Georgia

Georgia infant care costs more than college

Published

4 months ago

January 10, 2024

Georgia infant care costs more than college

High costs of Georgia childcare

According to federal data, it’s cheaper to send your children to college than it is to pay for daycare in Georgia. The FOX 5 I-Team’s Dana Fowle breaks down the costs.

ATLANTA – Post-pandemic child care costs have skyrocketed. It’s not just working-class families struggling with this tab, it’s also couples who are making very good incomes. According to federal data, it’s cheaper in Georgia to send your children to college than to pay for some daycares.

Red flags are going up everywhere these days about the cost of childcare. It’s becoming an astonishing reality across all economic sectors. According to the Bank of America Institute’s consumer data study, payments for child care are up 32% from pre-pandemic days. Add to that rising interest rates and inflationary costs everywhere, and budgets are not just pinched, they are bare in some spots.

The Economic Policy Institute breaks down these numbers state by state. In Georgia prices are for a single infant for a year is on the other side of $8,000. Two kids, and we are pushing up toward $20,000. These are averages, so this monthly tab can get a lot higher.

Infant care in Georgia costs than 18% more a year than in-state tuition for a four-year public college. Look at that again. It’s cheaper to send a kid to college.

Child care costs are up more than 30% from a few years ago. All socioeconomic groups feel the financial pinch. (Photo by Christoph Soeder/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Still, looking at the numbers from The Economic Policy Institute regarding Georgia. Child care takes up more than 15% of a median family’s income. The US Department of Health and Human Services reports that child care is considered affordable if it doesn’t go over 7% of a family’s income. By this measure, only 16.8% of Georgia families can afford infant care.

And hardest hit by this are women. They are leaving the workforce. They have to. This hurts family incomes. This hurts women and job mobility when they try to re-enter the workforce. This impacts retirement and their salaries down the road. And, it’s overall considered bad for the economy when a chunk of its workforce says “I quit.”

What are some solutions? Talk to your boss about flexible work hours. Maybe go in when your husband is at home. Work from home a few days a week. That is harder than it sounds juggling kids and work, but it reduces gas costs and eating out, too. Take advantage of any pre-taxed savings programs though work. It’s a money saver, too. Find trusted friends who you can nanny share with. These are not long-term solutions but can maybe patch the holes until a solution arises.

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Related Topics:consumer Featured Good Day Atlanta I Team news series

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Georgia

Southwest Georgia Housing Task Force hosts 24th annual Housing Conference

Published

3 hours ago

May 14, 2024

Press Room

Southwest Georgia Housing Task Force hosts 24th annual Housing Conference

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) – On Tuesday, potential homebuyers, landlords and renters came together in Albany to navigate the challenges of affordable housing availability.

It was part of the Southwest Georgia Housing Task Force’s 24th annual housing conference. A panel of experts covered key topics such as building and developing new housing and finding resources for repairing homes. These are projects that are happening year-round.

“The areas that we deal with it may be the grant writing, it may be with dealing with developers, it may be with first-time home buyers, it may be with rental, it may be with fair housing or something in the area of what the need is. We really work to understand the need and meet the need,” said Patricia Fletcher-Edwards, branch manager of the NID Housing Council Agency.

Edwards says it has become even more critical to have these roundtable discussions in this climate of affordable housing.

To find out more about the Southwest Georgia Housing Task Force click here.

Have a news tip or see an error that needs correction? Let us know. Please include the article’s headline in your message.

To stay up to date on all the latest news as it develops, follow WALB on Facebook and X (Twitter). For more South Georgia news, download the WALB News app from the Apple Store or Google Play.

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Georgia

Georgia Tech Baseball Included In On3 Sports Latest Field of 64 Projections

Published

10 hours ago

May 14, 2024

Press Room

Georgia Tech Baseball Included In On3 Sports Latest Field of 64 Projections

After being on the outside looking in in last week’s Field of 64 Projections by On3Sports Jonathan Wagner, Georgia Tech is back in the field after winning a series vs No. 9 Duke.

It was a much-needed series win vs the Blue Devils. After losing last week’s series vs Clemson and then a midweek game to Auburn, the Yellow Jackets needed to get a series victory vs Duke. The top seed in their projected region was Mississippi State and the other teams in the region included Dallas Baptist. Right now, Mississippi State sits at No. 16 in RPI, Dallas Baptist at No. 21, and Lamar at No. 63. The Yellow Jackets are currently at 49th.

