{
  "id": 7302008,
  "title": "A Better Way to Compensate Parents of Babies",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/a-better-way-to-compensate-parents-of-babies",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-14T11:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Atlantic",
    "slug": "the-atlantic",
    "url": "https://www.theatlantic.com/family/2026/09/baby-child-care-pay-stay-home/688590/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Last year's child care breakthroughs in New York City, Connecticut, and New Mexico seemed promising. However, the most challenging aspect to implement universally has been infant care. Infants require more individual attention and are placed in smaller groups than older children, making them the most demanding group to care for in formal settings. This has led to high costs for infant care, often exceeding $2,400 per month.\n\nThe issue is further complicated by expensive space requirements and the fact that many states and cities subsidize the cost of care for older children through tuition, which does not apply to infants. The result is that infant care is rare in low-income neighborhoods and rural areas, where families already struggle to afford child care.\n\nTo address this challenge, some states and cities are considering an unconventional solution: paying families to keep their babies at home. This idea, although initially seeming odd, is becoming increasingly popular and widely adopted by other countries with universal child care. In the United States, incentivizing parents to provide care at home instead of sending their babies to formal settings could help alleviate the burden on governments while giving parents with babies an affordable option.\n\nMoreover, this concept has gained support from a diverse range of policy makers, including both conservatives and progressives. For instance, Democratic Representative Ro Khanna proposed a plan in 2024 that would not only lower the cost of formal care but also compensate relatives who provide care and provide a stipend for stay-at-home parents opting out of formal care. Similarly, Project 2029, a progressive effort, suggested a monthly cash benefit for families to provide care at home or pay someone they choose.\n\nThe success of such programs depends on understanding the unique needs of each state, city, and community. For example, Vermont increased reimbursement rates for infant and toddler care to expand services, while New Mexico eased zoning regulations to allow more licensed child-care programs to operate in private homes. With careful planning and tailored solutions, paying families to keep their babies at home may be a viable option to ensure universal access to high-quality child care.",
  "summary": "Offer all of them funds to care for their infants at home.",
  "key_points": [
    "Infant care costs exceed $2,400 per month in formal settings.",
    "Some states and cities consider paying families to keep babies at home.",
    "Diverse policy makers support this unconventional solution."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}