Despite the critical role of child care in supporting the economy, there is a lack of clear understanding as to what it really costs to provide quality child care—particularly as child care programs face new guidelines and challenges responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. To address this, the Center for American Progress has developed an interactive calculator that estimates the cost of providing child care that meets pandemic-related state guidelines. Initial analysis finds that providers are facing, on average, a 47 percent increase in operating costs during the pandemic, with even higher increases for programs serving 3- and 4-year-olds. (author abstract)