American parents could be playing a very important role in mid-term polls

Child care costs are a major concern in Pennsylvania’s 7th District.

UPDATED FEB 23, 2026

Representative image of a daycare center. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

The affordability crisis is one of the most pivotal talking points ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. Americans across the country are struggling with costs in some aspects of their lives, be it housing, groceries, or child care. The latter is swiftly becoming a major issue in a key district that has the highest concentration of independent voters in its state.

UCLA students and supporters demonstrate outside the UC Board of Regents meeting | Getty Images | Photo by David McNew — Representative image of protestors. | Getty Images | Photo by David McNew

Child care costs are a major concern in Pennsylvania’s 7th District, from both a customer and an entrepreneur's point of view. Republican Rep. Ryan Mackenzie will be running against a team of Democrats, which includes firefighter union leader Bob Brooks, energy systems engineer Carol Obando-Derstine, and former federal prosecutor Ryan Crosswell. Brooks babysits his granddaughters once a week to help his son and daughter-in-law save on day care costs.

Little boy with his teacher in school | (Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Natalia Lebedinskaia) — Representative image of a child at school | (Image Source: Getty Images | Natalia Lebedinskaia)

“I’m tired of getting kicked in the teeth, watching my kids get kicked in the teeth every day,” he said as per a CNN report. “At the end of the day, people can’t afford anything anymore, child care being one of them.” The Republican incumbent, Mackenzie, had also made child care part of his first-term agenda. With two young children under two, including a newborn, this affects him on a personal level as well.

Rep.-elect Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA). (Image credit: Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“We are going to have to make that decision as a family, just like everybody else. You’re trying to make a decision that’s best for your family, but also a rational economic decision on, for the 40 hours that I’m going to be working, my take-home pay minus the child care for two kids – is that worth it?” he asked.

Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | ArtistGNDphotography — Representative image of childcare costs. (Image Source: Getty Images | ArtistGNDphotography)

The report also states that after Mackenzie was sworn into power for the first time, he introduced several bills to increase tax credits for working parents and businesses to help subsidize the cost of child care. These policies might not have done enough to relieve the financial pressure that comes with child care. Since the pandemic, businesses have been affected as well.

Dana Eldridge and Paul Miller opened their first day care center in 2005, and over several years, they developed the business, grew it, and opened several branches. Active Learning Centers used to enroll about 1,000 kids when business was booming. However, the rising costs of childcare ever since the pandemic hit have been hurting the business for many years.

Prosecutors Expose Florida Nursing School 'Fraud' Ring Handing Out Fake Degrees. Pexels | By Naomi Shi — Representative image of a daycare center. (Pexels | By Naomi Shi)

Professionals left the industry in search of high-paying jobs, and inflation raised the prices of supplies. This led to Active Learning Centers raising its prices in 2020, and enrollments are still down by 30%. “It’s this crazy, double-edged sword,” Eldridge said. “Because if parents can’t find child care, or they can’t afford child care, the entire community suffers.”

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