Today's Article

"When you're 3juggling both work and family, and 4navigating the economy, and just the cost 5associated with families, it 6adds up."

Jocelyn Frye is the president of the National Partnership for Women and Families, a nonprofit that advocates for parents and children, including finding solutions to make costs more 7affordable.

"We don't want your childcare to be larger than your 8mortgage."

A recent study by 9loan facilitator LendingTree found the cost to raise a child was nearly $300,000 over 18 years.

That doesn't even include college tuition.

They 10factored in a variety of costs, including housing, food, clothes, insurance and daycare — which saw the biggest jump in price, rising more than 50% in two years.

As costs increase, birth rates are 11declining.

President Donald Trump may want to change that and is 12considering offering new parents a $5,000 bonus to have more kids.

But Frye worries that's not nearly enough.

"We have to 13step back and say, what really helps families."

She'd like to see more states offer 14paid family leave.

So far, 13 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws that require employers to offer some type of paid leave for all new parents.