analysis found that 79.1 percent of Georgia families with young children would need to spend more than seven percent of their household income on child care, the federal benchmark for affordability. The median estimated expense statewide was 13.9 percent of household income.
Researchers also found that child care prices increased 29 percent between 2020 and 2024, compared with a 22 percent increase in overall consumer prices during the same period.
In Chattooga County, child care costs may be lower than statewide estimates, but they still represent a substantial household expense.
The private child care directory CareLuLu lists an estimated average cost of $539 per month for full-time child care in Chattooga County, or approximately $6,468 annually. However, the directory does not specify when its local pricing data was collected, and actual rates vary depending on the child’s age, provider and type of care.
For a family with two children, even that lower estimated rate would represent nearly $13,000 annually in child care expenses.
The financial impact can extend beyond household budgets. Researchers with the Federal Reserve say expensive child care can force parents to reduce their working hours, turn down employment opportunities or leave the workforce altogether.
Finding available child care can also be a challenge. A separate study released by the Urban Institute in 2026 found that about half of Georgia child care providers surveyed in early 2025 maintained waiting lists, including 59 percent of child care centers.
Financial assistance is available to qualifying Georgia families through the state’s Childcare and Parent Services program, commonly known as CAPS. The program helps eligible parents pay for child care while they work, attend school or participate in approved training.
Families in Chattooga County seeking information about available child care providers can also contact Quality Care for Children, which operates the state’s child care resource and referral service for Northwest Georgia, at 1-800-308-1825.
Researchers say the affordability and availability of child care remain important issues not only for families raising young children but also for employers who depend on a reliable local workforce.
Comments