Guest blog post by Brittany, mother of two

I work in the nonprofit sector. It is something I am incredibly passionate about, but I do not make a lot of money. I have twin boys that are just over a year-and-a-half old now. They are in child care and have been since they were infants. Fortunately, I was able to get an ABC voucher that greatly offsets the cost of their child care. (I currently pay $100 per week). If I didn't have an ABC voucher then I would be paying $1,600 per month or more for child care. There is no way I could afford that. There is no way that most people could afford that.

My children are in a great child care facility, but it's not some swanky private school or Montessori school (the dream!). The ABD voucher is only good for one year, so I'll have to reapply in July. If I don’t receive the ABC voucher then, then I don't know what I'll do.

Expensive child care is the reality for most working families. With or without assistance, the cost for child care is too much. We need more affordable quality child care options; we need vouchers and other assistance programs to extend to more parents and families; we need to fight for our children and fight for ourselves so that we can go to work to feed our families and also know that they are being well taken care of when we can't be there.

Brittany’s story is not unique. Many parents and families struggle to pay for child care. The cost of child care varies widely across states, and the cost of living in each state also affects the affordability of child care for families. Explore our Parents and the High Cost of Child Care: 2016 report to learn more.

Read more stories like Brittany's here.