Massachusetts nanny, babysitter and day care costs are among nation's highest, report says
BOSTON - Massachusetts is one of the most expensive states in the country when it comes to child care thanks to sky-high nanny, babysitter and day care costs, a new report says.
Waltham-based Care.com, a service for families to find child care, recently released its "Cost of Care Report" and identified the top five most expensive states for child care in 2023.
Massachusetts topped the "most expensive states to hire a nanny" category. Hiring a nanny in Massachusetts cost on average $899 for a 40-hour week, according to Care.com data, which was pricier than Washington, D.C. ($894), California ($890), Washington ($872) and Connecticut ($844).
For babysitter costs, Massachusetts was third-most expensive in the country. It costs $195 a week - over $24 an hour - for a babysitter in Massachusetts, Care.com says. Only California ($197) and Nevada ($203) were ranked higher.
Massachusetts was also third when it comes to most expensive states for day care, with weekly costs averaging $372. Washington, D.C. was first at $419, followed by Alaska at $375 per week.
Care.com says their survey of 2,000 parents found that families are spending 24% of their household income on child care, and more than a third of respondents say they are dipping into their savings accounts to pay for it.
Gov. Maura Healey made child care a major focus of her State of the Commonwealth address last week. She is proposing to expand a universal preschool program into 26 "gateway cities" in Massachusetts by 2026. She is also aiming to increase child care aid to more low-and moderate-income families, and fund an additional year of early education provider grants.
