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My Slightly Chaotic Life

Balancing Life, Children and Chaos

Parenting

The Affordable Childcare Crisis

April 16, 2020 Comments : 8

Quality, affordable childcare is a topic that is on the minds of many working parents these days. Even more so with the forced closures of schools, businesses, restaurants and even some daycare centers nationwide. The child care system in the United States has always been a fragile system. Finding high quality care is not the only challenge that families face. They also face the struggle of finding affordable childcare in an already limited market.

While this post is sponsored, all my opinions are my own. You can find my full disclosures HERE.

Affordable childcare should be a right not a privilege. Here is how you can help make quality, affordable healthcare available for everyone. | Childcare | Working Mom |

Quality Childcare is Hard to Find

When my son was born over 8 years ago, the childcare system was severely lacking in the state of Maine. Not only was it difficult to find a daycare with openings, it was a struggle to find a daycare that I could afford on the salary that I was bringing home. Eventually I was able to find a center that I could afford and trusted. However, I was placed on a waitlist and had to rely on family to watch my son when I returned to work. The situation was even more dire when my daughter was born a little over two years ago.

Hearing from others how many quality daycare centers were full and had year long waitlists, I began my search before my daughter was even born. I placed my child on a waiting list 3 months before she even entered this world and still had to wait ’til she was 6 months old for her to have a spot at the daycare. Not only was this one of the only centers in my area that opened early enough to accommodate my work schedule as a nurse, but the cost of care was something we could afford.

Research has shown that children with access to early quality care and learning in the first few years of life is crucial to build a strong foundation that allows children to succeed. This made finding quality daycare that much more stressful.

Childcare in the times of COVID-19

With the spread of COVID-19 families are suddenly finding themselves without childcare. Many people who are considered essential workers are now struggling to find childcare in an already fragile economy and limited daycare facilities. Currently many daycare facilities are closed and payment from families is still expected. This is causing many families to pull their children indefinitely due to the financial strain.

Thankfully my daycare facility for my daughter is still open. However, many centers are not open and once this crisis passes we will be faced with a new childcare crisis. High quality, affordable childcare was limited before the COVID-19 pandemic, and now that the fragile childcare ecosystem is significantly strained, it will be far more challenging once this time passes. 

Affordable childcare should be a right not a privilege. Here is how you can help make quality, affordable healthcare available for everyone. | Childcare | Working Mom |

How you can help

Care for All Children has created a non-partisan educational campaign focused solely on childcare affordability in the United States. More than 20% of American families are going into debt paying for childcare. Not only are they focused on affordable childcare, but quality childcare as well. Since over two thirds of children under the age of 5 have two parents in the household in the workforce, children are spending more time in childcare settings.

This means that not only is affordability an issue, quality childcare is just as important.

So how can you help? Care for All Children is working hard to change the way presidential candidates think about affordable childcare in the United States. To find out more about Care for All Children, why every child deserves access to high quality childcare and to sign the petition urging presidential candidates to make affordable childcare a platform issue head to https://actv.at/7CP/

Other ways to get involved? Share this petition with your friends, families, co-workers and encourage them to sign as well. Share your story about how this issue has impacted your life. You can join the #CareForAllChildren campaign to share your story on social platforms. You can send a letter directly to the presidential candidate of your choice. As always make sure to get out and vote! Make sure to follow Care for All Children in order to stay updated.

You can follow them at:

Instagram: @CareForAllChildren

Twitter: @RaiseUpECE

Facebook: @CareForAllChildren

 

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Comments

  1. Kari says

    April 16, 2020 at 12:55 pm

    It’s so hard right now! Due to new headcount limitations we cannot attend daycare, but we still have to pay for it to hold our spot :(. So frustrating and my Lionel misses her friends!

    Reply
  2. Maya says

    April 16, 2020 at 5:34 pm

    Thank you for the great info! I will have to forward this to my sister. She can surely use this!

    Reply
  3. Jen says

    April 17, 2020 at 8:42 am

    That sounds like an amazing campaign! I feel for working moms who struggle to make ends meet because of childcare costs.

    Reply
  4. Adriane says

    April 18, 2020 at 1:14 am

    I just heard of this organization. That’s crazy you have so many waitlists in your area. I’m not sure around here in AZ but I haven’t heard of it being a problem. Now, the cost,YES! That’s a problem. I need to check out and support Care For All Children. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  5. Jen says

    April 18, 2020 at 8:18 am

    This is eye-opening for me. The fact that Americans are going into debt to pay for childcare is terrible. But increasing the availability of quality childcare presents a difficult, and separate problem. Your activism is an admirable way to make a real change!

