In Alabama, raising a family with children is expensive. Whether or not a family can afford child care depends on income remaining after paying basic household expenses. The family calculator allows users to select their county and based on median income for that county, see whether or not a family can access the licensed child care market after paying basic monthly expenses. The calculator is a policy tool to better understand the challenges families have in accessing child care subsidy. (author abstract) 

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2021 American Community Survey, 5-Year Estimates; U.S. Energy Information Administration; U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Thrifty Food Plan; Move.Org; Silver Health Plans on the Alabama Exchange; U.S. Department of Energy; U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration; the 2021 Alabama Child Care Market Rate Survey Report, and the Alabama FY2022-2024 CCDF State Plan.