Of all the regions that Georgia Tech could be in, this is one that is winnable. Mississippi State and Dallas Baptist are really good teams, but Georgia Tech could beat them. It has been some time since the Yellow Jackets have been able to make it out of a regional, but this would be a solid opportunity for them if this were to be the scenario they find themselves in.

Georgia Tech had their game vs Mercer canceled today, but that is not the worst thing in the world. Mercer is a low RPI team and beating them would not have done the Yellow Jackets a big service. A loss could have been damaging though.

The final weekend of the regular season is here and Georgia Tech is going to have another chance to boost their resume against No. 10 Florida State. With a series win here, the Yellow Jackets might have a firm grip on a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Florida State is going to be a really tough opponent however and the series is going to be on the road. It is a really big weekend for Danny Hall’s team.

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Georgia

Are Georgia football and Ohio State inevitable? Why you can’t ignore a few underdogs

Published

17 hours ago

May 14, 2024

Press Room

Are Georgia football and Ohio State inevitable? Why you can’t ignore a few underdogs

Georgia football doesn’t present as having much weakness, but Bulldogs’ schedule is loaded with Texas, Alabama, Ole Miss and Tennessee.
Ohio State boasts an impressive roster, but Buckeyes will transition to new starting quarterback Will Howard.
Will Georgia even win the SEC? Texas’ arrival makes the conference even tougher.

Either Georgia or Ohio State will be preseason No. 1. But just how heavily are those teams favored to win the national championship?

The SEC will be even more of a juggernaut than usual, following the arrival of Texas and Oklahoma. Georgia’s schedule will include games against Clemson, Texas, Alabama, Ole Miss and Tennessee. That’s a rugged road before the playoff arrives. Ohio State is loaded but will transition to a new starting quarterback.

On this edition of “SEC Football Unfiltered,” a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams consider this question: If you were predicting the national champion and could either take Georgia and Ohio State or the field, which would you choose?

It’s a tough question, because Georgia and Ohio State are deserving frontrunners, but navigating a 12-team playoff presents more potential pitfalls.

TOPPMEYER: Why 12-team College Football Playoff is blessing, curse for Tennessee, Florida, LSU

ADAMS: Looking for a college football dark horse? I’ve got one.

Here’s the analysis:

Toppmeyer: I’d take Georgia and Ohio State. Although I think as many as about 30 teams could be considered preseason playoff hopefuls, I only consider six to be serious national championship contenders: Georgia, Ohio State, Texas, Oregon, Ole Miss and Alabama. My top three champion picks would be Georgia, Texas and Ohio State. So, if you’re giving me two of those three, I’m taking that duo over the field. Georgia lacks an obvious weakness. Ohio State will have a new quarterback, but starter Will Howard previously played well for Kansas State. If the Buckeyes are hitting their stride behind Howard come postseason, they’re plenty loaded elsewhere. I’d feel more confident in this pick if I could have Georgia and Texas rather than Georgia and Ohio State, but as long as I’m getting Georgia and another top-tier team, I’m taking that over the field.

[ WANT MORE OPINIONS FROM TOPPMEYER AND ADAMS? Sign up for the SEC Unfiltered newsletter for exclusive columns delivered straight to your inbox ]

Adams: Give me the field. Georgia is really good, and quarterback Carson Beck will be a Heisman Trophy contender. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bulldogs won a national championship. But, I don’t think this is Kirby Smart’s best squad, and there are other teams I like from the SEC, too, like Ole Miss and Texas. Ohio State doesn’t sweeten the pot enough. I don’t trust Ryan Day to navigate a 12-team playoff, and I’m made more skeptical of the Buckeyes because of the quarterback transition.

Later in the episode

– A look at John Calipari’s quest to build an NCAA Tournament roster in Year 1 at Arkansas. Calipari is considering an unusual strategy as he approaches this season.

Where to listen to SEC Football Unfiltered

Apple

Spotify

iHeart

Google

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s SEC Columnist. John Adams is the senior sports columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel. Subscribe to the SEC Football Unfiltered podcast, and check out the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.

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