Story Published: Jun 29, 2008 at 6:04 PM PST
Nearly $3 a gallon for milk may not seem like much, but feeding a dozen kids a day adds up.
Samantha Carterby says childcare is usually the highest payment parents make, after the mortgage. Tack on rising food prices, and many parents simply can't afford daycare anymore.
"They're having to put the need to place their child in enriching, secure care, against the need to place groceries on their table, and that's often a very hard choice for them to have to make," said Carterby.
It's already difficult to find a place that will take infants in the Tri-Cities, and at least a few providers have had to close their doors because they weren't breaking even with expenses.
