Anonymous
10/07/2021 10:27
Subject: DC Ranked as Third Best Place in US to Have a Baby
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Wow. The bar is LOW. We need 12 months parental leave and subsidized daycare, just like in civilized countries. [/quote12 months parental leave and subsidized daycare paid for by the taxpayer/companies sounds like a recipe for single mothers popping out kid after kid after kid. I mean, what would stop them at that point?
Well many European countries still have incredibly low birth rates despite similar policies. These policies go some way towards ensuring moms can return to the workforce (that's the whole point of the subsidized daycare, actually) and it turns out that being a working parent, even with affordable childcare, is hard once you have a couple kids.
I mean, in most of those countries they actually give families cash every month based on how many kids they have. In France, once you have 3 kids you are actually entitled to all kinds of free things plus discounts on lots of services including stuff like movies and museums and transportation. And yet, still, the birth rate is low. Most people, least of all most women, don't actually want to have that many kids. They want to be good parents and have functional lives.
Can you name a few of these countries? France is 1.
The Scandinavian countries and the Baltics.
All places that are overwhelmingly white. Hmmmm.
Anonymous
10/07/2021 09:13
Subject: DC Ranked as Third Best Place in US to Have a Baby
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Wow. The bar is LOW. We need 12 months parental leave and subsidized daycare, just like in civilized countries. [/quote12 months parental leave and subsidized daycare paid for by the taxpayer/companies sounds like a recipe for single mothers popping out kid after kid after kid. I mean, what would stop them at that point?
Well many European countries still have incredibly low birth rates despite similar policies. These policies go some way towards ensuring moms can return to the workforce (that's the whole point of the subsidized daycare, actually) and it turns out that being a working parent, even with affordable childcare, is hard once you have a couple kids.
I mean, in most of those countries they actually give families cash every month based on how many kids they have. In France, once you have 3 kids you are actually entitled to all kinds of free things plus discounts on lots of services including stuff like movies and museums and transportation. And yet, still, the birth rate is low. Most people, least of all most women, don't actually want to have that many kids. They want to be good parents and have functional lives.
Can you name a few of these countries? France is 1.
The Scandinavian countries and the Baltics.
Austria also gives money to parents and has very generous parental leave. I think Belgium and Germany too though they may not be as generous.
The UK has generous parental leave plus the NHS, which is a huge benefit for families.
I know PP mentioned Scandinavian countries, but I know Finland, specifically, offers a year of leave (split between parents) and monthly stipends to families to buy clothes, food, etc. for kids, plus subsidized childcare. And their famous “baby boxes”!
I also think a number of Asian countries have similar policies but am not as familiar because I don’t know anyone who lives there.
Anonymous
10/07/2021 08:39
Subject: DC Ranked as Third Best Place in US to Have a Baby
Universal pre-K in no way makes up for the insane cost of living in DC in comparison to other metro areas in the south and midwest.
Anonymous
10/07/2021 08:26
Subject: DC Ranked as Third Best Place in US to Have a Baby
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Wow. The bar is LOW. We need 12 months parental leave and subsidized daycare, just like in civilized countries. [/quote12 months parental leave and subsidized daycare paid for by the taxpayer/companies sounds like a recipe for single mothers popping out kid after kid after kid. I mean, what would stop them at that point?
Well many European countries still have incredibly low birth rates despite similar policies. These policies go some way towards ensuring moms can return to the workforce (that's the whole point of the subsidized daycare, actually) and it turns out that being a working parent, even with affordable childcare, is hard once you have a couple kids.
I mean, in most of those countries they actually give families cash every month based on how many kids they have. In France, once you have 3 kids you are actually entitled to all kinds of free things plus discounts on lots of services including stuff like movies and museums and transportation. And yet, still, the birth rate is low. Most people, least of all most women, don't actually want to have that many kids. They want to be good parents and have functional lives.
Can you name a few of these countries? France is 1.
The Scandinavian countries and the Baltics.
Anonymous
10/07/2021 07:06
Subject: DC Ranked as Third Best Place in US to Have a Baby
Anonymous wrote:Wow. The bar is LOW. We need 12 months parental leave and subsidized daycare, just like in civilized countries.
If you raise the bar, it wouldn't matter. The choice is among US places.
Anonymous
10/06/2021 22:58
Subject: DC Ranked as Third Best Place in US to Have a Baby
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Wow. The bar is LOW. We need 12 months parental leave and subsidized daycare, just like in civilized countries. [/quote12 months parental leave and subsidized daycare paid for by the taxpayer/companies sounds like a recipe for single mothers popping out kid after kid after kid. I mean, what would stop them at that point?
You have obviously never been pregnant, given birth, or raised a child.
I have raised a child. With free daycare, people won't have to anymore. And with 12 months paid maternity leave, they won't ever have to work as long as they keep having babies. So their job would be to have babies that taxpayers would pay for. No thanks.
Anonymous
10/06/2021 22:24
Subject: DC Ranked as Third Best Place in US to Have a Baby
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Wow. The bar is LOW. We need 12 months parental leave and subsidized daycare, just like in civilized countries. [/quote12 months parental leave and subsidized daycare paid for by the taxpayer/companies sounds like a recipe for single mothers popping out kid after kid after kid. I mean, what would stop them at that point?
