Child care can cost more than a mortgage in Kansas, but providers can barely afford to stay open

Child care is expensive for families, yet it doesn't bring in enough money for providers to grow or pay workers high wages. Kansas is at a crossroads.
TOPEKA, Kansas — Ann Elliott runs one of the largest child care centers in all of Kansas.

The Family Resource Center, or The Center, in Pittsburg, Kansas, is licensed to care for over 350 kids At $145 a week for toddlers, $135 a week for 30 month to 5 year olds, and $185 a month for preschool — parents might assume Elliott and her staff are rolling in money.

They aren’t. They lose money on child care and grants help offset the loss.

“It doesn't pay for an employee to make a living wage,” Elliott said. “We've been around 25 years. So somehow we're continuing and we will continue as long as we can.”

Kansas is at a crossroads, child care providers and experts say. Child care slots are hard to come by and they are expensive. Some parents quit their jobs because child care eats up entire paychecks and it’s just cheaper to be a stay-at-home parent. Others are paying more for child care than their mortgage.