If child care is so expensive, why are child care workers paid so little?

Amy Scott fills in for Kai today to answer listener questions with Kimberly. One listener has a followup question on a Marketplace story from last week about how little child care workers get paid. He wondered, then why is child care so expensive? Where does the money go? We’ll dig into the costs. We’ll also answer your questions about money in politics and what’s behind the baby formula shortage. Then, our hosts give a listener some drink recommendations.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “Everything you need to know about Citizens United on its 10th anniversary” from the Center for Responsive Politics
• “As baby formula plant reopens, can the U.S. diversify the marketplace?” from Marketplace
• “Second time’s a charm? Baby formula plant at center of shortages quietly reopened July 1” from Politico
• “As child care costs soar, providers are barely getting by. Is there any fix?” from NPR
• Report: The Economics of Child Care Supply in the United States from the Treasury Department

If you’ve got a question about money and politics, let us know. Email us at makemesmart@marketplace.org. Or leave us a voice message at (508) 827-6278 or (508) U-B-SMART.