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The cost of child care is staggering. In America, young parents spend 

more than 25 percent of their income on child care

. That number doubles for single parents. In some cities, that's almost 

as much as a second rent payment each month

In February, Sen.  Elizabeth Warren, a Democratic presidential hopeful, laid out 

 to make child care more affordable. President Trump's daughter, Ivanka, also called for 

 on child care in the White House budget, released Monday.

MPR News host Kerri Miller crunched the numbers. How desperate is the situation? Why is child care so expensive? Is there a role for businesses in providing a solution? Or is so-called "universal child care" the only viable way forward?  

, president and co-founder of Families and Work Institute and the author of "Mind in the Making"

, director of poverty and welfare policy at the Niskanen Center

To listen to the full conversation you can use the audio player above.

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Any parent of young kids can tell you: The cost of child care is staggering, and quality care can be hard to find. Presidential contender Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., has a plan to make child care more affordable. So does Ivanka Trump. We will talk about the problem and crunch the numbers.

The scarcity of affordable child care

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