Back-to-School Shopping to Average $661 Per Child for Fall 2022

Tighten your belts, parents! Expenses are expected to reach new heights after two years of COVID-19, especially during the back-to-school season for fall 2022.

According to a survey from Deloitte, the industry leader in financial advisory, parents may need to shell out about $661 per child in preparation for this coming school year as the general expenses of a family with K-12 students are expected to increase by six percent.

Basic school supplies will cost seven percent more this year than last year. Besides school supplies, clothing and accessories, usually high on the parents' shopping list, will cost 18 percent more than last year's projected spending.

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No child tax credit benefits

This year, parents are also facing increased costs for groceries and gas, which could eat up the budget for back-to-school expenses. Shopping in the next two months will hurt pockets or break the bank because American moms and dads did not get additional cash boost, such as the federal child tax credit from the Biden government. The survey also revealed that 33 percent of parents consider themselves in the worse financial situation compared to 2021.

Lawmakers, however, are still attempting to bring back the expanded child tax credit program with a new proposal. The Republicans, through Sen. Mitt Romney, filed the Family Security Act 2.0 that plans to send parents a monthly $350 per child cash boost for families with kids below five years old and $250 per child for families with kids between 6 to 17 years old.

Per CNBC, Romney's proposal will provide full benefits for families earning an income of $10,000 and above in the previous season. The benefit will be phased out for those making an annual income of $200,000 yearly for single filers and $400,000 for joint filers. Parents expecting a baby within the tax year may also receive a cash boost of $700 a month at least four months before the baby's due.

Romney filed the proposal in June, but it has yet to be deliberated on the floor.

But money and budget are not the only necessities parents should prepare for, as two-thirds of shoppers expect the supply chain issue to impact their trips to the stores. At least 77 percent said they might have to switch brands or shop at unfamiliar stores instead of reliable stores because stocks could be immediately depleted.

Mask mandates could return in schools

Meanwhile, ahead of the back-to-school season, the San Diego Unified School District announced its reinstatement of indoor masking policies for all students and workers, per Fox 26. The district has enforced the policy for summer school students and will likely carry over the rule for the fall season.

District officials acknowledged that COVID-19 community spread has increased with hospital admissions in California, raising the possibility that other school districts could follow. For now, however, the other unified districts said they would wait for the guidelines set by the state's public health agency, but students and teachers have the option to wear a face mask.

In other states, masking policies and guidance for quarantine are changing despite COVID cases rising. There are concerns that a repeat of the COVID chaos at the start of the school may happen again this year; thus, school district officials are convening earlier to prepare for the new school season.

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