Report finds over half of U.S. child care providers faced hunger in June 2025

More than half of child care providers in the United States experienced hunger in June 2025, according to a new report from the RAPID Survey Project at the Stanford Center on Early Childhood. The survey found that 58 percent of child care workers reported going hungry, marking one of the highest rates since data collection began in 2021.

The study highlights personal accounts from child care professionals across different states. One center director in Washington revised menus due to rising food costs, while a home-based provider in Arkansas struggled to balance food expenses with health insurance. Another provider who cares for children of friends and family expressed concern about whether the children had enough to eat.

Philip Fisher, director of the Stanford Center for Early Childhood and founder of the RAPID Project, commented on the findings: “I think most people think we’re in a very prosperous country and with hunger, there’s something of a mindset around it of abject poverty. But we’re starting to talk about these issues as a canary in the coal mine; there’s signals it’s starting to spread to a much wider swath of population.”

The percentage marks an increase from previous years. Between June 2021 and May 2025, an average of 44 percent reported experiencing hunger. Fisher attributed this rise not only to increasing grocery prices but also cuts to programs supporting food banks. He added, “It’s likely people are seeking free food where it’s available, but that is becoming harder and harder to access,” noting that his son has observed higher demand at a rural Washington state food bank.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines “food insecurity” as limited or uncertain access to adequate food. The RAPID Project classified respondents as hungry if they experienced at least two out of five specific scenarios related to insufficient food or resources.

Poonam Gupta, research associate at the Urban Institute’s Tax and Income Supports division, explained: “Even if you’re not currently hungry in the moment while taking the survey, you can still be food insecure.”

Food insecurity was found among all types of child care providers surveyed. According to Fisher, center-based directors had lower rates compared with home-based providers and teachers or informal caregivers such as family members or neighbors.

“There’s been a ton of reporting on how broken the child care system is and a lot has to do with low wages,” Fisher said. “So it’s not surprising it's across the board.”

Gupta pointed out that early childhood education teachers and other low-income hourly workers face additional challenges because their schedules are often unpredictable: “A lot of attention is paid in general to the low-income workforce, but folks that have non-traditional or inconsistent hours tend to be at the highest risk,” she said. She also noted that early childhood educators who are parents themselves may struggle both with affording child care and meeting work requirements for government assistance like SNAP benefits.

Child care providers’ work schedules can fluctuate based on daily attendance numbers, sometimes resulting in reduced hours or being sent home without pay.

Hunger affects both adults and children across many households nationwide. In 2024, one in four U.S. households experienced food insecurity according to data from the Urban Institute. However, public awareness tends to focus more on children than adults facing hunger issues.

Fisher remarked: “I think the images they show perpetuate these ideas that the people who are hungry are in an extreme margin,” emphasizing that many Americans are actually vulnerable.

Despite high costs for families—parents often pay more for child care than housing—the average wage for child care workers remains low at less than $12.25 per hour according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data; those with college degrees earn about $14.70 per hour.

Looking ahead, Gupta expects conditions could worsen due to upcoming changes scheduled for October 2026 affecting SNAP eligibility requirements—including raising age limits and removing certain exemptions—which may further impact those already relying on public assistance such as SNAP or Medicaid.

“If anything, we only expect this to get worse in the coming year because of all the disruptions being made, mainly to the SNAP program,” she said.