This article is part of a series produced by the Federal Reserve’s Early Care and Education Work Group that explores the cost, affordability, and racial equity issues in early childhood education in the United States. The first three articles frame each of these issues based on existing research and data. The series finishes with an article that explores these topics based on findings from human-centered design focus groups conducted with early childhood education providers and parents with young children. This article focuses on affordability challenges and integrates quotes from participating parents in the focus groups to highlight real-world experiences of challenges revealed through existing literature. (author abstract)