1. Child Care Costs in America

2. Average Four Year old in child care $3,794 - $10,920 per year
Average Infant in child care
$4,388 - $14,647 per year

4. Monthly Child Care Prices Vs. Household Expenses
West Region Includes: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
(American Community Survey 2006, U.S. Census Bureau)

5. Single Parent!??!
American Community Survey 2006, U.S. Census Bureau.

6. What can be done?
Reframing- seeing the problem from a variety of perspectives and determining various possible outcomes.
Consider Systems Thinking. “Everyday management thinking too often looks for straightforward cause-and-effect relationships in problem solving that ignore the effect on, and feedback from, the entire system” (Zemke, 2001, p.40). Who are these price increases most directly effecting?
“Leverage Points”- Small change can produce big results (Zemke, 2001, p.44).

7. References:
[baby crawling]. (2007). Retrieved October 5, 2009, from:
[child care blocks]. (2009). Retrieved October 5, 2009, from: care-pic.jpg
[food]. (2008). Retrieved October 5, 2009, from:
[graduation cap]. (2000). Retrieved October 5, 2009, from: cap.jpg
[house]. (2001). Retrieved October 5, 2009, from:
[kid blowing bubbles]. (2004). Retrieved October 5, 2009, from:
National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies. (2007). Parents and the high price of child care Arlington, VA: NACCRRA.
[scared lady]. (2000). Retrieved October 5, 2009, from: _Black_and_White_Cartoon_of_a_Woman_Making_a_Scary_Face_clipart_image.jpg
Zemke, R. (2001). Systems thinking: Looking at how systems really work can be enlightening- or a wake-up call.