Childcare Landscape Study - Flipbook - Page 6
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Davidson County Child Care Landscape Study Results
Importantly, the Davidson County Child Care Landscape Study was limited to licensed child
care programs and does not capture the characteristics or experiences of unlicensed home-based
child care programs. The overall prevalence of unlicensed home-based child care is unknown.
Examining why greater Davidson County has so few licensed home-based child care
programs is outside the scope of this study. However, local barriers may prevent prospective
providers from becoming licensed, identifying an area for further research.
Modeling the Local Cost of High-Quality Child Care
Brief 4, What High-Quality Center-Based Care Really Costs, and Why No One is Paying It,
and Brief 5, Estimating the True Cost of High-Quality Home-Based Child Care, examine
the cost of providing high-quality center-based and home-based child care for children
under age 5 in greater Davidson County.
The Monthly True Cost of High-Quality Center-Based Child Care Ranges from
$2,214 for Preschoolers to $3,457 for Infants
Tuition prices of a child care program show what the program is charging families for care,
but may not reveal what that care actually costs to provide. Child care prices are constrained
by what families can afford; child care programs often cannot increase prices to reflect the
actual cost of services, including ensuring educators are paid a living wage, without pricing
families out of the market.
Cost estimation models generate a comprehensive estimate of the total cost to sustain a highquality child care program with a stable workforce. Cost estimation models account for all of
the expenses involved in delivering high-quality child care, including labor costs (i.e.,
educator wages) that reflect a living wage and fair benefits, facility expenses, and learning
materials, without being constrained by what families are able to pay.14
To estimate the cost of providing high-quality child care in greater Davidson County, the
Policy Impact Center created a locally-tailored child care cost estimation model. The cost
estimation model reflects the average program size and structure of local centers based on
information from the Child Care Provider Survey, accounts for greater Davidson Countyspecific costs, and reflects the priorities of local child care community partners and experts
(Child Care Workgroup).
Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center 2025
www.pn3policy.org
