# Why Is Childcare So Expensive? Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/cato-podcast-7441736/why-is-childcare-so-expensive Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/cato-podcast-7441736/why-is-childcare-so-expensive.md Podcast: [Cato Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/cato-podcast-7441736) Published: 2026-07-16T10:45:00+00:00 Episode link: https://www.cato.org/multimedia/cato-podcast/why-childcare-so-expensive Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/5e28e0d8963f166217546493/e/6a57f7046f12922686652972/media.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/cato-podcast-7441736/episodes/why-is-childcare-so-expensive Duration seconds: 2428 ## Resource Parents in many parts of the country face eye-watering childcare bills, yet providers often operate on thin margins and workers remain modestly paid. Cato's Chelsea Follett joins Ryan Bourne to discuss the economics behind America’s childcare crunch, the regressive regulations that make care scarcer, and the supply-side reforms that could give families more affordable options. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/cato-podcast-7441736/episodes/why-is-childcare-so-expensive/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/cato-podcast-7441736/why-is-childcare-so-expensive.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.