Tell us about your child care challenges

The child care industry has been in crisis since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Affordable, quality care is challenging to find, and staff are not paid enough to retain them.

The average annual cost of infant care in California is almost $17,000, which is $9,000 more than tuition for an in-state public college, according to San Diego County's Childcare Blueprint.

A recent study also showed almost half of children under 5 whose parents work, have no available licensed child care option. It also found almost 70% of children who are eligible for a subsidy are not enrolled in a subsidized child care program.

And the struggle to find affordable child care could soon get even harder as federal funding for childcare providers is set to expire at the end of September. A recent report found that without more funds, the child care workforce could lose 232,000 jobs nationwide after the funding ends, and in California more than 13,500 programs could close.

KPBS is embarking on an in depth series on child care and the variety of challenges and situations families, caregivers and providers face. We want to hear from you about your child care situation, what challenges you have faced, and what could help. We also want to hear from providers about what obstacles they are facing and how they could be better served.