Child care costs surpass price of college tuition
"Putting so much of the child care burden directly on parents means they often seek new work arrangements, sometimes even leaving the working world entirely. But even if people don’t leave work, businesses have a stake in employees’ ability to find reliable, adequate, and affordable child care because workers’ productivity can suffer when they struggle with child care."
I can say I dealt with this EVERY day as a single mother and grandmother of children most of my life. Childcare is a real burden for women in perticular. A daily struggle. I could not quit and waffled between grandparents helping at times, but made it by hook or crook from 1975 through 2013. I really believe that we as a society need to ban together and help be that village that raises children with love and caring, not daily struggle and stress. Our children feel our struggles and it reflects in their daily lives.
ReplyDeleteNot only is the cost of day care an issue, but the timing is too - having before care and after care is usually an add-on cost.
ReplyDeleteIt takes multiple family members, and even our neighborhood networks, to figure out plans and more importantly back up plans. There are strict requirements about health (glad, as the mother of a 5-yr-old) ... and sickness is never planned.
Its a skill to be prepared to allow for adaptability.