How much should it cost to care for a child? It’s incredibly important work and a necessary service for people from all walks of life. As a mom-to-be, Reema Khrais has been lurking in parenting forums, where she has noticed that other parents are reluctant to talk about the concrete costs of childcare and how they’re actually affording it. After family leave ends, children still need several years of full-time care and supervision before they’re old enough for school. And these days, the average cost of daycare can exceed in-state college tuition. Khrais talks to a variety of listeners and parents of young children to figure out how they’re making it work — what sacrifices and life changes they made to manage the high cost of childcare. Later in the episode, Khrais interviews Taryn Morrissey, a professor of public policy at American University, to understand why the childcare system in the United States feels so broken. A few takeaways from this episode: Childcare workers are underpaid. Even though childcare feels overpriced, the work is incredibly labor intensive. Morrissey explains, “For infants and young children, that means not that many children per adult. You can't have many children in a lecture hall and get the same kind of result. Arguably, childcare workers are subsidizing the industry through low wages and few benefits.”New parents usually make less money. Parents of young children are often early in their careers, making it more challenging for them to afford the high cost of childcare. “When your kid is young, you're kind of just starting out,” says Morrissey, “and unless you started saving in high school, you're probably not putting money toward childcare before you have kids.”Many other countries subsidize childcare more than the U.S. Morrissey says that childcare subsidies help low-income and working families afford childcare in many of our peer nations. “Whether it's direct provision, supporting private programs, or vouchers, in general, families are responsible for less of the childcare fees in other countries,” she tells Khrais.If you liked this episode, share it with a friend. And if you want to tell us what you thought about the episode or anything else, email us at uncomfortable@marketplace.org or fill out the form below.