    Reply
  6. Elizabeth says

    April 22, 2020 at 1:06 pm

    I am fortunate enough to be able to stay home with my children but I realize how hard it can be to find affordable childcare. It becomes that much harder when you don’t live close to family who can step in and help. Thanks for doing what you can to solve this problem.

    Reply
  7. Melinda Cummings says

    April 22, 2020 at 8:30 pm

    When I lived in the US, I hated that I couldn’t send my kids to daycare or preschool.
    I am lucky in Quebec that it is subsidized, and we can get advanced tax credits to help pay for preschool and daycare. It is what is keeping me from moving to Ontario.

    Reply
  8. Christy says

    April 24, 2020 at 7:21 am

    Child care is a HUGE problem for many families. Thank you for sharing the information in this post!

    Reply

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Hi! I'm Danielle. I'm a mom, wife and ED nurse. I love sharing my honest take on being a mom, traveling with kids and lifestyle content.

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A little day off morning routine that for once was A little day off morning routine that for once was not pure craziness. 
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I had to make the difficult decision to say goodby I had to make the difficult decision to say goodbye to Bella today. I’ve had Bella for 16 years. She has seen me through  relationships, marriages, a divorce, the birth of my children, countless moves and so much more. She was my little lazy dog that loved to snuggle under the covers and lay out in grass on a sunny day. 
She hated winter and tolerated the children. She’s going to be missed so much ❤️
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#familydog #italiangreyhound #olddog #sayinggoodbye #motherhoodunplugged
My nights after the kids go to bed is so productiv My nights after the kids go to bed is so productive. 
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#momtruth #motherhoodunplugged #honestmom #funnymom #momhumor #funnyreel #relateable
I’m not sure if they are going to invite me back I’m not sure if they are going to invite me back….
.
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.
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.
.
.
.
#mommyandme #mommemes #honestmom #momsbelike #darkhumor #workingmomlife
Any other Winter Warriors out there? #ad You know, Any other Winter Warriors out there? #ad You know, the ones who drink iced coffee even in the coldest of weather? @dunkin is here to support all those Winter Warriors out there with their selection of iced coffee! If you’re out in the snow and drinking an iced coffee this winter, make sure to tag #dunkinwinterwarrior on your post!
#dunkinmaine #dunkinpartner
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#maineliving #mainetheway #icedcoffee #icedcoffeeaddict #momstyle #momlifestyle
Supporting my postpartum body with @beli.baby Pren Supporting my postpartum body with @beli.baby Prenatal vitamins. 
Not only are the essential prior to conception and during pregnancy; they are essential to keep the body healthy after pregnancy as well. 
I have openly shared my previous miscarriages before finally getting pregnant with Chloe. This is why I decided to check out the Beli Women Prenatal vitamins to help with my own personal fertility and boost my chances of a having a successful pregnancy. The Beli Women Prenatal vitamins are formulated with powerful ingredients that can boost fertility and conception as well as  improve egg quality. As an older mom, this was especially important to me. During pregnancy, the Beli Women Prenatal can protect baby’s brain and spine, help reduce nausea, and then support postpartum recovery and breastfeeding.
And as a busy mom having the ability to order and have them delivered to your door monthly makes it that much easier for me to remember to take them. 
What are you doing to support your postpartum wellness? #belibaby #postpartumbody 
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#postpartumwellness #postpartumjourney #pregnancylife #mombod #momof3 #pregnancyjourney
A little day off morning routine that for once was A little day off morning routine that for once was not pure craziness. 
Things that help me get out the door in the morning on time is getting up before the kids, having clothes picked out the night before and making sure their bags are packed for daycare and school. 
Mornings before work are a completely different ballgame. 
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#morningroutine #morningvlog #dayinthelife #dailyvlog #momof3 #motherhoodunfiltered #dailylife
Not exactly sure how I am going to survive the tee Not exactly sure how I am going to survive the teen years with this one. 🤦🏻‍♀️ 
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#raisingdaughters #momreels #motherhood #momhumor #mommyandme
I wonder what it must be like to go through life w I wonder what it must be like to go through life without a care in the world 😂 I guess this is where we balance each other out; me being the ball of anxiety and him being calm. Anyone else’s marriage or relationship like this? 
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#marriagehumor #marriedlife #funnyreel #anxietyproblems #marriagegoals #husbandandwife
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