You have obviously never been pregnant, given birth, or raised a child.
Anonymous
10/05/2021 15:39
Subject: DC Ranked as Third Best Place in US to Have a Baby
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Wow. The bar is LOW. We need 12 months parental leave and subsidized daycare, just like in civilized countries. [/quote12 months parental leave and subsidized daycare paid for by the taxpayer/companies sounds like a recipe for single mothers popping out kid after kid after kid. I mean, what would stop them at that point?
Well many European countries still have incredibly low birth rates despite similar policies. These policies go some way towards ensuring moms can return to the workforce (that's the whole point of the subsidized daycare, actually) and it turns out that being a working parent, even with affordable childcare, is hard once you have a couple kids.
I mean, in most of those countries they actually give families cash every month based on how many kids they have. In France, once you have 3 kids you are actually entitled to all kinds of free things plus discounts on lots of services including stuff like movies and museums and transportation. And yet, still, the birth rate is low. Most people, least of all most women, don't actually want to have that many kids. They want to be good parents and have functional lives.
Can you name a few of these countries? France is 1.
Anonymous
10/05/2021 15:32
Subject: DC Ranked as Third Best Place in US to Have a Baby
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Wow. The bar is LOW. We need 12 months parental leave and subsidized daycare, just like in civilized countries. [/quote12 months parental leave and subsidized daycare paid for by the taxpayer/companies sounds like a recipe for single mothers popping out kid after kid after kid. I mean, what would stop them at that point?
Well many European countries still have incredibly low birth rates despite similar policies. These policies go some way towards ensuring moms can return to the workforce (that's the whole point of the subsidized daycare, actually) and it turns out that being a working parent, even with affordable childcare, is hard once you have a couple kids.
I mean, in most of those countries they actually give families cash every month based on how many kids they have. In France, once you have 3 kids you are actually entitled to all kinds of free things plus discounts on lots of services including stuff like movies and museums and transportation. And yet, still, the birth rate is low. Most people, least of all most women, don't actually want to have that many kids. They want to be good parents and have functional lives.
Anonymous
10/05/2021 15:25
Subject: DC Ranked as Third Best Place in US to Have a Baby
Anonymous wrote:Wow. The bar is LOW. We need 12 months parental leave and subsidized daycare, just like in civilized countries. [/quote12 months parental leave and subsidized daycare paid for by the taxpayer/companies sounds like a recipe for single mothers popping out kid after kid after kid. I mean, what would stop them at that point?
Anonymous
10/05/2021 15:07
Subject: Re:DC Ranked as Third Best Place in US to Have a Baby
there is a lot of school choice in DC. yes it takes some savvy to navigate it, and for some the transport and other hoops are too onerous / but it is better than places with no choice.
Anonymous
10/05/2021 10:14
Subject: Re:DC Ranked as Third Best Place in US to Have a Baby
I was going to gripe about the high cost of child care here but honestly raising children in this country is so awful that this ranking is like one of those "most healthy states in the South" lists - just shockingly low bar.
Anonymous
10/05/2021 08:40
Subject: DC Ranked as Third Best Place in US to Have a Baby
Wow. The bar is LOW. We need 12 months parental leave and subsidized daycare, just like in civilized countries.
Anonymous
10/05/2021 08:36
Subject: Re:DC Ranked as Third Best Place in US to Have a Baby
High infant care costs were likely offset by universal PK. That’s a huge benefit in DC that is not very widely available in the US.
I do agree this is a good place to have a baby. And yet many moms still struggle to get the support they need here, especially POC moms and families living below the poverty line. In some ways this is a sad ranking. Like, yes, there are good things, but is this really the best we can do?
I do agree this is a good place to have a baby. And yet many moms still struggle to get the support they need here, especially POC moms and families living below the poverty line. In some ways this is a sad ranking. Like, yes, there are good things, but is this really the best we can do?
jsteele
10/05/2021 08:32
Subject: DC Ranked as Third Best Place in US to Have a Baby
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/30/realestate/best-places-to-have-babies.html
WalletHub "weighed 31 metrics across three categories in each of the 50 states and Washington, D.C., to determine the best and worst places in the United States to have a baby."
Since "number of mother’s groups" was among the facts, DCUM may have contributed to DC's ranking.
DC has among the highest infant-care costs but nevertheless was able to achieve its high ranking.
WalletHub "weighed 31 metrics across three categories in each of the 50 states and Washington, D.C., to determine the best and worst places in the United States to have a baby."
In the first category, medical costs, early child care, health care premiums, babysitting and other expenses were compared and ranked. Next, health care was examined using data on hospitals, medical professionals, fertility clinics, rates of Covid-19 testing, infant mortality, low-weight and preterm births, childhood vaccination and more. The last category was baby- and family-friendliness, which weighed birthrates, parental-leave policies, and the number of mother’s groups and child care centers per capita, among other data.
Since "number of mother’s groups" was among the facts, DCUM may have contributed to DC's ranking.
DC has among the highest infant-care costs but nevertheless was able to achieve its high ranking.