Child Care Costs Over $13,000 a Year. Regulation Is a Big Reason Why.

The article frames child care costs through a deregulation lens, positioning government regulation as the primary culprit rather than examining labor costs, market concentration, or profit margins. The headline and framing center libertarian economic analysis (Reason's editorial perspective) while using charged language ('far more expensive,' 'regulation is a big reason') that assumes regulatory burden as established fact before evidence is presented. Source selection and context-setting appear designed to support a predetermined anti-regulation conclusion.

Primary voices: think tank or advocacy organization, academic or expert, media outlet

• This article does not address wage stagnation and labor cost pressures on child care workers relative to regulatory compliance costs
• This article does not examine market concentration or profit structures in commercial child care chains
• This article does not compare regulatory costs across comparable OECD nations with lower child care costs