Nearly half of children under the age of five in the United States are in some form of childcare center or family childcare home for an average of 35 hours a week. While the number of working parents grows, the demand for quality childcare remains as strong as ever. But in a period of slow economic growth, paying for this service is increasingly difficult for parents all across the country. Exactly how costly is daycare today? Turns out, in some states, it's even more than the price tag for a year at a public university.