When it comes to providing paid family leave, the United States falls woefully behind even some developing countries. There is no federal law giving employees paid family leave, and that means parents who can’t afford to leave their jobs for long stretches are forced to pay for child care. 

Unfortunately for them, that’s an expensive proposition. 

In Illinois, the average annual cost of child care is more than a year of college tuition. Economic Policy Institute’s Elise Gould and Voices for Illinois Children’s David Lloyd visit the Morning Shift to talk about why child care costs so much and what options parents have as they weigh the quality of care against the bottom line of affordability.