53% of Connecticut parents say childcare is too expensive: UConn survey results

HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — State leaders released results of the 2025 Connecticut Parent Caregiver Survey Wednesday, providing a closer look at how families find, afford and use childcare.

Conducted by the University of Connecticut and the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC), 2025 Connecticut Parent/Caregiver Survey garnered 3,719 responses from parents and caregivers across the state. It will serve as an updated benchmark for tracking child care access and affordability.

A summary of survey findings

Responses from Connecticut parents and caregivers demonstrate widespread childcare challenges, as well as region- and demographic-specific obstacles. Key findings include the following:

• Unmet needs: 35% of parents reported that their current childcare arrangement did not fully meet their needs.
• Affordability: 53% said child care is too expensive. Among those paying for care, the most common monthly costs were $4–$433, with additional concerns noted about the cost of traveling to the care destination.
• Access: 30% were actively searching for childcare, on a waitlist, or both.
• Regional disparities: 71% of families in one area of Northeastern Connecticut reported searching for childcare, being on a waitlist, or both. This is the highest rate among the 48 local areas measured statewide.
• Demographic-specific challenges: Lower-income families were more likely to report unmet child care needs and difficulty accessing financial assistance.

State leaders said the survey’s findings represent a common trend in the child care conversation.

“What that survey showed us is what we all know all too well — which is that you could live in the richest town in Connecticut or you could live in the most rural part of Connecticut, it doesn’t matter,” Comptroller Sean Scanlon (D) said. “This is a problem in all 169 towns in our state for families from all different walks of life in our state.”

The survey was conducted in fall 2025 online and in person, in four languages, and was funded by the OEC through the Connecticut Child Care and Development Fund.

View the full 2025 Connecticut Parent/Caregiver Survey here:

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