Who's watching the kids in New Jersey?

The average percentage of stay-at-home parents has stayed relatively the same since 1989, around 18 percent.

The numbers have gone up or down and certainly went up during the pandemic.

New Jersey ranked ninth in the number of stay-at-home parents during the shutdowns.

Society has seen an increase in dads who choose to stay at home with the kids at 7 percent up from 4 percent 25 years ago.

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With the cost of living as high as it is in New Jersey, there is one statistic that stands out.

We ranked almost near the bottom of the state's spending the most on childcare.

Garden State parents spend the fourth least in the country on childcare expenses.

A new study found that families in New Jersey spend a median $7,200 on childcare annually — 3.8% of the state’s median household annual income of $129,670.

Out of all states included in the study, residents of New Jersey spend the 4th least on childcare.

One of the reasons for such a low ranking, but a good sign for families, is that perhaps more parents are opting to stay at home to raise their kids.

Another more likely reason for the lost percentage of income devoted to childcare in New Jersey is Grandmom.

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The percentage of grandparents providing childcare is 33% and let's face it, most of them are female.

Maybe we don't spend as much of our income as other states on childcare is that more New Jersey grandparents are the main source of daycare for working moms and dads.

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It seems there is a growing number of grandparents here that watch their grandchildren during the work week, and usually for little or no compensation.

The cost of daycare in New Jersey could be another reason for family being called on to watch the kids while mom and dad are at work.

The average annual cost for daycare here is nearly $13,000.

That amounts to at least a couple of nice family vacations.

Hopefully with the money parents save by having grandmom watch the kids, they can take her along or better yet pay for her own separate trip!

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy only.

You can now listen to Dennis & Judi — On Demand! Hear New Jersey’s favorite best friends anytime, anywhere and any day of the week. Download the Dennis & Judi show wherever you get podcasts, on our free app, or listen right now.

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Source: Who’s watching the kids in New Jersey?