How can we improve the childcare crisis?

[Anonymous]

In addition PP, kindly I think you're living in an alternate reality. Most Americans do not have kids. Only 40% of households in the U.S. has a child or children under the age of 18 living with them. Only 5% of American households had children under 6 - which was the broad target of most of the BBB legislation - living with them.

These "if you have kids you can stay home with them" trolls are in a tiny minority -- most Americans have kids, and most know childcare is not affordable, and most believe we as a society should subsidize it becasue otherwise people can't work.

All of this information is freely available on the U.S. census.

https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2021/demo/families/cps-2021.html

If you'd like to put that in perspective for a Virginia resident, nearly 70% of eligible voters DO NOT HAVE CHILDREN under 18.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:If you’re in Maryland you need to listen up. The childcare crisis is going to get worse. So much worse! The State will expand pre-K3 and pre-K for programs throughout the entire state. Sounds good, right? For many daycares this is bad news and at our conferences a lot of daycare’s will be closing because they will be losing a huge portion of their children. With only two infant spots, if your home daycare, I am, that leaves you with infants and two year olds which is not sustainable.

The state also wants providers to get a college degree in early childhood education. This means if you have any other degree it is not valid. many women work from early in the morning till late at night when do they expect us to go back to school to get a degree? We are tired, we are burnt out and we have our own families that we need to care for on top of the children we care for during the day.

As it is people are ready scoff at $275-$325 a week, how much more are they willing to pay for a daycare with a early childhood education degree? It won’t be enough to cover the tuition and time that will go into it, never mind the abuse that many face from parents. People disrespect providers by bringing in sick children, not paying on time, dropping off early or picking up late.

The childcare crisis has many facets and that is my point of you about a major driving force. Adding the extra pressure and requirements from the state will mean more daycares will leave the profession entirely which ultimately is bad news for parents.

Yep, this happened already in DC and many centers had to close because it is so expensive to care for infants and toddlers without having their slots subsidized by preschoolers!

On the other hand as a consumer I have to pay for 0-6 years of daycare because nothing is free until K and my son turns 5 in January so he will basically be 5.75 when he enters K. If I only needed to pay for years 0.5/1-3 it would be a different calculation. Having the first 6 months of maternity leave possibly combined with 3-6 months paternity means the 1st year is covered. I only need to work about age 1- turning 3 for preK3.

7
Good for you, but not many people get that much leave

I don't have that much leave I actually had no maternity leave. As the person above me stated the most expensive part of daycare and most vulnerable children are those who are under a year and so if you can at least get to 6 months for maternity leave and then provide 3 to 6 months for attorney lately you can likely get most children to 9 months to 12 months without non parental care.

I absolutely needed 3 months to recover from childbirth and a C-section while taking care of an infant on my own because my partner had to go back at day 4. I got 0. No maternity leave no disability nothing.

And, you didn't know this prior to getting pregnant?

No I did not know that after a failed condom plus failure of plan B that I was pregnant. And further more I did not know that I would have complications with my c-section (didnt plan on a csection at all) nor a baby with health issues nor PPA. But thanks Susan you are a real peach!

Start thinking ahead and you see many of the things that can happen. Condoms are used to prevent spreading general diseases, they are not for birth control and now you know why, don't you? Next time, think ahead, Karen!

Yes they are. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/contraception/male-condoms/ Plan B is also used for a backup method.

Where did you take sex ed- church?

Well, sweetie pie, I have no unplanned children and my birth control pills worked 100%. I don't believe a word of your pity story but as soon as I find my 1/8 inch violin and I will play the world's saddest song on the world's smallest violin just for you.

It's a true story. Policy isn't made for perfect human beings like you. I can see why you struggle with possibilities since you are exceptionally perfect and never experienced rare circumstances.

No. I am only practically perfect. I do not like beets.

[Anonymous]

If benefits paid for by the taxpayer are used to pay for others' childcare, then it should only be granted for the first child. You cannot have taxpayers continue to pay for your responsibility for additional children. Plan on having one child or plan on saving a lot of money for any future children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If benefits paid for by the taxpayer are used to pay for others' childcare, then it should only be granted for the first child. You cannot have taxpayers continue to pay for your responsibility for additional children. Plan on having one child or plan on saving a lot of money for any future children.

So, are you saying you want increase immigration to keep the population stable? Or that you want poor people to have more kids, since their opportunity cost for having a SAHP to care for multiple children is lower?

[Anonymous]

Free free free. I want everything for me. I am a parent and you owe me that .

Yee haw!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If benefits paid for by the taxpayer are used to pay for others' childcare, then it should only be granted for the first child. You cannot have taxpayers continue to pay for your responsibility for additional children. Plan on having one child or plan on saving a lot of money for any future children.

Why not? We all pay for the entire education of a child in public school regardless of how many kids you have. That’s 13 years minimum. Why does education start at 5 when learning starts from birth?

Seriously, I’m a SAHM but I don’t get why early learning and daycare isn’t regulated (college educated teachers) and subsidized. We don’t want a dumb populace and the first five years are the most important for brain development and intelligence

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Free free free. I want everything for me. I am a parent and you owe me that .

Yee haw!

You actually do owe me. We have no future without children.

