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August 12, 2024,
Great news.
Breathe a sigh of relief.
You found a babysitter. At the last minute. Now, you and your spouse can go to the theater, out to dinner or wherever it is that couples go with money.
Very fortunate.
The operative word, when it comes to childcare, is money.
You would think that having children should be every adult’s right, if they want it. That sounds good, until you consider how much it costs. Ready?
The informative source census.gov educates, “A brief drawing of available data across 47 states show child care prices for a single child ranged from $4,810 a year for school-age home-based care in small counties to $15,417 for infant center-based care in very large counties. When adjusted for inflation, this equals between $5,357 and $17,171 in 2022 dollars.”
Very challenging.
The post adds:
The Economic Policy Institute ranked the top 10 states or state equivalents with the highest child care expenses for preschool, infant care, and day care:
- Washington, D.C. ($24,243)
- Massachusetts ($20,913)
- California ($16,945)
- Minnesota ($16,087)
- Connecticut ($15,501)
- New York ($15,394)
- Maryland ($15,335)
- Colorado ($15,325)
- Washington ($14,554)
- Virginia ($14,063)
The question we have, if you are making minimum wage, and many are, how can you afford to work and pay for childcare as well?
The humanitarian advocates at oxfamamerica.org educate, “42 percent of working single parents in the U.S. earn less than $17 an hour, new Oxfam study shows.”
The availability of child care, whether with other family members or professional care, affects the ability of parents to work. This includes both single parents and families where both parents need or want to earn money. Many governments in higher-income countries provide subsidies for child care programs for the benefit of low-income families or parents in general.
Can the government help? Sure they can.
At childcare.gov they post, “Paying for quality child care can be a struggle for many families in the United States. The cost of child care is often the biggest part of a family’s budget. It’s important to know what resources are available to help with child care costs where you live.”
Very good to know. Their website adds:
- Child care financial assistance (also called vouchers, certificates, or subsidies): States and territories receive funding from the federal government to provide child care financial assistance to help families with low-income pay for child care so they can work or attend school. Eligibility requirements are different in each state. Select your state or territory and review the “Financial Assistance for Families” page to find your local child care financial assistance program.
- Head Start and Early Head Start: Head Start and Early Head Start programs help prepare children from birth to age 5 for school and provide services to support children’s early learning and development, mental well-being, and physical health. Head Start and Early Head Start are available at no cost to eligible families with low-income. Select your state or territory and review the “Child Development and Early Learning Resources” page to find Head Start and Early Head Start programs near you.
- State-funded prekindergarten: State-funded prekindergarten programs serve children between 3 and 5 years of age and focus on helping children get ready for kindergarten. Some states offer these programs to eligible families at low or no cost. Programs may be part-day or full-day. Select your state or territory and review the “Child Development and Early Learning Resources” page to see if public prekindergarten is available near you.
- Military child care financial assistance programs: There are several programs that help military families pay for child care, wherever they are stationed. To learn more, visit the “Child Care Financial Assistance for Military Families”page.
If one of those programs suit your needs, be sure and look into how they can help.
Caregivers nurture and develop their children into being functional members of society. For centuries it has been assumed that women will stay home and take care of the children while their husbands go out and work.
As the cost of childcare rises, hopefully the appreciation for what a, stay at home mom does, soars.
Perhaps the following might place some of the thinking in perspective.
Studies have been done to get an annual salary estimate for a female caregiver. One survey suggested that the value of a mother’s work, if she were paid the average wage for each task she performs in running the household and caring for her children, is $117,867 per year.
Very impressive. Makes sense.
The reason for the high salary is because mothers typically perform about 10 different job functions throughout the week. Some of these job functions are poorly paid, including cleaning, driving, caring for children, and washing laundry.
The global news leader cnn.com adds, “Parents with two kids in a child care center paid on average at least twice as much for that care as they did for the typical rent in 11 states and the District of Columbia last year, according to Child Care Aware of America’s latest annual report.”
Are there some possible solutions to this crisis? It is causing many young people to be hesitant in having children.
As reported by time.com, “In 2022, for the seventh year in a row, the birth rate among U.S. women in their early 30s was higher than the rate among those in their late 20s.”
Understandable. It gives the woman involved more time to build a career, have savings and possibly a more stable home financial situation, to have children.
Let’s walk over to the bookstore for an idea.
Caring for Your Baby and Young Child (Child Care Books from the American Academy of Pediatrics) Hardcover – April 1, 1991
By American Academy Of Pediatrics (Author)
“Drawing on the contributions and practical wisdom of more than seventy pediatric specialists and a six-member AAP review board, this invaluable book provides sound, reassuring advice on child rearing, plus the latest scientific information you need to know to safeguard your child’s most precious asset: his or her health.
Caring for Your Baby and Child is actually two volumes in one. The first half offers a comprehensive parenting manual. Written in a warm accessible style and illustrated with more than 300 helpful drawings, the manual covers a wide range of topics, from preparing for childbirth and choosing a pediatrician to bonding and basic childcare, and just about every other concern or question that parents have.
Detailed, accurate, and up-to-date, Caring for Your Baby and Child is an essential child-care resource for all parents who want to provide the very best care for their children–and the one guide both parents and pediatricians can safely trust.”
Sounds very valuable.
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OPENING PHOTO pexels.com-Gustavo-Fring-photo-credit fciwomenswrestling.com femcompetitor.com, fcielitecompetitor.com, fciwomenswrestling2.com, grapplingstars.com
https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2024/01/rising-child-care-cost.html
https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/15/business/child-care-cost-average-annual/index.html
https://time.com/6965267/women-having-kids-later/
https://www.fciwomenswrestling2.com
https://www.fcielitecompetitor.com/
https://fciwomenswrestling.com/
