Child care costs have been on the rise for some time. Research from the latest report from Child Care Aware showed a continuation of that trend and a 3 percent increase in 2011, CNN reported.

Based on survey responses from 2011, researchers found that child care is more expensive than rent in 22 states and Washington, D.C. For families with two or more children, it's a greater expense than rent in all 50 states, according to the report. For families who own their own home, child care exceeds the cost of mortgage payments in 20 states and D.C.

Infants are the most expensive to care for, the report found. Enrolling an infant in a full-time program ranged from $4,600 in Mississippi to around $15,000 in Massachusetts. The range shrunk to $3,900 to $11,900 (same states) for four-year olds and decreased further to $1,950 to $11,000 (New York) for school-aged children.

One-year state tuitions costs were cheaper than one year of a child care center for infants in 35 states, according to the report. For four-year olds, in state tuition was cheaper in 19 states plus D.C.

Child care consumed the greatest portion of income in Oregon, at over 18 percent.

Unlike education, the costs of child care are primarily covered by parents. Only about 1 in 6 eligible children receive federal aid through the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). About 20 percent of those children are in unlicensed facilities, according to the report. That number climbs to 50 percent in three states, one of which is Oregon.

"Child Care Aware®of America is calling on Congress to review state child care policies to ensure that federal dollars for child care are only spent in safe, quality settings," the report said. When the CCDBG was last awarded in 1996, the focus was on supporting working parents. Child Care Aware hopes to modify the grant's next version to increase the quality of federally-supported centers.

As you can see from the below table, the burden of child care can consume 40 percent or more of annual income for families living at the poverty level.