Marteene Diaz says caregivers deserve a living wage, and notes her family paid their nanny about $25 an hour.

Her daughter now goes to daycare three days a week for $1,400 a month, which matches the mortgage on the family's two-bedroom condo. They've outgrown their home, but today's housing market makes moving hard. They've always wanted another child, but two daycare bills would come to about $3,000 a month. So they plan to wait until their daughter starts kindergarten.

She calls the cost "a barrier to growth of our lives." Still, she says it's worth it to give her daughter the best care. It's a relatable look at how childcare costs shape the big decisions families make.