Did you go to public school, PP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If benefits paid for by the taxpayer are used to pay for others' childcare, then it should only be granted for the first child. You cannot have taxpayers continue to pay for your responsibility for additional children. Plan on having one child or plan on saving a lot of money for any future children.

Why not? We all pay for the entire education of a child in public school regardless of how many kids you have. That’s 13 years minimum. Why does education start at 5 when learning starts from birth?

Seriously, I’m a SAHM but I don’t get why early learning and daycare isn’t regulated (college educated teachers) and subsidized. We don’t want a dumb populace and the first five years are the most important for brain development and intelligence

I agree. Investing in early childhood education is investing in the future of our country, whether you have kids or not. The achievement gap everyone is trying to eliminate starts at age 2.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If benefits paid for by the taxpayer are used to pay for others' childcare, then it should only be granted for the first child. You cannot have taxpayers continue to pay for your responsibility for additional children. Plan on having one child or plan on saving a lot of money for any future children.

Why not? We all pay for the entire education of a child in public school regardless of how many kids you have. That’s 13 years minimum. Why does education start at 5 when learning starts from birth?

Seriously, I’m a SAHM but I don’t get why early learning and daycare isn’t regulated (college educated teachers) and subsidized. We don’t want a dumb populace and the first five years are the most important for brain development and intelligence

I agree. Investing in early childhood education is investing in the future of our country, whether you have kids or not. The achievement gap everyone is trying to eliminate starts at age 2.

+3

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If benefits paid for by the taxpayer are used to pay for others' childcare, then it should only be granted for the first child. You cannot have taxpayers continue to pay for your responsibility for additional children. Plan on having one child or plan on saving a lot of money for any future children.

Why not? We all pay for the entire education of a child in public school regardless of how many kids you have. That’s 13 years minimum. Why does education start at 5 when learning starts from birth?

Seriously, I’m a SAHM but I don’t get why early learning and daycare isn’t regulated (college educated teachers) and subsidized. We don’t want a dumb populace and the first five years are the most important for brain development and intelligence

I agree. Investing in early childhood education is investing in the future of our country, whether you have kids or not. The achievement gap everyone is trying to eliminate starts at age 2.

+3

We will not succeed as a competitive nation without it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If benefits paid for by the taxpayer are used to pay for others' childcare, then it should only be granted for the first child. You cannot have taxpayers continue to pay for your responsibility for additional children. Plan on having one child or plan on saving a lot of money for any future children.

Why not? We all pay for the entire education of a child in public school regardless of how many kids you have. That’s 13 years minimum. Why does education start at 5 when learning starts from birth?

Seriously, I’m a SAHM but I don’t get why early learning and daycare isn’t regulated (college educated teachers) and subsidized. We don’t want a dumb populace and the first five years are the most important for brain development and intelligence

I agree. Investing in early childhood education is investing in the future of our country, whether you have kids or not. The achievement gap everyone is trying to eliminate starts at age 2.

Also agree. I think the people saying "I don't want to pay for this" are being incredibly short sighted. I only have one kid who is already through this phase of life (and we paid on our own for the first four years of childcare/preschool, though did have access to public PK4 and used it) so there is zero personal benefit to my family on these policies as I am too old to have anymore kids. But I know we'll all be better off if kids and families get this support. I'm all for subsidizing and improving daycare and early education and happy for my tax dollars to go to that. There might be growing pains to implementing these policies, but in the long run I think it will mean more educated kids and more stable families. Seems like a win-win all around.

[Anonymous]

Move out of the city/close in suburbs. I live in Loudoun and there are plenty of options here. For camps too. And aftercare.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Free free free. I want everything for me. I am a parent and you owe me that .

Yee haw!

You actually do owe me. We have no future without children.

Did you go to public school, PP?

Did you consult me about getting pregnant? If not, I owe you nothing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Free free free. I want everything for me. I am a parent and you owe me that .

Yee haw!

You actually do owe me. We have no future without children.

Did you go to public school, PP?

Did you consult me about getting pregnant? If not, I owe you nothing.

So did you go to public school, PP? You never answered.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If benefits paid for by the taxpayer are used to pay for others' childcare, then it should only be granted for the first child. You cannot have taxpayers continue to pay for your responsibility for additional children. Plan on having one child or plan on saving a lot of money for any future children.

Why not? We all pay for the entire education of a child in public school regardless of how many kids you have. That’s 13 years minimum. Why does education start at 5 when learning starts from birth?

Seriously, I’m a SAHM but I don’t get why early learning and daycare isn’t regulated (college educated teachers) and subsidized. We don’t want a dumb populace and the first five years are the most important for brain development and intelligence

I agree. Investing in early childhood education is investing in the future of our country, whether you have kids or not. The achievement gap everyone is trying to eliminate starts at age 2.

Also agree. I think the people saying "I don't want to pay for this" are being incredibly short sighted. I only have one kid who is already through this phase of life (and we paid on our own for the first four years of childcare/preschool, though did have access to public PK4 and used it) so there is zero personal benefit to my family on these policies as I am too old to have anymore kids. But I know we'll all be better off if kids and families get this support. I'm all for subsidizing and improving daycare and early education and happy for my tax dollars to go to that. There might be growing pains to implementing these policies, but in the long run I think it will mean more educated kids and more stable families. Seems like a win-win all around.

+1. Agree completely.