It may be a little cheaper these days for the Hoosier family to send their children to daycare, as a new study shows that childcare costs have gone down across Indiana.

According to recent statistics by Child Care Aware of American, Indiana has somehow found a way to trump a national trend of increasing childcare expenses. The latest report, titled “Parents and the High Cost of Child Care: 2013 Report” indicates that while the majority of the nation continues to battle the increasing cost of childcare, those costs are diminishing here in the Hoosier state.

Statistics show that the average cost for childcare in Indiana is $8,073 for infants, $6,448 for 4-year-olds, and nearly $5,760 for school-age children. However, national figures show that parents are paying almost $9,880 for infants, $7,995 for 4-year-olds, and $5,167 for school-age children.

The latest figures show that Indiana ranks as one of the nation’s least affordable states for school-age children, while ranking at 35th for least affordable for infants and 32nd for 4-year-olds.

"Child care is an increasingly difficult financial burden for working families to bear," said Lynette M. Fraga, Ph.D., executive director of Child Care Aware of America. "Unlike all other areas of education investment, including higher education, families pay the majority of costs for early education. Too many families are finding it impossible to access and afford quality child care that doesn't jeopardize children's safety and healthy development."

In every region of the United States, childcare for infants cost more than what the average family spends on food.

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