High childcare costs in Colorado Springs are forcing parents to make difficult financial decisions, with many leaving the workforce entirely because daycare expenses exceed their potential earnings.Amanda Carter found herself in this predicament after having children, Jojo and Jimmy. While ice skating with them on Sunday, she explained the financial reality many parents face."As women, we want to contribute to the household, but then we're in the predicament of we're paying X amount to be going away for work and be away from the kids," Carter said.Her friend Ciara Spencer faced the same dilemma and ultimately decided that staying home made more financial sense than working and paying for daycare."Part of the reason I stayed home, was because childcare was too expensive, and it didn't make sense," Spencer said. "The amount of money it cost for childcare didn't make sense for me to continue working."The financial burden is substantial. According to SherryLynn Boyles, CEO of Joint Initiatives, a nonprofit focused on bringing local youth programs together, the average El Paso County parent pays $20,000 per year per child for childcare."Childcare costs is equal to a mortgage in our community; in fact, it's cheaper to go to college," Boyles said.The high costs are keeping people out of the workforce entirely."We have a lot of people staying out of the workforce, and it's a big financial burden for some families," Boyles said.Finding available spots adds another layer of difficulty. A UCCS Economic Forum report shows there's one childcare spot for nearly every three children ages 0-6 in El Paso County.Katie Morin experienced this shortage firsthand while searching for care for her daughter, Emery. Her husband spent half a year looking for a good option, and ultimately, she had to leave her full-time nursing job."Instead of working a full-time job, I worked a per diem position and went to work on the weekends," Morin said. "This was a pretty difficult decision. We had both been full-time."Boyles suggests implementing "scaled funding" for childcare workers, similar to teacher compensation, as one potential solution."If we want to make the field more competitive and more appealing, we need to be able to compete financially," Boyles said.Many parents I've spoken to say they've found help through building community networks, relying on friends and colleagues nearby to help care for their children when needed._______Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching. ...read more read less